Bulldogs make smart hire with Lindsey, still searching for lead WR coach

Veteran coach Desmond Lindsey joins Mississippi State, bringing recruiting and offensive expertise but the top wide receivers role remains unfilled.

Mississippi State’s mascot “Dak” Bully the Bulldog participates in the Dawg Walk before a college football game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss., on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. The Egg Bowl game marks the 122nd meeting between the two teams. Dak is also known as Bully XXII. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mississippi State just made a move that makes plenty of sense, reportedly adding UTEP’s Desmond Lindsey as an assistant receivers coach for 2026.

Lindsey brings more than 20 years of experience across programs like Southern Miss, Memphis, and Arkansas State, and he’s no stranger to developing NFL-level talent. Most notably, Jason Brownlee.

But Lindsey isn’t just a coach, he’s a recruiting machine.

A native of Taylorsville, he knows south Mississippi like the back of his hand and even earned Sun Belt Recruiter of the Year honors in 2023. For a program trying to punch above its weight in the SEC recruiting game, that’s a huge win.

The Bulldogs are clearly building a staff that can be more competitive on the recruiting trail.

On the defensive side, former Oklahoma State assistant Kevie Thompson is joining as an assistant defensive backs coach, rounding out Mississippi State’s continued effort to strengthen both development and recruiting across the board.

Here’s the question that lingers, though: where is the lead wide receivers coach?

Lindsey will help, no doubt, but someone still needs to run the show for the passing game.

In a league where every yard counts and quarterback-receiver chemistry can make or break a season, the ordering of position coach hires is… curious, to say the least.

Mississippi State has already stacked the deck with associate head coach of the offense Bush Hamdan, returning defensive coordinator Zach Arnett, and Matt Brock as co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach.

Lindsey fits right in. But until the lead WR role is filled, there’s still an incomplete piece on the board.

The Bulldogs will wrap up their season in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Wake Forest on January 2.

Here’s hoping by then, or at least soon after, fans get clarity on who will lead the receivers and fully realize the potential of this revamped staff.