'The hand we're dealt': How Mississippi State does more with less in recruiting

STARKVILLE – When walking into the room, you can't help but look at the ceiling. 

The sign is illuminated like a casino marker in Las Vegas. The verbiage is nearly identical to that of the famous sign that welcomes visitors to Sin City, too. 

"WELCOME to fabulous STARKVEGAS," it reads. 

That's what hangs over your head in Mississippi State's football recruiting lounge, a multi-purpose room inside Davis Wade Stadium. It opened last year along with the program's new locker room, which is on par with other locker room renovations that have taken place across the country. 

There are flashy "Hail State" graphics all over DWS and the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex.

There are plenty of TV monitors in both locations displaying maroon and white propaganda as well. Larger than life photos on the walls show the the program's proudest players and moments. 

MSU officials are on the cutting edge when it comes to promoting their program. 

"I think we're doing as good as we can at pushing the envelope," Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead said. 

The school is doing so by spending less on recruiting than nearly every other Power Five university in the nation. And in addition to a lower budget than other programs, Mississippi State now has to make due in recruiting with certain restrictions as a result of the negotiated resolution MSU reached with the NCAA concerning academic violations committed by 10 football players. 

'We play the hand we're dealt' 

According to a USA Today Network investigation, Mississippi State ranks No. 50 out of 52 Power Five Schools in money spent on recruiting over the last six years. MSU spent $2.47 million in that span. 

For reference, Georgia topped the charts. The Bulldogs burned through $9.7 million . Head coach Kirby Smart's program spent more on recruiting in 2018 than Mississippi State did in the entire six-year stretch that was analyzed. 

Two other SEC schools spent over $9 million: Alabama and Tennessee. Only Maryland and Wisconsin spent less money than Mississippi State. 

Mississippi State's recruiting lounge and state-of-the-art locker room are nice, but money spent on facility renovations is much different than money spent on shoe-leather, boots on the ground recruiting.

Put it this way: Moorhead isn't dropping in on a helicopter to watch high school games on Friday nights so he can get back to campus quickly to coach on Saturdays like LSU's Ed Orgeron.

"I don't know if we'll ever have the resources of an Alabama, LSU or Texas A&M," Moorhead said. "We play the hand we're dealt."

'They come here for a reason' 

Mississippi State is also one of just six Power Five schools in the country that spent less on recruiting in 2018 than it did in 2013. Of those six schools – Auburn, Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Illinois and Texas Tech – only Auburn has won more games (53) than Mississippi State (49) since 2013.

Even though MSU does not have the resources to stay up with the trend of increased spending on recruiting, the Bulldogs have done a better than decent job of pulling to their program the players they need to win games.

Just once has Mississippi State had a recruiting class outside the top 30 in the last six years according to 247Sports. Associate head coach Tony Hughes said MSU has been able to recruit at a relatively high level without spending as much as other schools because the coaches search for the right type of guys. 

"Mississippi State is a unique place," Hughes said. "The kids that come to Mississippi State, they come here for a reason. They come here with a chip on their shoulder. They come here because of work ethic and toughness. It's a different environment than a lot of other schools." 

Moorhead agreed.

"We've got to be really good in the evaluation process and find the type of kids who being at Mississippi State is important to," he said. 

The in-state rivalry 

Everyone knows why Thanksgiving is one of the biggest days in Mississippi each and every year. It's because Southerners know how to cook, of course.

Oh, and there's a pretty big football game that night as well. It's called the Egg Bowl. You've probably heard of it. 

The Egg Bowl isn't just a one-day deal. It's a 365-day battle to lure the state's best players to Mississippi State and Ole Miss so one has an upper hand come game day. 

When it comes to spending on recruiting, Ole Miss has that upper hand. The Rebels spent $3.3 million on recruiting over the last six years. That's nearly one million more than Mississippi State. 

Subsequently, Ole Miss ranked higher than Mississippi State in 247Sports' recruiting rankings for four-straight years from 2013-16. The dropoff in the Rebels' 2017-18 classes, which ranked 31st and 32nd, occurred after the NCAA imposed sanctions because of violations that happened under former head coach Hugh Freeze.

Ole Miss hasn't had a winning season since 2015. That makes every recruiting win, such as landing five-star running back Jerrion Ealy over a bevy of other schools, that much more exciting. Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke knows it's important to claim victories on the field because it enhances your chances of claiming them on it. 

"We obviously put a big emphasis on recruiting," Luke said. "You have to in this league. It's the lifeblood of your program. People know that. It's almost become another season. Some people care more about that than they do your record."

Mississippi State and Ole Miss are 3-3 against each other in the last six seasons even with the disparity in spending and recruiting rankings. Hughes said that goes back to the type of individuals the Bulldogs are bringing into their program. 

"Having that uniqueness draws a lot of kids here because they want discipline, they want toughness, they want to be taught how to play hard," Hughes said. "That's Mississippi State."

Correction: Three SEC schools — Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee — spent over $9 million on recruiting in the six-year period that was analyzed. A previous version of this story incorrectly identified one of the schools.

Contact Tyler Horka at thorka@gannett.com. Follow @tbhorka on Twitter. To read more of Tyler's work, subscribe to the Clarion Ledger today!