When Derek Mason was announced as the new ball coach for the Blue Raiders, the new head man vowed to make in-state recruiting a priority.

Let's not sugar coat it and skate around it, the last staff could have certainly done a better job putting emphasis on locking down in-state recruiting. Simply put the new staff had an issue staring them in the face. First up on the recruiting itinerary was to put the clamps down and reel in not just kids from the state of Tennessee, but even more, the local crop right in their backyard of Murfreesboro.

Upon being hired, the new staff dove into the recruiting waters head first. The majority of the guys they signed from the high school and junior college ranks, inked on the dotted line during the December signing period. That meant that Coach Derek Mason and crew had to adjust on the fly, assembling a class for 2024.

When the dust for the 2024 settled, there were over 20 high school and junior college prospects that opted to head to Murfreesboro and become Blue Raiders by the February Signing Day.

Out of the 20 plus signees, five of those guys were from the state of Tennessee, most of which being from Middle Tennessee.

Jason Overton is a 6'2, 290 pound lineman out of Metro Nashville school Pearl Cohn. Zeion Simpson Smith is another guy from Pearl Cohn High. He is an edge guy, with a height around 6'1 and weight surpassing the 235 pound mark. Ashton Jones was a tailback for perennial Murfreesboro powerhouse, Oakland High School. Grant Chadwick is a kicking specialist out of Tullahoma and Jackson Lowe is an athlete out of Brentwood High.

Getting five in-state guys for the class of 2024 was all fine and dandy, but that needed to be just the tip of the iceberg going forward. Frankly speaking, Coach Mason will need to stack recruiting classes, with a steady dose of guys from Tennessee and Murfreesboro.

At this point of publication, the Blue Raiders have two guys in the fold for the class of 2025. And yes, both of these guys are mid-state products.

Receiver Ben Hubbard out of Ravenwood, was the first to hop in the boat, making him at the time the lone commit for 2025. Then, not too long after garnering an offer from the staff, offensive lineman Bo Bryan followed suit and committed to Coach Mason. Bryan is from MT's backyard, and attends Rockvale High.

Obviously the program does not need to distribute offers to local kids willy nilly just because they are local. You obviously need to hammer out the evaluation process and assess which recruits would bolster and make the roster better.

The good thing is that the 2025 class is chock full of mid-major and fringe power four talent. Another thing is that when you start reeling in quality guys from the Boro and the mid-state you start to generate more local interest. On top of that, you establish a rapport with the local high schools and high school coaches.

There is a whole slew of in-state 2025 guys that are in the crosshairs for the staff. High up on the board are guys like tailback Brooklen Davis of MBA, lineman Otto Van Rensburg of Sevier County High, Ravenwood offensive tackle Kyle Larkin, Brentwood High lineman Sam Roston, and Brentwood Academy receiver Neo Clifton.

We shall see how everything plays out but MTSU is off to a solid start when it comes to the home grown guys.