Mississippi State Safety Dylan Lawrence Maintaining Positive Mindset Ahead of 2022 Season
Mississippi State junior safety Dylan Lawrence hasn't seen a ton of playing time with the Bulldogs, but has had some bright moments when he's gotten onto the field.
A lot of his limitations have come with injury setbacks that happened at a bad time.
"I fractured my ankle my redshirt sophomore year and that right there kind of set me back," Lawrence said. "That was also the COVID year. So being out that year when the new coaches came in... a lot of players got in-game reps, really being out there in the fire for real, and I'm at home rehabbing and doing things like that. So now, it's just been trying to catch up and get some more in-game reps."
Entering his fourth season with the Bulldogs, the safety comes off a year in which he played in 11 games, recording five total tackles (two solo) and one forced fumble, which came in the win over Tennessee State.
The previous season, Lawrence got some time in during the Bulldogs' upset win over the LSU Tigers in the season-opener. He totaled three tackles in that contest.
"We were going shot for shot," Lawrence said. "And going out there and getting to make a couple of plays and just beating them... it was a phenomenal game."
Moving forward, Lawrence's mentality is to make the most of the opportunity that has been placed in front of him.
"I've been loving every moment of being here at Mississippi State," Lawrence said. "Just being able to be out there with my guys and to watch us all come together and develop. What I'm striving to achieve next is to win with the guys and be on the field more with them."
Lawrence has been working on several aspects of his game throughout the offseason and has seen personal improvement.
"I'd say I've improved coverage-wise. I've always been able to come down and hit somebody, that's never been a problem. But I would say that my coverage skills have gotten as lot better and footwork has gotten a lot better."
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Lawrence as a player providing depth with the Bulldogs preparing to open the season against the Memphis Tigers next month. But he's got the right attitude and all of the confidence a player could have in the teammates around him.
"My mentality is just head down, working hard. Taking the coaching and working while keeping my head down, that's how you get there," Lawrence said. "This team is going to be really great. We all look at each other as a brotherhood and we hold everybody accountable because we know what we can accomplish this season and we're striving for that."
