If college football is a game of momentum, the past few months at Mississippi State would make for quite the study.

The Bulldogs had seemingly all the momentum in Mississippi after winning nine games, including the Gator Bowl and the in-state rivalry game against Ole Miss, last season. But recruiting is all-important to fans in the South, and the momentum at State started to slide after some high-profile decommitments that left State sliding into signing day.

State coach Dan Mullen thinks he signed the right players to fit the need of his class, and feels that it continued to reach his target of recruiting within the state of Mississippi. "We have a lot of good players coming in," Mullen said. "A big area you can look is our offense and defensive lines, which is a key area that wins you a lot of football games," he said.

Sure, State will go into spring with some big-name recruits like Dee Arrington, Devin Fosselman, P.J. Jones and Kendrick Market. Those players are far from shabby recruits, and State indeed hit its numbers.

And yes, signing day 2011 will probably have a long way to go to replace the goodwill that the 2010 season seeded in fans. But it's certainly been an eye-opener for the Bulldogs, who have yet to sign an elite class fully under Mullen's watch.

TOP OF THE CLASS

WR Devin Fosselman (Wikinson County, Woodville, Miss.) -- One of the state's top prospects fought an injury in his senior season, so his stats aren't high-profile. But Mullen and his staff have to be excited about his noted playmaking ability, and he would seem to fit into the school's offensive approach.

DL P.J. Jones (Tupelo High, Tupelo, Miss.) -- Jones had some high-profile offers, choosing State over Ole Miss, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and UCLA, according to Mississippi State. Jones would fit into a defensive line that has started to make its name in recent years, but the presence of Fletcher Cox and Josh Boyd would mean it may be a while before Jones excels.

QB Dak Prescott (Haughton High, Haughton, La.) -- There's no such thing as the prospect of too many quarterbacks, and Mississippi State is no different. Even with incumbent Chris Relf, the Bulldogs are open. Prescott led his high school team to an undefeated regular season and is one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country.

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