STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football opened preseason practice Thursday, which new coach Jeff Lebby said marked an exciting day for him.

He said every first practice translates to the start of a lengthy journey – especially while being at the helm of the MSU football program.

“There was great excitement around being able to finally get started and get going and get back on the grass, without a doubt,” Lebby said. “I think for me, day one is always been very similar from an excitement standpoint.

“We’re starting this journey together. We’re going to chase it together. Now I’ve got the opportunity to lead the entire program, which, you know, I love and I’m thankful for.”

Lebby is in a similar situation with many transfers and incoming freshmen. It’s also his first preseason practice in Starkville since being hired in November, and he said the energy from the start of the 9 a.m. practice was present from the outset.

“Our guys had great energy,” he said. “Just being intentional and worked their butt off this summer to get us to this point.”

What Jeff Lebby wants to see after first Mississippi State football preseason practice

While Lebby is approaching his first SEC season as coach, he said there’s much more his team still needs work on before the Bulldogs kick off their season against Eastern Kentucky on Aug. 31.

Lebby emphasized that he wants to keep instilling the willingness to be coached, toughness and security of the football.

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“I mean, we got so much work to do, so much to clean up, but again, our guy’s energy or effort or focus and our want to get better is what it’s all about Day 1, and we’ve got that,” Lebby said.

Lebby said that his work entails fitting in the new faces to the program, finalizing roster positions and mentally preparing his players for the season.

“We got guys that understand how to run and then we’ve got guys that are learning how to walk and that’s really what it is,” he said. “So again, trying to get those guys up to speed. The guys that came in in June. I mean they had really good summers but at the same time this was Day 1 for them practicing with us.

“So they’ve gotta get up to speed. They’re finishing up finals right now. So there’s some give and take with that too academically but the guys are trying to do what we’re asking them to do.”

Jeff Lebby’s take on his new defensive coaches

When reporters asked Lebby where he participated in practice, he said he was with the offense and quarterbacks most of the time.

That left the defense group in the hands of defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler and co-defensive coordinator Matt Barnes.

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Hutzler was on Nick Saban’s staff for the past two seasons as Alabama’s outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. The Crimson Tide ranked sixth nationally in yards per punt (46.7) and 15th in field goal percentage with 87% last season.

“Coleman’s a guy that’s got great presence got great leadership ability,” Lebby said. “He’s a guy that’s got an unbelievable amount of experience. So that’s really natural for him.”

Barnes joined Lebby’s staff in December after spending the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Memphis. In 2023, Memphis held opponents to a 31% conversion rate, ranked 17th best in the FBS.

“Matt’s a guy that again, got great energy,” Lebby said. “He’s got incredible experience calling defense. So being able to have that balance of him supplementing and supporting Coleman with their great relationship has been fun to see.”

Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.