Jeff Lebby lands in Birmingham chasing a top-50 edge rusher for Mississippi State's 2026 class.

Jeff Lebby flew N204MS from Starkville to Birmingham on May 27, arriving at 18:57Z after a 38-minute hop. The Learjet 45, owned by Mississippi State's Maroon Air LLC foundation, carried the head coach into Jefferson County for a direct recruiting contact.

Jamarion Matthews, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound edge rusher from Hewitt-Trussville High, ranks as a 4-star prospect in the 2026 cycle (247Sports composite #78 nationally, #6 AL). He holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and Ole Miss — but Mississippi State's Air Raid system, paired with Lebby's Oklahoma OC pedigree, presents a unique pitch for a pass-rusher seeking early impact in a spread defense. The visit falls in the contact period (May 1-June 28), and Lebby's arrival signals a focused push on a recruit whose size and burst fit the scheme's need for hybrid pressure.

Mississippi State's 2026 recruiting footprint leans heavily into the Deep South: Memphis, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Birmingham are recurring destinations from KSTF. Matthews is the highest-rated uncommitted edge in Alabama, and Lebby's in-home — the first by a Starkville coach this cycle — aims to counter SEC West rivals who have already hosted him. The Bulldogs' class currently holds two 4-star commits (WR Jalen Cooper, OL Bryce Young), but lacks an edge rusher; Matthews would anchor that positional need while reinforcing the program's pull from the Birmingham metro, a hotbed where MSU has landed three recruits since 2024.