Everything Mississippi State OL Canon Boone said after Friday's practice

Mississippi State football held its seventh preseason practice ahead of the 2025 season on Friday. Afterwards, three players met with reporters to talk about the team's progress in the early portion of preseason practices, including senior offensive lineman Canon Boone. Here's everything he had to say:

Canon Boone, OL

Last year obviously a little more abbreviated than you wanted, but what's it like to kind of get back in the flow with your guys and be 100 percent healthy?

Oh, I mean, it's awesome. You work all year round with these guys day in and day out, just grinding every day. It sucked obviously last year it was cut short, but I'm super happy to be back working with the guys every day.

You're a guy — last year you worked in multiple spots. Now you're comfortable in multiple spots. Where are you working right now specifically?

Getting a lot of center and right guard. There's a lot of competition going on between both those spots with a bunch of different guys. I'm obviously comfortable with both, but I'm just trying to be the best I can at both positions and be where I'm needed.

How big is that for you to be able to be really good at both positions, so you give yourself more of a shot to be out there through the competition?

Oh, it's huge. I mean, it's a big deal. It obviously gives me more of a chance to get on the field. Just being ready to go wherever I'm needed and plug in, just be able to compete my best.

What's it like being one of the returning guys? You have a wave of transfers show up in December, and another wave coming in spring. Some of those guys didn’t participate in spring practice. As a veteran, returning guy, what's your role to help those guys get active?

It's a pretty big role, I feel like. Obviously, like I said, bringing in a bunch of new guys every six months or so, it's important to get to know them and get comfortable playing with them. Like I’ve been saying, I’m comfortable at center and guard and have been playing with a bunch of those new guys, trying to bring them along, get them used to the playbook, and get them ready to play, too.

Speaking of that, you have Kobe who was here in the spring, and then you added a guy in Brennan. What have you seen from those two?

Kobe has improved tremendously. I feel like he had a great summer, coming in here and working every day, getting stronger, getting faster, and competing with me. Brennan came in during the fall, and he adds a lot to the group too — a lot of experience from where he came from. He’s come here to compete as well, so I feel like he brings a lot to the team.

Pretty much on Sunday — talk about that scrimmage experience and trying to get back into a groove, especially after being off the field for a while. How big is that for somebody like you?

It's a huge deal. It’s our first chance at a full scrimmage. We’ve had a lot of live situations the past couple of days, but that was a full two-hour scrimmage with live reps. Getting back in the groove, getting used to playing at that speed and tempo, is big for me.

What's it been like going against the defense? Do you notice an improvement on the line you’re going against?

A huge improvement, all across the board. Bringing back a bunch of guys who helped us last year is big. Getting KJ and Dink back is a big deal for us too. Guys like Jerange J — they make me better every day by going against them and pushing me to be my best.

Anytime you have great competition, especially on the offensive line, you have that balance of wanting to win the job and beat those guys out, but also being a good teammate and helping them along too. How have you balanced that as a veteran in this group?

Obviously, it’s about taking advantage of every rep you get, whether you’re on the field or in whatever group you’re in. Do the best you can with every chance you get. When you’re off the field, take mental reps, see what the other guys are doing, and if they do something wrong, go out there and correct them, help them out, and bring them along. At the end of the day, we’re all a team, and we’re all trying to pull the rope the same way.

How have things been going in terms of chemistry when the offense is moving out of groups and starting to look like a complete picture?

I think it’s feeling good. We’re working with a bunch of different guys in different spots, but as a whole, we’re starting to finally all get on the same page, moving in the same direction, and getting ready to play.

What are you seeing out of the running backs, especially with Devon coming back and also adding Fluff this year?

It’s huge. I think Coach Phil says it every day — with Devon having a lot of experience, he thinks it’s the best running back room he’s been around in however long he’s been coaching football. Bringing those guys in helps the running game by getting yards for us, and it’s also huge for the passing game with their pass-blocking and checkdown ability.

What’s it been like having a new position coach, Coach Loadholt, this season?

I love him. He brings a lot of experience from numerous years coaching, including a lot of time in the NFL. He brings new techniques and strategies that I haven’t experienced before. He’s my fourth offensive line coach, and I’m still learning brand new stuff from him every single day. I think it’s going to be a huge deal for us as we get going.