Mississippi State’s Left Tackle Battle Takes Center Stage This Spring

Ask any Mississippi State fan what’s the one position group that needs the most improvement and they’ll all have the same answer: the offensive line.

Bulldog quarterbacks were sacked 45 times last season, third-most in the entire nation. Blake Shapen took a beating and paid for it with injuries and costly turnovers. Freshman Kamario Taylor’s speed let him avoid some sacks, but he still had to have offseason surgery.

Protecting the quarterback is one of the most important things for a team to do. Simply put, the Bulldogs haven’t been great at doing that.

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Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby acknowledged as much after the season when he said offensive line would be a focus in the transfer portal. And it was. The Bulldogs signed eight offensive linemen out of the transfer portal.

It’s very likely one of them will be the starting left tackle next season and that battle is currently playing out in Mississippi State’s spring practices.

At his first spring press conference, Lebby was asked specifically about the left tackle position and who is in contention for that starting job.

“We’ve got real competition there. Miles McVay, Saquon Miles, Jahkeem Shumpert, Isaiah Dent, and others are all in the mix,” Lebby said. “Ja'Elyne (Matthews) is back healthy after being banged up in the winter, and he’ll compete too. The depth, size, and strength in that room are where they need to be now.”

Of those five names mentioned, three are transfers. Miles and Shumpert were on the roster this past season but played sparingly. Other names that could be in the battle are Mario Nash Jr., the Florida State transfer, Tyler Miller, an LSU transfer, DJ Chester, another LSU transfer and true freshman Dalton Toothman, who drew praise from Lebby on Tuesday.

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“We’ve been impressed with a lot of (early enrollee freshmen),” he said. “Dalton Toothman's a guy that, again, from an O-line standpoint, too, big-time recruits, but then you get them in the building, and they work tirelessly, and they do exactly what they need to do.”

The left tackle spot on the offensive line will get the most attention, not just because of the position’s importance protecting the quarterback’s blindside. But also because some of the other positions already have potential starters.

Canon Boone started every game last season at center and, with the NCAA granting him an extra year of eligibility, figures to return to that role in 2026.

Blake Steen, a transfer from Virginia who was one of the big transfer portal additions last offseason, should be back healthy in time for the 2026 season at right tackle.

There’s going to be an open competition for the two guard positions, but you have to think LJ Prudhomme is going to end up with one of those spots. There are a lot of other names that could hold down the other guard spot, including some competing for the left tackle job.

For all the names, all the new faces, and all the talk about competition, the truth is simple. Mississippi State won’t know what it has on the offensive line until the season kicks off.

But this spring is the first step toward fixing a problem everyone can see, and at least now the Bulldogs finally have the numbers and talent to take that step with some confidence.