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2026 Mississippi State commitment Jax Pope got his final training camp of his prep career underway earlier this month. Once again, the Rivals three-star safety prospect will have multiple duties on game day.

Pope expects to play on both sides of the football again this year along with aiding Buford High School on special teams. Most publications have Buford as the preseason No. 1 team in the state, as well.

“We started practice and we were back in pads last week,” Pope explained. “I’m playing some receiver and also at the star, pull-down safety. I am still on a lot of special teams, too.”

Like previous offseasons, Pope had a couple of areas he wanted to get better at before starting the season. But first and foremost, he wanted to stay healthy, especially after missing a few games last year due to injury.

“Overall, my biggest thing was staying healthy this offseason,” added the 6-foot and 180-pound Pope. “Then I worked on keeping my flexibility, which is a huge thing at safety. That is probably what I worked on the most. I worked on my craft and you can always get better at everything.”

And in that senior season, Pope and his teammates will be the first class to play in Buford’s new $62 million stadium. Naturally, Pope is eager to suit up this season in their new home.

“It’s going to be awesome,” Pope remarked. “We had an intersquad scrimmage last Friday and then our first two games are in the new stadium. So it’s going to be awesome and I love it.”

Pope joined Mississippi State’s Class of 2026 back in June and remains confident about that Bulldog decision. He has stayed in touch often with safeties coach Matt Barnes and is eager to see the Bulldogs in action this fall.

“It’s been great with Mississippi state,” noted Pope. “Coach Barnes has been texting me and we’ve been keeping up with each other. They were asking about practice and we were asking about our new stadium and things like that. I will most definitely be at some games this year and can’t wait to see them play.”

Pope chose Mississippi State over several other Power 4 offers and is also on schedule to graduate high school in December. Since his commitment, his recruiting process has been quiet and that suits Pope just fine.

“It has definitely been quiet with other schools since I committed,” Pope mentioned. “I’m being loyal to Mississippi State and I am really happy where I am.”