Mississippi State has had a hot week in recruiting after landing 4-star and top-38 recruit Jaylah Lampley, and top-20 prospect Madison Francis from the 2025 class. Well, 2026 complete guard Lani Smallwood is visiting the Bulldogs on an unofficial visit this weekend, multiple sources tell The Ball Out.
ESPN recruiting analyst Shane Laflin raved about both of the commitments of Lampley and Francis. Regarding Lampley, he said that she is “one of the best 3&D players in the ‘25 class.”
And on Francis, Laflin stated that she is one “of the most elite athletes in the country.” In the recruiting world, those were sonic booms that showed that Sam Purcell and his staff are building something extraordinary in Starkville.
Smallwood was the leading scorer from the Nike Girls EYBL 16 EYBL division at both Nike Nationals and Nike Girls EYBL Session 3. Smallwood is an exceptional athlete, starring in basketball and volleyball as she heads into her junior season at Albertville High School.
Smallwood’s game is very similar to another lefty, Adelaide Jernigan, who is ranked No. 64 in the class of 2025 by ESPN.
