WHO IS RENARDO SIDNEY, AND WHY IS STARKVILLE EXCITED?
Sidney is a 6-10 McDonald’s All-American from Los Angeles, whom Southern California backed off of for vague reasons. A short time later, he signed with Mississippi State. It was a big boost for the Bulldogs because Sidney (whose family has roots in Mississippi) is rated the 16th-best prospect in the country, according to Rivals.com. But according to reports, Sidney’s decision had less to do with coach Rick Stansbury’s recruiting abilities and more to do with other programs backing off. The L.A. Times reported that sources close to the Sidney family “said (Southern California) officials expressed concern about signing the player while an NCAA investigation into former USC stars Reggie Bush … and O.J. Mayo … was still open.” Mississippi State also is close to landing John Riek, a 7-foot-2 prospect from Sudan. So whether Varnado returns, the Bulldogs look like the early favorite in the West.
