SEC
Better or worse: forecasting Mississippi State’s offense, defense
Did Lebby add all the right pieces to make Mississippi State more competitive this season?
As Mississippi State begins preparation for the 2025 season, the Bulldogs remain in search of its first SEC victory under second-year coach Jeff Lebby.
The focus this offseason has been on rebuilding a roster to become much more competitive in this fall. Lebby’s plan translated well as his transfer haul currently ranks No. 8 in the SEC, No. 15 nationally with Georgia speedy transfer receiver Anthony Evans, running back Fluff Bothwell, Florida State transfer quarterback Kromenhoek, North Carolina state defensive end Redd Hibler and NAIA All-American cornerback Dwight Smith coming in.
“I feel like over the last nine week, you talk about over 40 new players on the roster, our guys have tried like heck to get to know each other,” Lebby said March 18. “When I talk about the roster being completely different, I think the best part is the fact that our bodies are completely different.”
Bigger on Defense
Defensively, Lebby’s defense struggled mightily under first-time coordinator Cameron Hutzler as the unit surrendered a league-high 456 yards and 34 points per game.
“From a defensive line standpoint, night and day,” Lebby said. “From a linebackers standpoint, night and day. We’ve got a ton of work to do. Our guys have been incredibly willing and had unbelievable energy inside the building which we’ve got to have.”
Mississippi State has been known to be a gritty defensive group that’s hovered around the top half of the league in total defense for the better part of 20 years. Thanks to the transfer portal and offseason training, Lebby believes his team is much more developed defensively than last year.
“The biggest improvement is the body type, the length, the size, the guys that are over 300 pounds that have the ability to move weight in this weight room,” Lebby said. “The guys that have had production playing at other places. That’s what’s in the room right now and I’m excited about that.”
Leadership Available for Offense
Lebby’s offense needs a certain level of play from the quarterback position for his offense to hum along. Veteran quarterback Blake Shapen returns after suffering from a shoulder injury in the Bulldogs’ loss to Florida.
He was playing well for the most part, completing 69% of his passes for 974 yards, 10 total touchdowns and only one interception.
“Blake Shapen is a guy that understands what we want and how we want to go about it,” Lebby said. “Everybody inside our program has great respect for Blake because of how he plays the game. The guy will go die for you and he’ll inspire every day. He spends more time in this building than anybody inside this program.”
“That’s the expectations we have and that’s what we’re going to have to have to get it done. He’ll continue to do that for us.”
The program added plenty of skill players for the offense to continue its improvement with Bothwell, Evans coming in. Running back Davon Booth, wide receiver Jordan Mosely and tight end Seydou Traore are other capable options who return for another season.
The main concern for the Bulldogs is how much its offensive line has improved after surrendering 38 sacks last season (No. 14 in the SEC).
“We’re still in the middle of assessing [the offensive line], Lebby said. We’re not where we want to be. We’ll continue to recruit at a high level there. We’ll continue to look at the spring portal there. That’s the reality there is we’ve got to add some pieces to that room, but we’ll get where we want to get.”
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