Mississippi State, Ole Miss lock up key juco prospects

National Signing Day is still 49 drama-filled days away.

But Ole Miss and Mississippi State can relax, at least a little.

Both have already locked up its most important prospects.

It was junior college signing day on Wednesday, and the in-state schools took home impressive hauls.

In all, the Bulldogs and Rebels scooped up five of the nation's top 20 juco prospects — all five ranked as the No. 1 player at their respective position. But not even those glitzy rankings sum up the importance of three particular players who put pen to paper.

Ole Miss needed a quarterback. It also needed to add depth to its secondary.

Mississippi State needed offensive line help.

Both got just that Wednesday.

And in the form of mega-talented, immediate-impact athletes.

For Ole Miss, it'd be hard to argue against Chad Kelly and Tony Bridges being the most important pieces in the Rebels' 2015 class.

Without Kelly, senior quarterback Bo Wallace would turn the keys to the offensive over to Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade. Between the two, there's no starts and a combined 27-of-39 passing for 191 yards.

Kelly's stats are a little different. Albeit at the junior college level, but impressive nonetheless.

The NJCAA first-team All-American selection is the nation's top juco quarterback. He tossed for 3,906 yards and paired 47 touchdowns with eight interceptions while leading East Mississippi to another national championship.

Kelly's list of accolades go on and on.

Everyone likes to talk about quarterbacks — it's the flashiest position in all of sports. But Bridges, a defensive back, is vital to Ole Miss' future.

The Rebels' secondary loses All-Americans Cody Prewitt and Senquez Golson after the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31.

That's 101 tackles and 11 interceptions the Rebels will have to replace. That's daunting even with Bridges on board.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder is the nation's No. 4 overall juco prospect and the top-ranked defensive back. He's fast, physical and instinctual — all of the above.

Pair Bridges' with Tee Shepard coming off a redshirt year, and Ole Miss' chances to keep its top-ranked defense in-tact vastly improved on juco signing day.

Mississippi State also filled its biggest void, but not without a little late dramatics.

Mississippi Gulf Coast's Martinas Rankin went into signing day undecided between Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida and Oklahoma.

He ultimately plucked up a maroon and white hat, and likely elicited a large exhale from MSU's coaching staff by doing so.

Mississippi State's reconstructed offensive line surprised this season but still struggled at times.

Depth was a major concern in the offseason. It will still be an issue next year.

The Bulldogs lose veteran leader Dillon Day, All-American Ben Beckwith and Blaine Clausell when the final second slips off the scoreboard at the Orange Bowl.

Enter, Rankin — the No. 1 juco offensive tackle in the country. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder possesses a rare blend of size and athleticism.

Rankin's upside is quite high — as is the case with Kelly and Bridges.

But that's the thing about upside — it's just potential.

Time will tell if these highly coveted prospects will pan out. But both Ole Miss and Mississippi State would be scrambling heading into signing day in February without them.

Contact Riley Blevins at (601) 961-7344. Follow @Riley_Blevins on Twitter.