WATCH: Hunter Washington talks about his Role on the Bulldog Squad

MSU is closing in on the regular season, and a Starkville veteran speaks on his role for the season ahead.

Sep 10, 2022; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs safety Hunter Washington (21) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Several new faces flooded the Mississippi State football facility after hiring new head coach Jeff Lebby. The Bulldogs signed 19 players from the transfer portal, including three guys in the defensive secondary.

The new defensive coordinator, Coleman Hutzler, did not inherit much returning production at any level of his unit, mainly the backend. However, he did return Hunter Washington, who made four starts a season ago.

The former Florida State transfer has quickly become a veteran of this team. He also helped make the new faces in the building comfortable.

“Everyone has been coming together since day one,” Washington said. “We have a lot of new faces, so the guys from last year are just bringing them in.”

The Katy, Texas native only racked up six tackles last year after missing the final five games due to injury. Washington has been taking first-team reps at the limited media viewing portion, but whether starting or not, he wants to improve the squad.

“My job is just to do whatever for the team and do what the coaches tell me to do and go out there and execute,” Washington said.

Several programs, such as Ole Miss, Colorado, etc., rely heavily on the transfer portal, but for it to be successful, leadership must be strong. Washington does not depend on too many passionate speeches, instead opting to be subtle.

“Just holding everyone accountable and letting them know what the standard is,” Washington said.

The State secondary has been a concern, but the new-look unit has gotten its feet wet over the past month. MSU opened fall camp at the start of August and has had a pair of live scrimmages inside Davis Wade Stadium.

According to Lebby, there has been a lot of back-and-forth between the offense and defense. Washington spoke about the secondary's adjustments from the first scrimmage to the second.

“We went back and watched the film, corrected our mistakes, and we executed better,” Washington said.

However, fall camp has now concluded as the Bulldogs turn their sights to the season opener on Aug. 31st against Eastern Kentucky. Perhaps the most challenging part of preseason practice is going against teammates instead of an actual point, but with the opening kickoff just over a week away, the Bulldogs are whole again.

“I told the receivers today we finally get to be teammates again,” Washington said.