Three Key Defensive Players to Watch During Mississippi State Spring Game

It is Super Bulldog Weekend for MSU, and the spring game is garnering a lot of attention.

Nov 23, 2023; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive back Corey / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The annual spring game is here for the Mississippi State Bulldogs and many are excited for what head coach Jeff Lebby will put on display during the game.

Outside of Lebby and the tempo offense that he promises will score a lot of points, there is also a new defensive coordinator who has given the Bulldogs a more modern look at what the defense will look like.

Coleman Hutler will be the play-caller for the fall season and with that comes a new scheme switching to a more traditional 3-4 look for the front seven compared to the 3-3-5 look that has been used for the past four years.

The spring game is a great way for players to catch the eye of many people and these three players will have a lot to show for the State fandom.

Stone Blanton

One of the biggest moves this off-season for the Bulldogs was the acquisition of the South Carolina linebacker from the transfer portal. The Jackson, Mississippi native had spent his previous two years playing for the Gamecocks before he decided to return to his home state to play for the maroon and white.

Last year he started in all 12 games for South Carolina while recording 52 tackles, one sack, one interception, and one forced fumble. For his style of play, MSU will maximize his ability to get downhill while also being at the right spot at the right time.

He has similarities to Jett Johnson and Nathaniel Watson and will be a good fit for the Bulldogs as he has SEC experience while also filling in the void that the two previous players provided for multiple seasons. It is a major role to fill but Blanton has the talent to make up for some of the missing production that the middle of the field could be lacking this season.

The explosiveness that Watson has can be seen in the way that Blanton reacts to players while also having a tactical way of knowing where a player is going to be in the way Johnson did for most of their career.

Corey Ellington

One of the key issues that hurt the Bulldogs last season was the secondary. While it was a major contributor to the way many games were lost, Ellington still showed that he has the makings to be an impact player for the defense.

Last season with the Bulldogs he played in all 12 games and started seven with a career-66 tackles, 30 sol,o and 36 assisted. He also had his first double-digit performance against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl racking up 12 total tackles.

The senior is looking to capitalize on a career year and the spring game will be a great way to show that he is still learning and growing to improve on a decent junior campaign. With the young talented wide-receiver core that has been brought in by MSU, Ellington, and the secondary have had a chance to play some of the best and improve off of them.

De'Monte Russell

Russell started to pick up steam heading into the tail end of the season on the defensive line but an injury cut his time on the field short for the 2023 season. Now that he his a back he has a lot to prove as one of the leader on the line and for the defense.

He was having the best season of his career before going down with an injury. He played 10 games while starting for eight and recorded 24 tackles, four solo and 20 assisted. In those tackles, he had six tackles for lose and 2.5 sacks.

Now that he has recovered from his injury his goal is to have more productive numbers and live up to some of the greats that have performed on the d-line for the Bulldogs while also carving out a place for himself.

These Bulldogs will catch the eyes of many, but in the spring game, many players will get the opportunity to show that they are going to do big things for this program and Mississippi State.