Allen Cassell had three state high jump championships and an impressive track and field resume, but when it came to college offers he was a little on the short side.

The former Porters Chapel Academy star was weighing a good offer from a small school, Mississippi College, against a lesser offer from a big-time program, Ole Miss.

Then, out of nowhere, one phone call made his decision easy.

Cassell, who won MPSA Class A state titles in the high jump in 2002, 2004 and 2005, last week signed to jump for Mississippi State. A longtime Bulldogs fan, Cassell eagerly snatched up the opportunity to compete for his favorite school – even if it came as a shock.

Cassell said he hadn’t talked to any of State’s coaches before they offered him a scholarship, and he was to meet them for the first time later this week.

“The assistant coach, Steve Dudley, just called my dad and put the offer on the table,” Cassell said. “My dad just called me and said, ‘Mississippi State offered you a scholarship.’ I said, ‘sweet.'”

Cassell will join former St. Aloysius pole vaulter Austin Golding and ex-Vicksburg High pole vaulter Chris Withrow at Mississippi State.

Cassell said Golding, who now throws the javelin, was part of a large, low-key effort to recruit him to MSU. A number of family, friends and fellow tracksters made calls to the Bulldog coaching staff to tout Cassell’s talents.

“I had a bunch of people that wanted to see me move on and really helped me a lot,” Cassell said.

Cassell dominated the Academy-A ranks during his high school track career. In four seasons at PCA Cassell won three state titles and reached a personal-best height of 6 feet, 8 inches. In 2003, the only year he failed to capture a gold medal, he was second.

Although he rebounded to regain his Class A title the last two years, Cassell admitted he slacked off early in the 2005 season. Solid performances in his last three meets gained some attention from colleges, though. After jumping around 6 feet most of the spring, he tied the state meet record with a jump of 6-6.

“I finally started jumping better the last three meets, and I think that raised some eyebrows. It let them know I was better than what I was showing,” Cassell said.

Now Cassell will literally have to make another big leap. Although his heights indicate he can jump with anyone, the lanky 6-foot-4 Cassell has to prove he can hang with some of the best jumpers in the country.

The winner of this year’s Southeastern Conference meet, Florida’s Michael Morrison, cleared 7 feet, 3 3/4 inches and finished fourth at last weekend’s NCAA meet. All 11 finalists at the SEC meet in May cleared the 6-6 mark, including two from Mississippi State.

“Allen’s a good high jumper that we feel will be a great high jumper with the level of competition he’ll face in the SEC,” Dudley said in a release. “He will help our program continue to improve in the field events.”

Like most great athletes, Cassell feels he’s at his best when he’s pushed by strong competition. And he knows that’s exactly what he’ll find when he gets to Starkville.

“It’s a great opportunity. It’s a high level of competition, and it’s going to help me try to push myself,” Cassell said. “It’s just about as big a jump as you can jump. It’s going to be a shock for me.”