40 in 40: Why Deonte Anderson matters for Mississippi State’s pass rush

There aren’t many opportunities to see first-hand how much Mississippi State has improved from it’s 2-10 season a year ago.

But most of what has been seen and heard has been positive, especially for the defense. In both of his appearances after the Bulldogs’ two preseason scrimmages, coach Jeff Lebby praised the defense for its new level of energy and intensity.

“I think again defensively we had great energy,” he said. “Made some huge plays in some short yardage situations where we were able to get off the field defensively to end a couple of drives early in the scrimmage and that created real momentum, which I thought was great to see. So, I thought the energy, the toughness, the attitude, and the edge—we're getting close to where we want to be from that standpoint.”

Also, Lebby gave us an idea for who will be apart of the defensive line rotation that included new players such as Will Whitson, Jamil Burroughs and Malik Sylla. But he also mentioned some returning players like Trevion Williams, Kalvin Dinkins, Kendrick Bingley-Jones and Deonte Anderson.

Of those returning players, only one has not been featured in our series of the 40 Most Important Bulldogs in 2025. Let’s fix that,

Who is Deonte Anderson?

A native of Miami, Fla., Anderson was a four-star prospect by 247Sports and three-star prospect by Rivals out of Fort Meade Senior High School. Both recruiting services also had him rated as a top 100 overall player in Florida. He was selected to play in the All-America bowl after his senior season and committed to Mississippi State in December 2020.

Anderson earned a redshirt as a true freshman and saw his first action the following season. He played in five games in 2022, mostly on special teams and recorded his first collegiate tackle against East Tennessee State. The next season, Anderson played in 12 games and started two. He ended the season with 38 tackles (10 solo), three TFLs, 0.5 sacks, four pass breakups and one fumble recovery.

What happened in 2024?

Anderson went backwards in terms of productivity, but so did most of the Bulldogs’ defense last season (except for Isaac Smith). He had 18 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and a half sack. And we don’t need to repeat for the millionth time about the struggles Mississippi State’s defense had and the causes for those struggles.

Why will he be important in 2025?

Mississippi State needs a pass rush. That assignment won’t fall to any one player, but it stands to reason Anderson will be a part of the Bulldogs’ effort to get more than 10 sacks in 2025.

Luckily, Anderson has teammates who are healthy and bigger, meaning they’ll take up more blockers. There’s also some stiff competition from transfer players like Red Hibbler and Will Whitson, which, as coaches and players have said frequently, makes everyone better.

Previous 40 in 40 Coaches and Players:

Coaches

Jeff Lebby, Head Coach
Coleman Hutzler, Defensive Coordinator
Phil Loadholt, Offensive line coach

Players

Kedrick Bingley-Jones, DL
Canon Boone, OL
Davon Booth, RB
Fluff Bothwell, RB
DeAgo Brumfield, DB
Jamil Burroughs, DL
Kalvin Dinkins, DL
Antony Evans III, WR
Kyle Ferrie, K
Red Hibbler, DL
Branden Jennings, DL
Kelley Jones, DB
Luke Kromenhoek, QB
Brylan Lanier, DB
Jahron Manning, DB
Nic Mitchell, LB
Jordan Mosley, WR
Albert Reese IV, OL
Isaac Smith, S
Blake Steen, OL
Brenen Thompson, WR
Zakari Tillman, Edge
Seydou Traore, TE
Hunter Washington, DB

Will Whitson, DL