Former MSU running back Witherspoon reportedly has new team

Lee Witherspoon is going back to his home state

Running back Lee Witherspoon is going home.

Witherspoon, the former Mississippi State player that entered the NCAA transfer portal earlier this month, is headed to continue his football career at UAB according to multiple reports. It would mark a return for Witherspoon to his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.

Witherspoon played in all 11 games for MSU in 2020. The sophomore even drew his first career start this past season as he began the game against Auburn. In all, Witherspoon rushed six times for 35 yards this past season. He caught nine passes for 49 yards.

However Witherspoon was clearly State's No. 3 running back behind true freshmen Jo'quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson. It was Marks and Johnson who shouldered much of the Bulldog load at the position following Kylin Hill's opt out after three games.

Witherspoon's return to the state of Alabama will give him the chance to make a name for himself in college the way he did in the state's prep ranks. Witherspoon first came to MSU after an amazing final season of high school football in which he broke Alabama High School Athletic Association single-season state records for rushing touchdowns (53) and total touchdowns (59) as a senior. He led the AHSAA with 2,846 rushing yards, averaging 19.2 yards per carry in 2018.

That November, Witherspoon committed to the Bulldogs – then under the leadership of former head coach Joe Moorhead. He burst onto the scene as a true freshman for MSU in 2019 by playing in 11 games and getting 22 carries for 101 yards with a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 19 yards.

Then came 2020 under new MSU head man Mike Leach in which Marks and Johnson appeared to establish themselves as the running backs of MSU's future. While the Bulldogs move forward with those two, Witherspoon heads to forge a new path with the Blazers.

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