Texas Longhorns vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Way-Too-Early Preview: Players to Watch

The Texas Longhorns will travel to Starkville, Mississippi, to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in what should result in a solid victory.

The Bulldogs accumulated an overall record of 2-10 last season, along with a conference record of 0-8. The Longhorns delivered the second of these conference losses to them, with quarterback Arch Manning filling in for Quinn Ewers and helping lead his team to a 35-13 victory.

With an undeniably difficult SEC schedule this season, Mississippi State looks to utilize the new personnel they acquired through the transfer portal to try to yield better results in 2025.

Their offseason efforts might not be fruitful enough to overtake the Longhorns, but lineup changes could make the game a better battle than last year. Here are five Mississippi State players, both returners and offseason additions, to watch against Texas on Oct. 25 in Starkville:

QB Blake Shapen

Shapen transferred from Baylor to Mississippi State ahead of his redshirt senior season last year, and he completed 68.5 percent of his passes for 974 yards and eight touchdowns across his first four games. He also threw just one interception and logged two rushing touchdowns.

However, a season-ending shoulder injury against the Florida Gators in Week 4 meant that fans didn’t get to see how Shapen would’ve handled the rest of the Bulldogs’ challenging conference schedule as a starter. Injury has been a problem for Shapen throughout his lengthy college tenure, but if he is able to remain healthy, he could be an exciting player for Mississippi State in their game against Texas and throughout the year.

DL Red Hibbler

To say that the Bulldogs’ pass rush struggled last season would be an understatement, but they hope that earning players like Hibbler from the transfer portal will make a difference. He joins the program as a redshirt senior from NC State, where he played in just four games last year but accumulated 6.5 sacks in 13 games in 2023.

Texas’ biggest concerns surround their offensive line, which could create opportunities for Hibbler and his fellow defensive linemen to impact this game. That being said, this is really the first year in which he will be expected to take on this kind of significant leadership role outside of his three-year tenure at Northwest Mississippi Community College.

S Isaac Smith

Smith’s impact on Mississippi State’s defense last year was irrefutable, and his efforts helped him get recognized as Second Team All-SEC in 2024. He logged 127 tackles last season, leading the SEC. Obviously, a team has fundamental defensive issues if a safety records that many tackles throughout one season, but he came up big for the Bulldogs in key moments.

As one of Mississippi State’s best players last year, he will be expected to deliver for their secondary throughout this upcoming season.

LB Branden Jennings

Jennings has jumped around quite a bit, letting his collegiate career to take him to Maryland, UCF, Hinds Community College and Mississippi State. This is the first school he has returned to for a second year, and he will be expected to lead this team’s linebacker room. He accumulated 11 starts and played in 12 games last year, recording 56 tackles (five for loss), 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups and four quarterback hurries.

He will have to step into a greater role this year if he wants to help his team fight opponents like Texas, but he could emerge as a player to watch in 2025.