Mississippi State Football: What To Expect Out Of The Offensive Line In 2023

Mississippi State is moving away from the Air Raid offense heading into the fall of 2023, so the offensive line will be asked to run block more often this year in a way it has not necessarily been before in this era.

LaQuinston Sharp, last year's starting center for the Bulldogs, is the lone lineman who will not return for the 2023 season.

Center is a vital position on the offensive line because they are responsible for communicating with the rest of the line about what they see from the defense. Bulldog veteran and former LSU transfer Cole Smith is expected to take over that job this fall.

Smith played center in 2020 before being moved to guard before the 2021 season. This will be Smiths' fourth season on campus, so it makes sense for him to slide inside to be the starting center.

Now the rest of the line could be filled by multiple different names, and that is a good problem to have. Steven Losoya, Nick Jones, Kam Jones, Kwatrivous (Dollar Bill) Johnson, Albert Reece, and highly recruited former JUCO tackle Percy Lewis.

Now you can pencil in Losoya at one of the guard spots. Last year he moved to left guard as Nick Jones slid over to left tackle to replace Johnson. Nick Jones is a versatile guy who has played guard and tackle, and it's easy to see a scenario in which he will stick at tackle this fall.

With that, the right side of the line is up for grabs. Kam Jones, the starting right tackle last year, suffered an injury in the Egg Bowl.

Due to injury, Jones could not go through Spring practice, and with Cole Smith moving to center, the guard spot is wide open. Jones will be back by Fall camp, and he is another guy who has played guard and tackle.

He could move to guard in the fall and let Reese or Lewis take over the tackle spot, but Jones likely stays put. Right guard could be Reese or Johnson. Reese has an NFL body but not much experience, while Johnson is a veteran with many snaps.

It will be interesting to see how it shakes out over camp as the team prepares for a Sept. 2 kickoff.