Will Sammon

The Clarion-Ledger

One of the state’s top high school cornerbacks decommitted Friday morning from Mississippi State.

Callaway senior Emanuel Dabney, who is known for his speed, decided to reopen his recruitment after mulling the move since May, he said. Callaway coach Darius Brown confirmed the news.

Dabney said the decision to decommit came down to a few factors.

“Other schools have been recruiting me harder recently,” Dabney said. “I also looked at Mississippi State’s depth chart and they look loaded there.”

When Dabney committed to MSU in December, he did so partially because of his connection to former Bulldogs coach and current Jackson State head coach Tony Hughes. Dabney is the son of Emanuel Dabney, Sr., who played for Hughes at Hinds Community College.

Ole Miss has emerged as a school Dabney is interested in, he said. The consensus three-star prospect added that the Rebels’ recruiting efforts toward him have intensified lately.

Ole Miss cornerbacks Tony Bridges and Kailo Moore are seniors who would leave a void. Jones County Junior College's Javien Hamilton, Jamar Richardson of Aliceville High in Alabama and Oxford's Devin Rockette are 2017 cornerback commits for Ole Miss.

It's unclear, however, how much interest Ole Miss has in Dabney, who also has offers from ULL, ULM and Louisiana Tech.

While Dabney is a player with a lot of potential, MSU's class didn't take a big hit from the decommitment as far as rankings go, according to 247Sports. The Bulldogs also have Lafayette three-star 2017 cornerback Tyler Williams as a commit.

“It was very hard to decommit,” Dabney said. “I didn’t want to decommit because I was one of their first commits and some of my teammates are committed there, too, but I just felt that after talking with my parents and coaches that this was the best decision for me.”

Callaway defensive end Aaron Odom, a Dandy Dozen, and 2017 wide receiver Malik Heath are committed to MSU. Dabney, who is 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, has 11 offers to play at the next level. He received his offer from MSU only a few days prior to committing and said he may have rushed the decision at that time.

Dabney had 41 tackles and three interceptions last season. The 247Sports Composite ranks him as the No. 13 overall player in Mississippi and No. 69 cornerback in the nation.