Keyvone Lee is Finding his Spot in the MSU Backfield

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Of all the unknowns surrounding Mississippi State football heading into its season opener on August 31st, the running back position is perhaps the most in the air. The Bulldogs have a quartet of guys who could get carries this season: Jeffery Pittman, Davon Booth (Utah State), Johnnie Daniels (Co-Lin CC), and Keyvone Lee.

Each guy brings a different skill set, but Lee has the most experience on the Power four level. The senior running back started his career in the Big 10 at Penn State, where he seemed destined to be the next great Nittany Lion running back.

He ran for 438 yards and four touchdowns in 2020 and followed it up with another solid year, rushing for 495 yards and two touchdowns. However, Lee could not capitalize on his early success, appearing in only five games, rushing for 94 yards in 2022, and decided to enter the transfer portal.

He played sparingly in his first season in Starkville, making only a dozen rushing attempts for 75 yards. The arrival of Jeff Lebby will open up more options for the 6-0 225-pounder. Last year, he was strictly a downhill runner, but now his new head coach finds creative ways to get him the ball.

“This year is a little different because coach Lebby lines us up everywhere,” Lee said. “We could be lined up outside, inside, or start out of the backfield…. anyway, he can get us the ball. He will do it.”

Two decades ago, a running back splitting out wide would have been seen as a knock on their abilities in the backfield. However, the modern running back wears many different hats, and Lee has embraced that, which could make him more attractive to the NFL.

“Use me any way you can,” Lee said. “The NFL does not want guys who can just run the ball; they want guys who can catch the ball or lineup in empty and go against a linebacker.”

The competition in the State running back room will be fierce, but Lebby is notorious for using multiple running backs. While each guy wants to start and will push for the job, it is important for MSU to have depth at the position.

The former Oklahoma offensive coordinator plays at a tremendous pace, so keeping fresh but reliable bodies on the field is critical.

“It helps a lot because in this offense, we are going fast, so it is really helpful when you have a lot of options,” Lee said. “If one person messes up, we move on to the next play… we are competing, but at the end of the day, we are brothers.”

Last weekend, Mississippi State went through its first scrimmage at Davis Wade Stadium. Lee gave his thoughts on how he felt the deep running back room did.

“We looked good,” Lee said. “There are things we gotta work on, just little details, but other than that, we were great.”