Jeff Lebby lands in Dallas chasing a four-star offensive tackle

Jeff Lebby flew from Jackson to Dallas Love Field on the night of June 1, 2026, aboard N204MS, a Learjet 45 owned by the Mississippi State University Foundation. The 64-minute hop, arriving just past midnight, came during the NCAA's spring evaluation period, when coaches are permitted to visit high schools and meet with prospects off campus.

Into the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, where Mississippi State has been chasing John Smith, a four-star offensive tackle in the 2027 class from Southlake Carroll High School, per 247Sports. Smith, listed at 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds, holds offers from Texas, Oklahoma, and LSU, and has scheduled an official visit to Starkville for later this month. Lebby's Air Raid system prizes pass protection, and Smith's frame and footwork fit the profile.

The trip continues a pattern for Lebby, whose recent flights have crisscrossed the SEC recruiting footprint — Oklahoma City, Panama City, Tuscaloosa — as he builds Mississippi State's 2027 class, currently ranked 12th in the conference by On3. The Dallas area has been a fertile pipeline for the Bulldogs, and a win here would signal Lebby's ability to pull talent from the heart of Big 12 and SEC rival territory.