How The Bulldogs Fared On Early National Signing Day
Early National Signing Day is critical and stressful for head coaches in college football. New head coach Jeff Lebby had less than a month to prepare himself and his staff to finish strong in the recruiting ranks.
Lebby explained his busy first month in Starkville and the urgency of getting this class together.
"Yeah it's been fast, but it has been good. I told everybody I'll take every bit of it.... it has been humbling just all the support and everything that has gone into getting us to this point," Lebby said.
The Bulldogs did finish strong after signing a consensus top-30 class. As expected, the Mississippi State Bulldogs did exceptionally well on the offensive side of the ball with Lebby's high-flying offense.
MSU signed four 4-star players, all on offense. Longtime MSU commits Jimothy Lewis (OT) and JJ Harrell (WR) were joined by two recent Bulldog commits, Mario Craver (WR) and Michael Van Buren (QB). Along the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs went heavy in the JUCO ranks, signing Tyler Woodard (EMCC), Ashun Shepphard (EMCC), Marcus Ross (EMCC), and Branden Jennings (Hinds).
Lebby and Co. also hit the transfer portal hard by signing nine players. The Bulldogs needed offensive linemen after losing five contributors off last year's offensive line.
The Bulldogs did just that by signing three big men: Makylan Pounders (Memphis), Ethan Miner (North Texas), and Marlon Martinez (LSU). The Bulldogs also added a 1,000-yard receiver, Kelly Akharaiyi, from UTEP, and a pair of tight ends in Justin (Vanderbilt) and Cameron (Buffalo) Ball.
Lebby also brought in college football veteran Blake Shapen from Baylor. Shapen will bring much experience to the quarterback room and compete for the starting job.
It is no secret that portal recruiting is a must in college football, and coaches must adapt. Lebby spoke on the advantages of getting players out of the portal.
"Those older guys, man, they're the guys that have played, and with today's age of college football, you got a chance to flip the roster in a heartbeat," Lebby said.
Along the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs added three transfers, a pair of defensive linemen, and a cornerback. Kedrick Bingley-Jones (North Carolina) and Sulaiman Kpaka (Purdue) played sparingly at their respective schools and should provide depth for the Bulldog front.
Traevon Wright redshirted his lone season in Memphis.
Lebby kept his word about emphasizing in-state recruiting as the Bulldogs signed a dozen in-state prospects. The latest in-state commitment and now signee for the Bulldogs was Gulfport defensive tackle Kai McClendon.
McClendon performed well in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game this past weekend as he earned a Mississippi State offer. The 6-2 295 pounder is similar to former Bulldog and current Seattle Seahawk Cam Young.
The Bulldogs have a chance to land another pair of 4-stars as Braylon "Stonka" Burnside and Daniel Hill are set to announce in early January at their All-American games. Landing these two could bump MSU from a consensus top-30 class to a top-25 class.
The Bulldogs still need to add a few difference-makers on defense via the portal and high school ranks. However, considering the circumstances for Lebby and his staff, they did well polishing off their early signing class.
