2026 Mississippi State commit Jaeden Hill off to a strong start for Tupelo

2026 Mississippi State commitment Jaeden Hill wisely used this past offseason to better his weaknesses and fine-tune the things he does well on the football field. Just now past the halfway point of his junior season, the On3 three-star running back is benefitting from that hard work.

Entering district play this coming Friday, the Tupelo High School standout has rushed for 902 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging over 10 yards a carry. He also owns a kickoff return for a score and noted of the areas he focused on this past summer.

“There were some things I worked over the summer like my speed,” Hill explained. “So I’m improving with that. My power is a lot better, too. I also played in a lot of 7 on 7 tournaments, too, and that helped me to catch passes better.”

That speed was on display this past Friday in Tupelo’s 35-14 victory over West Point, which was Tupelo’s first win over West Point in the past five seasons. On his team’s second play from scrimmage, Hill took the toss and sprinted down the right sideline untouched for a 58-yard touchdown.

All in all, his efforts have helped Tupelo post a 6-0 record going into the region opener against Madison Central on Friday.

“We just have to keep it going,” added the 6-foot and 220-pound Hill. “I feel like we have good players that are unselfish players. So we have to keep the same mentality and keep being hungry. If we do that we will be good.”

Hill is rated as the nation’s No. 38 running back and the state’s No. 12 prospect per On3 composite rankings. He committed to Mississippi State a few months ago and has faith in head coach Jeff Lebby and the direction of the Bulldogs’ program.

“It’s going really good with Mississippi State,” remarked Hill. “I like Coach Lebby and I can see the program improving. I feel like it’s going to get better and better. I like what they are doing. It’s going to be good with players like me and Kamario Taylor coming in. It’s going to be good.”

As expected with a player of his talent, Hill continues to be a target for several other Power 4 programs. He also holds offers from Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, South Carolina and Kentucky among several others.

“There’s still a lot of schools on me pretty hard,” Hill noted. “It’s Tennessee, Ole Miss and Michigan. It’s kinda hard being committed with a lot of schools coming at me. But I am staying loyal.”

And with that loyalty, Hill has a couple of reasons for his solid status for his Bulldogs. Some of that is due to family connections along with his childhood dreams.

“To me, it’s the fact I always wanted to play for Mississippi State,” mentioned Hill. “I love the culture there. I’ve always been a Mississippi State fan and my grandfather played at Mississippi State. I just love it.”

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