Opinion: Jeff Lebby has Changed the Recruiting Culture at Mississippi State

The Bulldogs caught fire on the recruiting trail in June.

Jeff Lebby / Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The best way to sustain success in college football is by recruiting promising prospects to join a program and developing these players. The details and methods have drastically changed over the past few years due to the emergence of the transfer portal, but no coach can be successful without having some talent on the roster. 

Recruiting is a 365-day grind, and now, with the lawless transfer portal, a coach has to recruit his own roster repeatedly and scout potential players from opposing teams. Coaches like Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Urban Meyer, etc., are known as masters of the sport of football, but what sets them apart is their relentlessness on the recruiting trail. 

Saban built the greatest dynasty in college football due to his defensive genius and ability to adapt, but above all else, he stacked his roster with elite talent. This can't be done just anywhere in the country because few schools have the tradition and appeal that Alabama does. However, being tireless on the recruiting trail leads to success everywhere, maybe not national titles, but success nonetheless.

First-year Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby has only been on the job since December and has already proven to be a ruthless recruiter. Recruiting is a full-staff grind, and he made some excellent hires in that aspect, notably former Arkansas offensive line coach Cody Kennedy. 

The offensive line was a huge concern when Kennedy stepped on campus, as the Bulldogs were losing many veterans, but the transfer portal is an easy way to stack talent. Mississippi State did just that by adding Makylan Pounders (Memphis), Ethan Miner (North Texas), Marlon Martinez (LSU), and Jacoby Jackson (Texas Tech). He then turned his group into a strength in just over a month. 

Lebby also made an important decision for his staff, retaining wide receiver coach Chad Bumphis. The former Bulldog himself (2009-2012) was a lone bright spot from the previous staff on the recruiting trail as he signed three 4-star receivers in the 2025 class. Mississippi State then added talented veterans from the transfer portal: Kelly Akharaiyi (UTEP), Trent Hudson (New Mexico State), and Kevin Coleman (Louisville). 

It was a breath of fresh air for Bulldog fans to see a football staff hit the transfer portal hard and add talent instead of sticking with what is on the roster. Obviously, the portal is a flawed system that needs to be adjusted, but no matter how one feels about it, recruiting hard in the transfer portal has become crucial in modern college football. 

Lebby proved he was able and willing to attract players through the transfer portal, but he didn't have comparable success in the high school ranks over the first few months—no more. Whereas the Bulldogs came into June with just four commitments, they will enter July with at least 17. 

The last two weekends for the Mississippi State coaching staff have been busy as The Bulldogs have hosted numerous official visitors, which isn't unusual this time of year. However, the quality and number of players who have been visiting are new.

In years past, MSU hosted a lot of official visitors in December in hopes of getting the edge before signing day. Instead, Lebby bucked that trend. He picked up eight commits the first weekend (June 14th-17th) and five commits the next (June 21st-23rd). 

It may be presumptive to declare at this point; after all, there are six more months until the early signing period, but Lebby looks to be an effective closer. The former Oklahoma offensive coordinator showed it when he first arrived, and it has continued; once players arrive at Starkville, there is a solid chance they leave committed.

Not only is Lebby building a solid 2025 class, but he is also building excitement for this upcoming season by showing fans he is all in. 

Lane Kiffin took over an Ole Miss program near rock bottom, but he has quickly turned the Rebels around due to his nonstop effort to improve his roster. So it can be done in this age of college football, in this state. The alternative, of course, is to be left in the dust.  

Lebby has already gained a lot of support from an excited Bulldogs fan base due to his success with official visitors and his willingness to improve his roster in the portal. Granted, he has yet to coach a down inside Davis Wade Stadium, but he already shows a lot of promise.