JACKSON (AP) — Houston Nutt sure knows how to put on a late flourish, no matter the game.

In much the way he did as Mississippi won six straight games and the Cotton Bowl, Nutt guided the Rebels to one of the nation’s best recruiting classes on Wednesday, the first day high school seniors can sign national letters of intent.

‘‘I mean we finished, boy,’’ Nutt said. ‘‘We finished very, very strong.’’

New Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen also pulled in a top class, but that group seemed set long before signing day.

Nutt orchestrated a furious finish, picking up the state’s top recruit, Noxubee County wide receiver Pat Patterson, luring gargantuan offensive lineman Bobbie Massie away from Alabama and signing the team’s quarterback of the future, Raymond Cotton.

Other highly rated recruits in the Rebels’ class of 36 included Darius ‘‘Tig’’ Barksdale, the former South Panola running back who spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy after signing with Ole Miss last year, former Florida defensive back Jamar Hornsby and defensive lineman Corey Gaines. The Rebels lost out on Memphis, Tenn., receiver Marlon Brown, who went to Georgia, but otherwise made a clean sweep of high-priority players in the last few weeks, spiriting away linebacker D.T. Shackelford from Tennessee and linebacker Joel Kight from Auburn.

‘‘There at the end we had about six or seven very good players who turned down very good programs to be with us,’’ Nutt said.

Mullen managed to keep intact most of the key recruits who committed to previous coach Sylvester Croom and added more talent once he moved to Starkville after helping guide Florida to its second national title in three years as the Gators’ offensive coordinator.

‘‘The four coaches that stayed on with us — Reed Stringer, Rocky Felker, Melvin Smith and David Turner — have a lot to do with it,’’ Mullen said. ‘‘The new coaches I’m really proud of how they worked, but it was those guys holding on to the foundation of this class. They did a tremendous job.’’

Key signees in the class of 27 include Meridian quarterback Tyler Russell, Philadelphia defensive lineman Josh Boyd, Yazoo City defensive lineman Fletcher Cox and Tupelo receiver Chad Bumphis.

The new assistants landed a trio of wide receivers late — Brandon Heavens, Ricco Sanders and Mardrecas Hood — that enhanced the class and immediately solved Mississippi State’s worst depth problem.

‘‘Some of those to finish up were just real great deals for us and kind of the icing on the cake here with this class,’’ Mullen said.

Patterson initially committed to Mississippi State, but after watching the Bulldogs lose 3-2 to Auburn in September, he backed out. He narrowed his choices to Alabama, Tennessee and Ole Miss in the last week before choosing the Rebels during a spot aired live on local television.

The receiver is considered one of the nation’s top five players at his position and the best recruit in Mississippi. His presence greatly boosted Ole Miss’ ranking.

Scout.com rated the Ole Miss class as the nation’s 16th best and the sixth best in the cutthroat Southeastern Conference, while Mississippi State finished 18th and seventh in the SEC. Rivals.com ranked the Rebels at No. 17 and seventh in the SEC, while putting the Bulldogs at No. 22 and ninth in the league.

Allen Wallace, national recruiting editor for Scout.com and the publisher of SuperPrep magazine, said Ole Miss signed two SuperPrep All-America players.

‘‘The one I like the best is Craig Drummond. He’s a de-commitment from Illinois,’’ Wallace said. ‘‘But the guy they had to bring in…was Pat Patterson. Patterson is a fantastic prospect. SuperPrep’s No. 2 wide receiver in the United States.’’

When it came to landing the state’s top recruits, Mississippi State had a better day than the Rebels, Wallace said.

‘‘They had a pretty outstanding junior college haul. We like their recruiting at quarterback. I think Tyler Russell is a nice looking SuperPrep All-America player,’’ he said. ‘‘Even though Mississippi won the prize with Pat Patterson for the best player in the state, Mississippi State ended up recruiting significant talent.’’

Southern Miss also appeared to sign another strong class, though it didn’t finish in the top 50 like last year when five-star wide receiver DeAndre Brown added luster to the group. Rivals called it the nation’s No. 54 group and first in Conference USA, while Scout ranked it 62nd and third in the league.

‘‘We’re extremely pleased with it,’’ coach Larry Fedora said. ‘‘People keep comparing it to last year. The only thing different probably is we don’t have that big headliner in Brown that we had last year. But I’m going to tell you from top to bottom, this class is probably more solid as a group.’’

Fedora managed to hang onto Lawrence County running back Kendrick Hardy despite a hard push by Tennessee and former Southern Miss assistant coach Frank Wilson. Other highlights in the class of 22 include Franklin County athlete Jamie Collins, Wayne County running back Tracy Lampley and Madison Central linebacker Will Martin.

‘‘The guys that we got we feel very comfortable with and excited about,’’ Fedora said. ‘‘Each one of these kids we felt like it was important that they be able to step on the field early for us. I think each one of these kids have the athletic ability. Now we’re going to see if they’re going to be mature enough to handle it.’’