Following the loss at Tennessee last weekend, Starkville has been pretty quiet about their football season. It makes sense they’d prefer to concentrate on Mississippi State’s soccer team as the #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, or the basketball team’s No. 2 ranking in the SEC. It sure beats dwelling on being winless in the conference after 10 games. But in terms of future football teams, what does losing do for Bulldog recruiting? For that matter how do you keep the players you have and prevent them from entering the transfer portal? It’s right around the corner, December 9th.
These are questions that may keep head coach Jeff Lebby up at night. The season hasn’t gone exactly the way he wanted, that’s for sure. 2-8, 0-6 in the SEC, isn’t exactly the beacon to attract some of the best high school talent in the country, or potential transfers that could make a difference.
During this bye week for the Dawgs, most coaches would have their assistants in the field, shoring up new prospects for the next class. At State, it’s a full-time job just keeping the gate closed, in both recruits and potential exits from the existing roster.
Then there’s the issue of coaches poaching players from other teams. Read further to learn more.
Jumping Ship
Mario Nash Jr. is a 6’ 4” 280-pound offensive lineman from Dekalb, MS. He committed to State in June. 247Sports ranks him as the 8th-best player in the state and the 14th-best interior lineman in the country. On October 7th, he announced his de-commitment from the Dawgs via X, thanking them but reopening his recruitment. This was just the beginning following the loss to Texas. MSU was 1-4, 0-1 in the SEC.
Kevonte Henry is a 6’ 4” 240-pound edge rusher ranked as the No. 2 junior college player in the country, behind another Bulldog commit Zavion Hardy. Henry flipped his commitment from Mississippi State to Alabama on October 14th. Hardy decided to stay put.
Steve Miller is a high school recruit ranked as the No. 51 safety and No. 68 player in Georgia. He flipped his commitment from State to USC one hour after Henry. At the time, State was 1-5, 0-3 in the SEC.
As the losses mount up, so do recruits reversing their commitments. Following the loss to Texas A&M 34-24, three-star linebacker Austin Howard announced his de-commitment from the Bulldogs. He was the No. 69 linebacker in the state of Tennessee, and the No. 23 player in that state. Howard made his decision following a visit to the Volunteers during the Alabama game, but closely following the Dawgs’ loss to the Aggies.
There seems to be a knee-jerk reaction to MSU’s worst season in 21 years. With two games to go, Lebby has an uphill battle to re-establish credibility with recruits. It might help to have performance improvements, but the Tennessee game didn’t help on that front. No. 23 Missouri and of course nemesis No. 11 Ole Miss stand in the way, and not much time left.
A Ticket to Ride
A major complication for Lebby, as this season keeps going awry, is the transfer portal. Things were a little easier for coaches of years gone by before this came along. So far, the current roster of players is showing a great deal of loyalty to Mississippi State and their beleaguered head coach. So, the players who might declare to leave are a big unknown at this point.
However, there is a somewhat sinister aspect many may not know about and that is poaching.
On the SEC coaches’ teleconference Wednesday, Lebby said that some of his players are already being recruited behind the scenes. He spoke about it as if it was just a reality with which coaches have to live. “Well yeah, it’s going on,” Lebby said. “There are guys on the football team right now that are going through that. Again, until that is managed and policed at the highest level, there’s nothing that’s going to stop people from doing it.”
Lebby isn’t alone. Auburn is also having a challenging season. Granted, it is not as bad as the Bulldogs’, but the Tigers are 3-6, 1-5 in the SEC. As a result, their head coach, Hugh Freeze, is dealing with the same issue. In an interview with Auburn Undercover, he is also calling for governance. “I talked to two different head coaches today because, truthfully, one of them is my friend and he’s already heard that one of his (players) may be going in the portal and looking at Auburn,” Freeze said. “It tests your friendships. It’s awkward. It’s uncomfortable. Having to recruit your own locker room is very, very challenging. All of us are like ‘Can we please just get some type of regulations around it to where we’re somewhat protected with the guys in your locker room?’”
Everyone Loves a Winner
This is not your parent’s college football anymore. With the advent of NIL, the transfer portal, and a player marketplace attitude, a team’s roster can change year after year. But, to attract and retain talent, it certainly helps if the team is a winner. In Mississippi State’s case, there’s a new head coach, in that role for the first time, trying to rebuild a team that has been through a traumatic few years. In this kind of environment, Lebby’s job is more difficult than it used to be, or even under normal circumstances. It doesn’t help to be 2-8 with zero wins in the conference.
State has a strong roster of individual talent that isn’t firing on all cylinders as a team this year. There is the potential for them to be a good or even great team, as long as Lebby can keep them together and acquire new talent for the future. Linebacker Stone Blanton spoke to the media after the UMass win. He is one of the strong ones having a good season individually. It’s not certain all share his belief, but he has faith. “Coach Lebby is a great leader and he’s telling us, he’s teaching us and he’s leading us to keep fighting, keep playing,” Blanton said. “It’s not going our way, good. We just got to keep battling it out and keep doing it. There is a reason that this is happening. There is a lesson out of anything, no matter how bad it is.”
