Mississippi State Bulldogs Spring Practice: Three Things We Learned


With Mississippi State’s spring practice in the books, here’s what we know and what we learned about the Bulldogs.


Life after Dak Prescott in Starkville? Meh. Mississippi State finished below .500 a year ago. But Prescott successor Nick Fitzgerald quickly developed into a star under center and an offseason reshuffling of the defensive staff is already being greeted with positive reviews. In other words, the Bulldogs are angling to again be one of the flies in the SEC West ointment in 2017.

Mississippi State Spring Game Redux

1. Progress Under New Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham

It’s early. And it was only spring practice versus teammates. But Grantham’s arrival appears to have had a positive impact on a D that really needs it.

Mississippi State struggled defensively a year ago, yielding 33 touchdowns passes. Grantham was brought over from Louisville to craft a fast, physical and aggressive unit that initiates chaos. At a minimum, the Bulldogs flew to the ball and tackled better in the spring. There’s been a boost in depth and overall talent level, too, aided in part by the addition of a swath of junior college imports. Edge guys Montez Sweat and Chauncey Rivers actually began their careers at Michigan State and Georgia, respectively, and 6-foot-2 redshirt freshman CB Cameron Dantzler is pushing hard for a starting job.

2. NT Jeffery Simmons Verging On Stardom

Simmons was given an opportunity to play for Dan Mullen last year, even after a video of him striking a young woman who was fighting his sister surfaced. So far, Simmons is making the most of this chance, on and off the field.

After being suspended for the 2016 opener, Simmons flourished in the classroom and between the hashes, making 40 stops, 3.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles as a true freshman. With a thin margin for error, he’s remained focused while taking his game to another level as a sophomore. Simmons, who has added good weight in conditioning, was tossing people around at times in practice, and he could be on the brink of becoming one of the SEC’s most disruptive interior linemen in 2017.

3. The O-Line Remains A Fluid Situation

Mullen’s offense ought to be potent with Fitzgerald, a deep corps of backs and the return of big-play WR Donald Gray. But the offensive line pecking order must still be determined, because it was the Bulldogs’ biggest unknown as spring practice concluded.

Mississippi State is looking to replace three senior linemen from a year ago, and center is an area of particular anxiety. Martinas Rankin, the undisputed anchor of the unit, ably handled the pivot in the spring, but he’s likely to move back to left tackle to protect Fitzgerald’s backside. Junior guards Deion Calhoun and Elgton Jenkins are candidates to shift inside, though neither was at full strength in March and April to properly audition. August will be a critical time for assistant John Hevesy and his blockers.

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