By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

SouthMiss6 Sports is rolling out its inaugural roster of the top standout prep football players in our coverage area. The “Sweet 16 in the Southern Six” list was compiled by coaches and sports writers who have been following the action on the gridiron in South Mississippi for the past three decades.

One player will be revealed and added to the list each day beginning today and over the next 6 days.

Next up is an up and coming runner in the Class 5A ranks:

11 — Solomon Baggett

Gautier |5-10, 190 | Running back

As a sophomore, Baggett ran for right at 1,500 yards and accounted for 16 touchdowns. His efforts helped guide the Gators to back-to-back Class 5A South State championship games for the first time in program history.

Baggett’s rushing total marked the most by a Gautier player in at least 15 years and is the most by any returning player in the “Southern Six”. He has already received several Division I offers entering just his junior season, and is once again expected to be one of the top running backs in South Mississippi this season.

He helped lead the Gators to an 8-5 overall mark last season and a second place finish in Region 4-5A. Gautier fell to league foe Laurel twice in a four week span to end the season.

10 — Trevon Deans

Gulfport |6-0, 200 | Defensive back

Last season, as a junior at Harrison Central, Deans had 47 tackles with 35 solo and four tackles for loss and he had six interceptions. He also caused a pair of fumbles and recovered a fumble as well.

For his senior season, Deans decided to take his talents to Gulfport, where he is expected to be an effective force for the Admiral’s defensive unit as well.

Last season, Deans helped guide Harrison Central into the first-ever Class 7A South State playoffs. This year, he hopes to do the same with his new team in Gulfport.

9 — Jacquez Alexander-Dedeaux

Pass Christian | 6-2, 185 | Running Back

Alexander-Dedeaux had 208 carries for 1,472 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior last season. He needs less than 100 yards in his senior season to eclipse the career 3,000-yard rushing plateau which he should accomplish in the first game of the season.

Last season, under the direction of first year head coach Jeff Stockstill, Alexander-Dedeaux was a catalyst offensively in leading the Pirates to one their most successful seasons on the gridiron in school history.

Pass Christian went 9-3 overall and advanced to the Class 4A South State semifinals for the first time ever in the history of the program. The Pirates won their first two Class 4A South State playoff games, also a first for the squad, before falling to Columbia.

8 — Tylan Wilson

Pascagoula | 6-3, 175 | Defensive back

Wilson, a four-star recruit, is the No. 8 overall prospect in the state, He had 69 total tackles, 34 solo, and five interceptions. Wilson has offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Memphis, Miami, Arkansas and Texas Tech.

His stock is expected to continue to rise over his next two seasons with many more Power Five offers to come. Wilson was also a key member of the record-breaking basketball team for the Panthers last year.

On the gridiron, he helped guide the Panthers to a solid 8-4 record last season including a stunning 7-6 upset over home-standing Hattiesburg in the opening round of the Class 6A South State playoffs in which the Panther defense limited the Tigers to just those six points after HHS averaged just over 32 points per game in the regular season.

7 — Sharroid Whitehead

Ocean Springs | 5-9, 175 | Athlete

Just a sophomore, the versatile Whitehead has quickly turned into a three-star recruit despite limited action as a freshman last season when he had 48 receiving yards and 43 rushing yards and 92 return yards.

Whitehead has offers from Tennessee, Oklahoma, Baylor, Arizona, Texas Tech, UCLA, Wisconsin, Florida State, Penn State and Kansas State among others.

He is expected to see time on the field in various positions for the Greyhounds this season, including quarterback.

6 — Tylan Keys

Poplarville | 6-1, 190 | Running back

Keys rushed for 1,222 yards on 148 carries with 24 touchdowns last season as just a freshman. Keys’ offers so far include Mississippi State, Boston College, Oregon, Ole Miss and Penn State as he enters his sophomore season for the Hornets.

Last year, Keys helped guide Poplarville to a solid 10-4 record and the Region 8-4A title as well as three straight wins in the Class 4A South State playoffs before falling to Columbia 28-21.

Keys is also a standout on the baseball team for Poplarville.

5 — Kohl Bradley

George County

6-0, 170 | Defensive Back

A South Alabama commit, Bradley is a three-star recruit and he had 58 total tackles with two interceptions, five pass deflections and three forced fumbles in just six games for the Rebels last season.. He also scored twice on defense, one on an interception return and another returning a fumble.

Bradley also had scholarship offers from Troy, Western Kentucky and Memphis, among other schools, and also drew recruiting interest from power programs such as Arkansas and Florida State.

He missed the first half of the season for the Rebels last yera, but returned in time to help George County win four out of five Region 4-6A contests and climb to an 8-4 overall mark and earn the second seed in the league.

4 — Jaylon Parnell

Pascagoula | 6-1, 220 | Linebacker

A three-star recruit and a Louisiana Tech commitment, Parnell had 99 tackles, four sacks, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions for 130 return yards last season as a junior. He is rated as the nation’s No. 35 linebacker and the No. 11 player in the state of Mississippi by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite index

Parnell also recieved interest from Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss and Missouri among others after earning First Team All Region 4-6A honors and Second Team Class 6A All-State honors.

He helped guide the Panthers to a solid 8-4 record last season including a stunning 7-6 upset over home-standing Hattiesburg in the opening round of the Class 6A South State playoffs in which the Panther defense limited the Tigers to just those six points after HHS averaged just over 32 points per game in the regular season.

3 — Darrell Smith

Picayune |5-9, 170 | Running Back

Smith, A Louisiana-Lafayette commit, had 1,087 rushing yards with 124 carries and 15 touchdowns as a junior last season along with 194 receiving yards and three touchdowns plus he also made 14 tackles in the defensive secondary last season. He is expected to be one of the most versatile backs in the state this fall.

Smith was part of a three-pronged attack at running back for head coach Cody Stogner’s Maroon Tide team that carried the squad to its third consecutive region title as well as their third straight South State championship game.

Picayune went 10-3 last season and was denied a third straight state championship gold ball after falling to West Jones in the Class 6A South State title tilt. The Mustangs went on to win the state title.

2 — Evan Noel

St. Stanislaus | 6-2, 155 | Kicker

Noel, an Arkansas commit, went 8-of-12 on field goals with a long of 49 yards and was 42-of-43 on PATs. He averaged 38.5 yards per punt with a long of 65 last season.

He helped guide the Rock-A-Chaws to an impressive 9-2 overall record and the Region 8-3A title. It marked the first region crown for SSC since 2016.

The Rocks rolled into the playoffs after an 8-1 regular season mark, and knocked off Crystal Springs 23-20 in the opening round of the Class 3A South State playoffs before falling to perennial state power Noxubee County in the second round. Noxubee went on to play for the state championship.

1 — Deuce Knight

George County | 6-4, 206 | Quarterback

Knight, a Notre Dame commit, is the highest-rated quarterback in Mississippi’s 2025 class. He passed for 1,420 yards with 15 touchdowns in seven games last season.

Knight is the number four quarterback overall nationally from the 2025 class according to On3, and is the No. 2 overall recruit from Mississippi for the cycle.

Knight missed the first half of the season for the Rebels last year, but he returned in time to guide George County to an 8-4 overall mark and they earned the second seed in Region 4-6A.