ATLANTA — Jeff Lebby, one year later, said he was not expecting the season Mississippi State football endured in 2024.

There were optimistic expectations for Lebby as the first-year MSU coach. Instead, the Bulldogs were blown out at home by Toledo in Week 3, then quarterback Blake Shapen suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4 before the season derailed. They finished 2-10 with no wins in the SEC.

Mississippi State added over 50 new players since then, while keeping the coaching staff mostly intact. The obvious goal is to improve the talent. Accounts from Lebby and Mississippi State players though at SEC media days on July 16 said that an improved locker room environment has been noticeable.

“We’re not trying to create a new culture; we’re going to be exactly true to who we are supposed to be and what we’re creating,” Lebby said. “I think the difference in the team today compared to a year ago today, besides the physical parts of it, is we are closer as a football program and as a football team. The only way you do that is you spend time and you have to take the right people. 

“I’ve continued to talk about that. Protect the locker room … by taking the right people. That’s what it’s all about.”

Where Mississippi State football changed for 2025 season

Mississippi State added at least one transfer at every single position except kicker and punter. There were focuses on some positions of need, like defensive line where MSU fielded the worst scoring defense in the SEC. 

MSU also flipped its wide receiver room, which lost four of its top five players from last season. Ten of the new players are wide receivers, six via the transfer portal.

“Whether it’s transfers or high school players, at the end of the day, they’ve got to be good enough, but then you want to take the right people,” Lebby said. “People matter. And so for us, changing the entire receiver room, that has helped us tremendously, and it’s helped the locker room. I think we are in a much better place as a team today than we were a year ago, which is going to be something that’s important for us.”

Shapen, one of the three Mississippi State players at SEC media days, said he’s noticed a difference behind the scenes.

“I would say for us, coming into the building, you can tell the energy level is way higher,” he said. “Even from just going in the lunch room to dinner, whatever it may be. Everybody’s energetic. It’s little things. The locker room is energetic. 

“I feel like last year, at times, it was a little bit dead in some areas. I feel like you can just tell a different level of energy.” 

Mississippi State picked to finish last in SEC preseason poll

Outside expectations remain low for the Bulldogs though. They played four opponents last season that made the 12-team College Football Playoff and will play those four teams again in 2025. That doesn’t include five other SEC opponents who won at least seven games each in 2024 that MSU plays again. 

The USA TODAY SEC preseason poll picked Mississippi State to finish last in the conference for a second straight season.

“We don’t really look at that stuff too much,” safety Isaac Smith said. “We were 2-10 last year, so I would expect that, especially with the way we played last year. We don’t really worry about that right now.”

MORE: Why Isaac Smith promises an improved Mississippi State football defense in 2025 season

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.