40 in 40: Returning Bulldog candidate to fix defense's pass-rushing woes

If Mississippi State's defense is going to be better in 2025, the Bulldogs will need to get more sacks and Branden Jennings is a candidate to do that.

Mississippi State Linebacker Branden Jennings (#44) during the 2025 Spring Game at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletic

After a 2024 season that saw Mississippi State register just 10 sacks, it was clear changes would have to be made.

One of those changes was the addition of Vincent Dancy, who was Mississippi Valley State’s head coach from 2018-2022. He’s spent the last two seasons at Colorado under NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and there are lessons from that time he’s brought to Starkville.

“Our thing was applying pressure on the quarterback, getting off the ball, causing chaos in the back field, and that's what I'm looking to bring," Dancy said on Tuesday. "And those are the things that we emphasized the day that I got here. And it translated through winter to the spring. And now, man, we just got to take it up another level for the fall because we have to get after the quarterback. We have to generate pressure on the QB in order for those guys in the back end to feel safe and create turnover.”

Dancy will have plenty of players to work with, including Branden Jennings, a fifth-year senior who got a lot of playing time in 2024. He’s one of the most experienced players and figures to an important piece in Mississippi State’s quest to apply more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Here’s a look at Jennings as the Bulldogs begin preseason practices.

Who is Branden Jennings?

Jennings played high school football at Sandalwood (Fla.) High School where he was a consensus four-star All-American and No. 67 overall player in the country. He signed with Maryland where he played in eight games as a true freshman, recording 23 tackles, one TFL and one forced fumble. He transferred to UCF the following season where he earned a redshirt season after appearing in four games.

Branden Jennings True Freshman Highlights 4️⃣4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/HYzcmrUqMb

— Branden Jennings (@Brand3nJ44) December 7, 2021

In 2023, Jennings transferred to Hinds Community College where he had 58 tackles and 6.5 TFLs.

What happened in 2024?

Jennings played in all 12 games for the Bulldogs last season, starting 11 games and ended the season with 56 total tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. In his first FBS game in two years, Jennings recorded six tackles against Eastern Kentucky last season.

Why will he be important in 2025?

There will be plenty of players who’ll get chances to improve upon last season’s 10-sack season and Jennings was one of the first players defensive ends/linebackers coach Vincent Dancy mentioned during a Tuesday preseason press conference.

“He's a guy that’s been a lot of places, played a lot of snaps last year and was productive for the most part,” Dancy said. “He was the anchor. He was the bread and butter of the defense and I get it.”

It’s still too early to predict who will be starting and what the rotation will be like. But Jennings looks like he’ll involved one way or another.