Mississippi State working to bounce back from rough first season under Jeff Lebby

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby enters his second season still looking for his first victory with the Bulldogs in Southeastern Conference play.

Lebby, however, doesn’t judge his maiden campaign solely by the Bulldogs’ winless league record.

“The result was not what we want, wasn’t the expectation,” he said. “But if you know football and you watch, you can tell that it’s a group of guys that believe, and so people want to be a part of that. There’s great belief, passion, toughness, confidence inside the program right now.”

The former offensive coordinator at Ole Miss and Oklahoma was widely seen as a rising star when he was hired at State after the regular season in 2023. His new job presented some tough challenges.

The Bulldogs had been through a tumultuous calendar year that included coach Mike Leach unexpected death during the team’s bowl game preparations. Defensive coordinator Zach Arnett took over, but couldn’t last a full season as the Bulldogs struggled to a 5-7 record.

Just four games into Lebby’s first season, starting quarterback Blake Shapen went out with a shoulder injury. Lebby was left with true freshman Michael Van Buren at QB and the conference’s worst statistical defense, resulting in a 2-10 overall mark.

Lebby brought in Phil Loadholt to replace Cody Kennedy as offensive line coach, and added former head coaches Mike MacIntyre and Paul Rhodes as defensive analysts, along with former Colorado defensive line coach Vincent Dancy to coach the pass rushers.

He also bolstered the roster with nearly 30 transfers and a full signing class.

Second-year defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler has more more depth and talent on a unit that accounted for just 10 sacks last season.

Offensively, Shapen returns for a final season of eligibility. It will be an offense built around a stable of running backs and led by a QB who enters his second year in Lebby’s system and fifth year of college football.

“Being able to move a lot faster than I was last year is a big thing for me and then moving with tempo but also being able to lead other guys too,” Shapen said. “I feel like last year I was very focused on the offense. This year I have a lot of opportunity to lead other guys and get guys in spots.”

Ground game

It took some time last year for the Bulldogs to get the running game off the ground, but former Utah State running back Davon Booth and junior college product Johnnie Daniels became a solid 1-2 punch.

After Booth was granted another season of eligibility — stemming from Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia’s precedent-setting case regarding junior college players — he is set for a huge senior campaign. Booth and Daniels have had plenty of competition from former South Alabama standout Fluff Bothwell, who gained more than 800 yards and a Sun Belt-Leading 13 touchdowns in 2024.

Seth Davis, Kolin Wilson and Xavier Gayten also have shown potential.

Retooled offensive line

For the running game to thrive, Loadholt’s line will have to pave the way.

Lebby and Loadholt added five new faces from the transfer portal and added size to give the Bulldogs one of the bigger lines in the country.

Jimothy Lewis and Luke Work are promising blockers poised to improve in Year 2, while Albert Reese and Canon Boone return as fifth-year veterans. Colorado transfer Zach “Flap Jack” Owens and Virginia’s Blake Steen could make an impact as well.

Defensive line beefed up

Improving the defensive line was among the Bulldogs’ top priorities.

Veteran line coach David Turner now has bigger players up front. Meanwhile, there’s been an emphasis on getting defensive ends and linebackers better equipped to pressure QBs after finishing last in the league in sacks last season.

The schedule

The Bulldogs’ SEC schedule features four teams that played in last season’s inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff and seven ranked in the preseason AP Top 25.

Lebby and his squad will host playoff teams Arizona State, Tennessee, Texas and Georgia with road trips to teams like Missouri and Texas A&M. The Bulldogs also have their annual matchup at home against rival Ole Miss, a team that was on the outside looking in of last year’s playoff.

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