Ole Miss has extended an offer to Winona High School linebacker Tyler Lockhart. The offer was delivered to Lockhart on Tuesday.
The 6-3, 200-pounder is a four-star prospect ranked as the No. 16 linebacker in the country and the No. 4 player in Mississippi’s 2025 class by 247Sports. He is ranked as the No. 133 player in the Top247 nationally.
The Rebels are expected to gain ground, as Mississippi State and Auburn figure to be the early favorites. Lockhart will make an official visit to Auburn on June 14. In addition to Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Auburn, Lockhart has offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Memphis, Southern Miss, Georgia Tech, Louisiana Tech, Toleo, South Florida, and FCS Jackson State.
SCOUTING REPORT
Chris Lemonis is in his sixth year as head coach for Mississippi State. In the Lemonis era, the Bulldogs captured their first national championship in 2021. Lemonis is the first Division I head coach to reach the College World Series in his first two full seasons as head coach of a program in the Super Regional era (since 1999).
In the 2023 season, Mississippi State had an overall record of 27-26 and 9-21 in SEC play. As for this season, the Bulldogs are 29-15 overall and 12-9 in conference play. MSU is coming off a 2-1 series win against Vanderbilt and is currently ranked No. 16 according to the DI Baseball Rankings.
In Mississippi State’s lineup, Dakota Jordan, outfielder, is making noise, batting .362, earning 55 RBIs and 45 runs. The Canton, Mississippi, native boasts 16 home runs on the books as well. Contributing on the mound for the Bulldogs, is RHP, Khal Stephen. The junior has a 2.77 ERA through 65 innings pitched and has 73 recorded strikeouts for Mississippi State.
The in-state rivals have met 475 times with MSU holding a 256-216 advantage in the series. The foes last squared off earlier in the 2024 season at Swayze Field, where Ole Miss walked away with the 2-1 series win.
SEC STANDINGS
East
| CONF | CPCT | OVERALL | OPCT | HOME | ROAD | NEUTRAL | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 16-5 | 0.762 | 33-9 | 0.786 | 18-4 | 13-4 | 2-1 | L1 |
| Tennessee | 15-6 | 0.714 | 37-8 | 0.822 | 30-3 | 5-4 | 2-1 | L1 |
| Vanderbilt | 11-10 | 0.524 | 32-13 | 0.711 | 25-6 | 3-7 | 4-0 | W1 |
| South Carolina | 11-10 | 0.524 | 29-14 | 0.674 | 21-7 | 6-6 | 3-1 | W1 |
| Georgia | 10-11 | 0.476 | 32-12 | 0.727 | 25-3 | 5-9 | 2-0 | W2 |
| Florida | 9-12 | 0.429 | 23-21 | 0.523 | 16-9 | 7-11 | 0-1 | W2 |
| Missouri | 6-15 | 0.286 | 20-26 | 0.435 | 13-10 | 6-15 | 1-1 | W1 |
West
| CONF | CPCT | OVERALL | OPCT | HOME | ROAD | NEUTRAL | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 16-5 | 0.762 | 38-7 | 0.844 | 30-2 | 5-4 | 3-1 | W1 |
| Texas A&M | 15-6 | 0.714 | 39-6 | 0.867 | 29-2 | 7-4 | 3-0 | W1 |
| Mississippi State | 12-9 | 0.571 | 29-15 | 0.659 | 21-7 | 6-7 | 2-1 | W2 |
| Alabama | 9-12 | 0.429 | 28-16 | 0.636 | 20-7 | 5-8 | 3-1 | W1 |
| LSU | 7-14 | 0.333 | 29-17 | 0.630 | 21-8 | 5-9 | 3-0 | W1 |
| Ole Miss | 7-14 | 0.333 | 23-20 | 0.535 | 17-10 | 5-10 | 1-0 | L1 |
| Auburn | 3-18 | 0.143 | 21-22 | 0.488 | 14-10 | 2-11 | 4-1 | W1 |
