Three Players to Watch this Spring for Mississippi State Football: Defense
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are getting closer and closer to spring practice and the annual spring game. It is always an exciting time when there is a new head coach and a new defensive coordinator.
Coleman Hutzler will call the defensive plays this fall and bring a new scheme to the Bulldogs. MSU has been solely running a 3-3-5 defense for the past four years, and now the Bulldogs will shift to a more traditional 3-4 look.
Here are three players who MSU will need to play well if they want a successful year on defense.
Trevion Williams
This defensive lineman has not played much in his two-year career at MSU thus far, mainly due to injuries. However, the talent is there for the former consensus four-star recruit.
That raw talent must turn into production this season for Mississippi State because the Bulldogs lost Nathan Pickering and Jaden Crumedy, who were both productive in the interior of the defensive line from a season ago. The Crystal Springs native has appeared in eight career games and has racked up eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
The SEC is a line-of-scrimmage league, and MSU needs to be strong up the middle to avoid being overwhelmed by offensive lines. Mississippi State defensive line coach David Turner is widely acknowledged as one of the best coaches at his position in the country, and MSU has a rich history with interior defensive linemen. Can Williams be the next one?
Stone Blanton
This was a significant portal addition for Hutzler and the defensive staff, as the Bulldogs have major shoes to fill at the linebacker position with the departure of Nathaniel "Bookie" Watson and Jett Johnson. However, Blanton comes in with SEC experience, which was much needed; the former South Carolina linebacker produced last year by racking up 52 tackles, a sack, and an interception.
The former MRA Patriot was a consensus four-star recruit committed to the Bulldogs to play baseball. MSU seemed like the favorite to land the Mississippi native, then Ole Miss got into the mix, and it seemed like it would be an in-state battle for the linebacker.
However, Blanton ultimately chose to leave the Magnolia State for South Carolina, but after two seasons, he is back in Starkville. Blanton brings experience to a defense that is limited in that aspect.
It would be unfair to expect Blanton to produce like Watson or Johnson, but he needs to be solid and lead a young defense.
Corey Ellington
Here is another pivotal player in the secondary position group, and the Bulldogs seem the most vulnerable in the defense's back end. Ellington briefly was in the transfer portal before opting to return to Starkville.
The 6-3 200-pound safety is a physical specimen on the field, and last year, the Lexington, Mississippi, played well. He racked up a career-high 66 tackles and was beginning to play his best football late as he put up 12 tackles in the Egg Bowl, his first double-digit tackle performance.
The Bulldogs lost four significant contributors from last year's secondary, and now Ellington is the most proven guy. He will need to step into that role well and make up for the lack of experience around him.
Hutzler was not as active as one would have thought in the transfer portal, but that could be because he likes his roster as is. Expect the Bulldogs to dip back into the portal after the conclusion of Spring practice.
There are valid concerns about the defense, but while young, this group has talent. The lack of knowledge about the defense could be exciting and nerve-wracking.
