John Lewis is Set to Lead a Young Bulldog Defense

The linebacker is preparing for a more significant role this season.

Jul 17, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Mississippi State linebacker John Lewis speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

There are several question marks surrounding Mississippi State Football in 2024. The Bulldogs will be under the direction of first-time head coach Jeff Lebby, the third different guy to hold the position in as many years.

The former Oklahoma offensive coordinator will have autonomy over his side of the ball, and he added a few impressive pieces from the transfer portal. The 40-year-old head coach needed to fill out his staff and hand the keys to his defense to someone, and he landed on Coleman Hutzler, an SEC assistant coach veteran.

The two worked together at Ole Miss, and Lebby was adamant about bringing in someone accustomed to the grind of Southeastern Conference football.

"When you look at the defensive side of the ball, I wanted a defensive coordinator that was similar from the standpoint of toughness and passion and edge and having great command and knew exactly who he was and was a guy that was incredibly talented," Lebby said.

However, Hutzler and his fellow defensive staff members did not perform as well in the transfer portal as their offensive counterparts. Whether portal recruits did not want to rely on a first-year staff or the coaches felt confident about the roster they inherited, either way, MSU will have a more traditional defense this year.

Across the country, especially at the Mississippi State transfer portal, recruits fill out a good portion of the starting lineup. Lebby's starting 11 this fall may consist of nine to ten transfers.

On the contrary, the defense will rely heavily on recruits who signed with State out of high school or junior college, in addition to a few starters like Stone Blanton and Montre Miller. Inexperience is not abnormal, but it requires veteran leadership, and John Lewis is poised to take on that role.

The Canton, Mississippi, product is coming into his fourth season in Starkville, and he has produced little thus far in his career. The 6-3 240-pound linebacker has 24 career tackles, 20 of which came last season.

However, the former 4-star recruit's talent has always been evident, and he also has big shoes to fill. Nathaniel Watson and Jett Johnson both finished in the top two in the SEC in tackles in 2023 and were also critical pieces for the Bulldogs in the leadership department.

"Just follow in their footsteps," Lewis said. "I learned a lot from the previous guys from the past years."

A critical part of being a leader is being able to handle adversity, and Lewis is accustomed to that. This season, the former Germantown Maverick will play under his third different head coach, which presents a challenge.

"I mean, it's always a challenge when you come in with different coaches and have to learn new schemes," Lewis said. "So I mean, it's been great bonding with the guys and being able to come together and learn everything and being able to, you know, be a family."

Along with the new coaching staff, Lewis will also be undergoing a position change, which he has taken in stride. Perhaps the change in responsibility will unleash the untapped potential.

"We get to town, create a position change for him, not playing on the line of scrimmage anymore, stacking back, playing as a second-level player, and this is a guy that has taken it and run with it and has accepted the change and been a guy that's going to play at a really high level and be a huge part of our program as we move this thing forward," Lebby said.

When Mississippi State announced its media day attendees, Lewis's inclusion in the lineup was not shocking. He is a Mississippi native, which is important considering the heavy in-state crop on that side of the ball, and he plays a position that lends itself to leadership.

It also revealed that the new staff recognized his talent and trusted him to be an effective leader.

"Yeah, J-Lew (John Lewis) has done that; that's why he's here today representing us," Lebby said.