Jeff Lebby's Mississippi State loses commitment of four-star RB to the Class of 2026

Four-star running back Damarius Yates decommitted from Mississippi State's 2026 class on Friday. The standout from Kemper County High School in De Kalb, Mississippi, committed to Jeff Lebby's program on Sept. 15.

Yates announced his decommitment decision in a post on X, writing:

"Thanks to Mississippi state coach’s and staffs for taking there chance on me during my recruitment but Mississippi state is not the place for me 🤝🏾."

The 5-foot-9.5, 180-pound prospect has been hosted by multiple programs throughout the year, including Nebraska, Florida State, Tennessee, Ohio State and Alabama. As the signing of 2025 class prospects is over, he will be seeing a strong push from these programs and probably from other schools as well going forward.

Yates is the No. 74 overall prospect in the nation, the No. 7 running back in the 2026 class and the No. 4 recruit in Mississippi, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He has rushed for 1,339 yards and 15 touchdowns while also recording 30 catches for 453 yards and four touchdowns in his junior season this year.

Mississippi State's 2026 recruiting class update following Damarius Yates' decommitment

Mississippi State is left with four players in its 2026 class following Damarius Yates' decommitment. The Bulldogs were hit with their first decommitment last month when three-star wide receiver Kenny Darby backed off his pledge after staying committed to the school since June. Darby committed to LSU a week later.

Despite Yates' decommitment, Mississippi State's 2026 class has one other running back pledge in the class in Tupelo three-star Jaeden Hill. The cycle ranks No. 28 in the nation and No. 9 in the Southeastern Conference. It also includes wide receiver Camden Capehart, running back Jaeden Hill, athlete Iverson McCoy and wide receiver Jaiden Taylor.

Mississippi State has sent offers to multiple running backs in the 2026 class, including four-star prospects like KJ Edwards, Derrek Cooper, Amari Latimer, Javian Mallory and Amari Clemons.

The Bulldogs remain hot to secure the commitment of three-star running back Dylan McCoy from Buford High School in Georgia. The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the school a 22% chance in this race. Another potential recruit is Saraland High School (Alabama) standout DeShawn Spencer.