Bogue Chitto’s Brandon Well can’t officially sign a National Letter of Intent until Feb. 6, 2013, but when he does, he will be the first football player in school history to sign with a Southeastern Conference school.
Wells took the first step in that process Tuesday night when he verbally committed to Mississippi State.
“When I went up there for Junior Day (on Saturday). … The campus was just great,” Wells said Wednesday night. “It was really beautiful, and I liked it. Then me getting to see them practice and getting to talk to all the coaches individually and all of them having something good to say made me want to commit.”
The junior was a multi-purpose star in 2011 for Bogue Chitto’s small 1A school. He lined up primarily as a quarterback in a spread offense and rushed for 1,212 yards and 11 touchdowns. He completed 9 of 18 passes for five TDs and also caught three balls for 61 yards.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound Wells projects as a raw, yet talented receiver. He has a long way to go in his development as a receiver — as evidenced by only three catches in 2011 — but has the speed and body frame to be an SEC receiver. He is also a returner.
“His receiving skills have come a long way,” Bogue Chitto coach Gareth Sartin said. “He’s really blossomed this past year from where he was as a sophomore. He’s definitely going to be a deep threat.”
Wells’ progression is intriguing, to say the least. Wells described himself as a benchwarmer during his freshman year and half of his sophomore campaign. From there, he took off.
“I really worked hard in the weight room and got faster and stronger. Coach started giving me the ball more and he saw what I was capable of,” Wells said.
Before the commitment, Wells also considered Ole Miss, Southern Miss and Louisiana-Lafayette.
Mississippi State first picked up on Wells last fall and had access to multiple highlight tapes. The Bulldogs’ coaching staff liked what they saw and approached Wells in mid-January. By March, Wells’ interested sparked and talks between the two heated up during the past two weeks.
“Being up there again convinced him that’s where he wanted to go,” Sartin said.
Wells said he is “100 percent” committed to Mississippi State and won’t take any more recruiting visits.
“I was very grateful to get a scholarship coming from a 1A school,” Wells said. “I thought my chances were slim coming from a smaller school.”
If Wells’ commitment holds true, he will become the second area wide receiver to join the Bulldogs. Former Tylertown standout Jameon Lewis just finished his redshirt freshman year in 2011.
Martin next?
Wells’ teammate Germie Martin could land alongside him at Mississippi State in the near future. Martin, a 6-foot, 170-pound wide receiver, is currently being recruited by Mississippi State, USM and ULL.
Martin was Bogue Chitto’s leading receiver in 2011 as he tallied 45 catches for 953 yards and 17 TDs.
Martin was scheduled to attend MSU’s Junior Day with Wells but missed it for personal reasons.
