40 in 40: Ricky Johnson brings youth, depth to new look WR room

Mississippi State’s new look wide receiver room has drawn a lot of praise from coaches, opposing defenders and the Bulldog’s starting quarterback.

“This is definitely the most talented room that I’ve been a part of,” quarterback Blake Shapen said after a recent practice. “Last year we were really talented, but it’s pretty crazy to think that you can grow from last year and have an even better room. We retained a few of them like Jordan Mosley, Ricky Johnson, Frisco McGee, guys like that. Then you add Anthony Evans and Brennan Thompson. We just have depth, and especially in this league, you want to be able to plug in guys whenever you need them.”

“It’s a tough offense to keep up with,” defensive back Jahron Manning said. “You’ve got guys running 4.3 speed across the board.”

Our series looking at the 40 Most Important Bulldogs in 2025 has already featured three wide receivers, but any good offense needs to have a lot more than three wide receivers, which is why redshirt freshman Ricky Johnson makes our list.

Who is Ricky Johnson?

A Georgia native, Johnson finished his high school career with 118 catches for 2,053 yards and 27 touchdowns. As a senior, Johnson had the second most receiving yards in school history with 1,213, while also catching 65 passes and 16 touchdowns. After high school, he signed with Mississippi State over others from schools like Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Stanford, UCF, Minnesota and others.

What happened in 2024?

As a true freshman, Johnson saw very little playing time. He made his debut in the Bulldogs’ season-opener against Eastern Kentucky, but only appeared in three more games. Against Arkansas, he had two catches for nine yards. Having played in only four games, though, allowed Johnson to earn a redshirt and not lose a year of eligibility.

Why will he be important in 2025?

The nature of Jeff Lebby’s fast-paced offense requires his team to have more than a couple of wide receivers capable of playing. Next week’s official depth chart will list three starters, but the players listed in the No. 2 or even No. 3 spots will see playing time.

Johnson figures to be one of them.

There are also two other indicators that Johnson will see a lot of time on the field this season. The first, is the post below which is one of the preseason practice highlights that had the player tagged in it.

Dialed In 😮‍💨#HailState || @rickyjohnson_14 pic.twitter.com/U5dmsHXyVo
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) March 27, 2025

The second, and more important, indicator is what the Bulldogs’ wide receiver coach Chad Bumphis said before preseason practices began.

“I think Ricky has taken the biggest step from year one to year two,” Bumphis said. “Unbelievable as far as maturity. Obviously, we know he can play. He looks incredible.”

What also makes Johnson a member of the 40 most important Bulldogs is his youth. Johnson is, technically, a member of Lebby’s first recruiting class in Starkville.

It’ll be important for Johnson to show development that other recruits can see and know that can be them. It’s an obvious cycle. Players come to school, play well, which leads to more (and better) players wanting to come and so on.

Johnson could be one of many players to kick start that cycle for Mississippi State.