Mississippi State Lands Impact 2026 DB Commit Kolby Barrett

08-06-2025

Mississippi State Lands Impact 2026 DB Commit Kolby Barrett originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Mississippi State football fans have been waiting for a summer spark, and they just got one.
The Bulldogs added a key piece to their 2026 class with the commitment of 3-star safety Kolby Barrett, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound standout from Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Barrett made it official recently with a simple, powerful post on X:
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'COMMITTED. THANK YOU GOD.'
Mississippi State's recruiting under second-year head coach Jeff Lebby continues to take shape, and Barrett is exactly the type of athlete the staff is targeting. A player who is physical, versatile, and eager to lead.
Ranked No. 99 among safeties and the No. 34 overall player in Tennessee by the 247Sports Composite, Barrett chose the Bulldogs over offers from Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Purdue, Tulane, and SEC-rival Vanderbilt. The early offer from MSU stood out.
'They cut on my film and trusted my ability,' Barrett said. 'Coach Barnes has been real with me throughout the whole process.'
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Barrett becomes the ninth commit in Mississippi State's 2026 class and the fourth defensive back. MSU now holds the No. 37 national class and sits 10th in the SEC, according to 247Sports.
Barrett's decision also comes at a pivotal time. Just two days prior, cornerback Iverson McCoy decommitted from the class. Barrett's pledge helps stabilize the secondary plans and boosts confidence in the Bulldogs' future defensive core.
But this is more than just a player addition, Barrett wants to help build something bigger.
'Coach Lebby and I talked about it. We want to get the best 2026 class we can,' he said. 'I definitely want to help recruit for that.'
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He'll be in Starkville for visits starting June 13, joining other 2026 prospects as momentum builds. With SEC experience on the horizon and a system that values early playing time, Barrett sees Mississippi State as a platform to shine, and to help lead.
'I just felt like State was the best opportunity for me,' he added. 'I think great things are ahead.'
Related: Top Four-Star Recruit Makes Final Decision on Mississippi State
Related: Mississippi State Lands Big-Leg Kicker Gunnar Gillentine
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.

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Aaron Judge is back in the lineup at DH as the Yankees wait for clarity on his throwing arm

Yahoo

17 minutes ago

Yahoo

Aaron Judge is back in the lineup at DH as the Yankees wait for clarity on his throwing arm

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Aaron Judge is back in the lineup as the designated hitter for the New York Yankees following a 10-day stint on the injured list with a flexor tendon strain in his right elbow. There's still no clarity on when the All-Star slugger will return to the outfield. Judge is batting third in the middle game of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night. Manager Aaron Boone said Judge is supposed to start a throwing program Wednesday. Boone all but ruled out Judge returning to the outfield as early as the next couple of days. 'I don't want to get ahead of myself,' Boone said. 'See how that first day goes. From there, we'll probably have a better idea after a day or two of that.' Judge didn't speak to reporters in the clubhouse before the game, but Boone said the leading hitter in the majors came away from a trip to the team's spring training facility in Tampa, Florida, ready to swing the bat — and test the capabilities of his arm. 'I think he's been pretty upbeat about it,' Boone said. 'I think down in Tampa, did a lot of things. Didn't throw, but did a lot of things in kind of preparation for that throwing. So far, so good. So hopefully when he does start that throwing program, it goes well and he can progress fairly quickly.' Judge hasn't played since July 25 because of the elbow strain. An MRI showed no acute damage to his ulnar collateral ligament and he had a platelet-rich injection July 27, when he was placed on the IL in a move retroactive to the previous day. The first time Judge said he felt pain in the elbow was July 22 at Toronto, after he made a strong throw home when George Springer singled to right. Judge entered Tuesday night's game hitting .342 and was fourth in the majors with 37 homers and fifth with 85 RBIs. New York's loss in the series opener at Texas was the club's fourth in a row, and the Yankees have fallen to third place in the AL East behind Toronto and Boston. They were in first place to start July, but started Tuesday 5 1/2 games behind the Blue Jays, currently holding a wild-card spot 2 1/2 games behind the Red Sox. 'Hopefully it's the start of something really good,' Boone said of Judge's return. Judge's return was part of a bevy of roster moves, headlined by the Yankees sending reliever Jake Bird to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre just five days after acquiring the right-hander from Colorado before the trade deadline. Bird allowed seven runs — six earned — in two innings over his first three appearances with the Yankees, capped by Josh Jung's three-run homer in the 10th inning of the Rangers' 8-5 victory in the series opener. 'I think he got quite a bit of work there in the first half, a lot of success,' Boone said. 'And he's had some struggles lately. We still think really highly of him and think he's not only going to help us this year in the short term but certainly in the long term, too. So hopefully this is something that does give him that little bit of a reset.' The Yankees put newly acquired outfielder Austin Slater on the IL with a left hamstring strain. Slater, traded by the Chicago White Sox last week, exited in the second inning Monday night after running out a fielder's choice grounder. New York also activated right-hander Mark Leiter Jr., who has been out almost a month with a stress fracture in his leg. Right-hander Yerry de los Santos was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and right-hander JT Brubaker was designated for assignment. Giancarlo Stanton, who has been the Yankees' starting DH for all of his 32 games this season, was displaced by Judge in the lineup. His 10th homer was a two-run shot in the fourth Monday that gave the Yankees a 5-4 lead over the Rangers. He missed the first 70 games of the season with inflammation in the tendons of both elbows. 'That's the tough part,' Boone said. 'G's been in such a good place now for really most of the time he's been back. Just feel like he's putting together real consistent at-bats where he's a real threat all the time. That'll be tough to navigate these first few days.' ___ AP MLB: