2021 OL Canon Boone talks decision to sign with MSU

Down the home stretch of the recruiting process, Dickinson (Texas) High School’s Canon Boone faced a difficult decision. The 247Sports three-star offensive tackle prospect originally committed to Virginia Tech on August 15th and thought he was done with recruiting.

But with rumors swirling about Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente’s future, doubt started to creep into Boone’s mind. In the end, he made a “tough” decision to sign with Mississippi State on Wednesday.

Boone is rated as the nation’s No. 66 offensive tackle and the state’s No. 110 prospect by 247Sports.

“It was pretty tough because I liked Virginia Tech a lot,” said the 6-foot-4 and 280-pound Boone. “I like their program and how they do things. I love Coach Fuente and I am happy he is staying there. But I felt like Mississippi State was better for my future and better for me and my family.”

Boone made that call to Virginia Tech’s staff on Monday night, and then told Mississippi State of his plans a day later. During his first college decision, Boone said it was a close race between Virginia Tech and Mississippi State.

“I told the coaches on Tuesday and they were super pumped and excited,” recalled Boone. “They are ready for me to get started. I talked to Coach Leach and he was really excited. He is excited about me coming in there and succeeding in their program.

“My first decision was very close and those two teams were 1A and 1B. The SEC played a big factor, too. Then I had a good relationship with Coach (Mason) Miller. We are able to talk about recruiting and everything and how they will use me there and how I fit in their program.”

Boone is scheduled to enroll at Mississippi State in late May or early June. Thus far, Boone has had conversations with Miller about his position and also noted of his confidence about his abilities in the air-raid offense.

“They haven’t just said tackle,” said Boone. “We’ve actually talked about all three positions and they want me to prepare for everything. I do like the air-raid offense. It’s obviously a lot of passing and I feel that pass pro is what I do best.”

This past season, Boone helped lead Dickinson to the Class 6A playoffs and was able to get more experience on the offensive line. He lined up on the defensive line as a sophomore before making the move to the offensive side last year.

“I felt like I improved a lot from last year,” said Boone. “I still have things to work on like always. But my mechanics were better this year and I had a better feel for it.”

These days Boone is on the basketball court for Dickinson High School. And after a “stressful” past two weeks, he is thankful to conclude his recruiting process.

“I am pretty relieved now,” Boone added. “It’s been a long stressful few months and I grew tired of it. But now I know I am making the right decision in the end. There’s a lot of good players in Texas, too, and it’s cool to be going into Mississippi State with some of those guys.”

Boone is one of four Bulldog signees that hail from Texas. He joins 247Sports four-star quarterback Sawyer Robertson, 247Sports three-star quarterback Daniel Greek and 247Sports four-star receiver Theodore Knox.