Bulldogs look to revive 'D-Line U' with help from portal and returners

Mississippi State’s claim as D-Line University took a hit last season as the Bulldogs struggled to stop many teams from running the ball and registered only 10 sacks.

Luckily for the Bulldogs, the assistant coach that was instrumental in turning Mississippi State into D-Line U is in Starkville for the second season of his third stint in Starkville.

David Turner has coached some of the best defensive linemen to come out of Mississippi State, including Chris Jones, Fletcher Cox, Preston Smith, Pernell McPhee, Josh Boyd, Kyle Love and Gerri Green. He’s also responsible for recruiting Jeffery Simmons to Mississippi State before he moved to Texas A&M where he coached eventual No. 1 overall draft pick Myles Garrett.

However, it’s not always easy to understand exactly how Mississippi State became D-Line U.

“I don't know if the guys fully understand what went into “D-Line U,” Turner said at a preseason press conference on Tuesday. “Every day I try to preach something. I don't want to live in the past, but those guys need to understand that a lot of great players came through here before them. And there is a responsibility to get it going and get it back.”

It won’t be easy to do and Turner has a whole lot of new faces to work with along the defensive line. The Bulldogs added six players from the transfer portal this offseason, in addition to some returning players who missed most of last season with injuries, like Kalvin Dinkins.

Turner did say that Dinkins has been medically cleared, but they won’t rush him back onto the field.

“Just try to get him through fall camp and get him to the first game and then go from there,” Turner said.

Injuries played a role in last season’s struggles, but even Turner admits there were a lot of things that could’ve been better.

Mississippi State Bulldogs lineman Chris Jones (98) pressures Auburn Tigers quarterback Sean White (13) . — Mississippi State Bulldogs lineman Chris Jones (98) pressures Auburn Tigers quarterback Sean White (13) during the third quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Bulldogs beat the Tigers 17-9. | John Reed-Imagn Images

“I think part of it was personnel. I think we got to coach better. We got to put them in better positions,” Turner said. “There's a number of factors that can go in there. You just can't point to one factor. I mean, we just got to be better. That's the bottom line.”

Mississippi State’s influx of players will certainly help them be better in 2025.

“We helped ourselves in terms of personnel,” Turner said. “This offseason we looked at everything we're doing and trying to figure out what's best, what is it we can do, what is it we can't do.”

So, with a mix of returning and new players, how can the Bulldogs return to being D-Line U?

“All that's developed by two things: how you play and the talent,” Turner said. “We have to play better in order to get the recognition up front. The more you win, everybody gets recognition. You know there's never been great players on bad teams.

“You have to establish work ethic, number one — how we go about things. Hopefully you get guys that are motivated and want to do well, want to perform well. You know, this day NIL has changed the game. You got to come in and work every day and grind. There are no shortcuts. There is no easy way. We can't cut corners. It's one way of doing things up front and guys have to embrace that.”

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