Mississippi
Jeff Lebby’s Mississippi State football offseason grades from transfers to staff moves
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football improved by three wins in 2025 in coach Jeff Lebby’s second season.
Now, the Bulldogs aim to make a similar leap as a program that can win multiple SEC games. They haven’t accomplished that since 2022.
Lebby and MSU shook up the coaching staff, especially on defense with Zach Arnett rehired as the new defensive coordinator. MSU also added 23 transfers and signed 30 players in the 2026 recruiting class while it builds around new starting quarterback Kamario Taylor.
Spring practice begins March 17, and here’s how we graded Mississippi State’s offseason so far.
Mississippi State added 23 transfers, missed on Jordan Seaton
The Bulldogs added 23 players from the transfer portal. That’s the ninth most in the SEC. However, the class ranks 15th in the conference and No. 35 nationally, according to 247Sports.
Seven of those transfers are on the offensive line. Mississippi State was able to land a visit from Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, the No. 4 overall player in the transfer portal, but he picked LSU. Seaton alone could’ve propelled MSU’s transfer class from OK to great.
Cornerback is perhaps Mississippi State’s most improved position from the transfer portal. All-SEC cornerback Kelley Jones is back, but MSU needed better corners opposite of him. Iowa State’s Quentin Taylor Jr. could fill that role, while Florida’s Jamroc Grimsley and Syracuse’s Kaylib Singleton could be in the mix, too.
Transfer wide receivers have had success in Lebby’s offense. Missouri’s Marquis Johnson could be the next one.
Grade: C
Mississippi State’s roster retention in transfer portal
Mississippi State’s biggest losses in the transfer portal were at offensive line with Jayvin Q. James, Jimothy Lewis Jr. and Zack Owens leaving. However, the line struggled as a unit and was probably in need of a refurbish.
None of Mississippi State’s best players entered the transfer portal or left early for the NFL draft. That includes players like Taylor, running back Fluff Bothwell and wide receiver Anthony Evans III on offense and Jones, safety Isaac Smith and linebacker Tyler Lockhart on defense.
That’s different from last season when top players like Brice Pollock, Kevin Coleman Jr. and Mario Craver transferred.
Grade: A-
Mississippi State boosted recruiting class before signing day
Mississippi State capitalized on its better season by flipping some late recruits. The Bulldogs’ two highest-rated signees weren’t part of the 2026 recruiting class until the week of early signing day.
Four-star safety Bralan Womack flipped from Auburn to MSU. He was a five-star at the time of his signing, according to the 247Sports Composite, but has since been downgraded. Womack, from Hartfield Academy, ranks as MSU’s ninth-best signing off all time.
The Bulldogs also flipped four-star edge rusher Micah Nickerson of South Pike from Missouri.
The class ranks No. 23 nationally, up five spots from 2025 and six spots from 2024.
Grade: B
Mississippi State coaching staff shaken up for 2026
Lebby hardly made changes to the coaching staff in 2025 but has done a lot more in 2026, mainly with Arnett as the new defensive coordinator.
Other new defensive assistant coaches include Matt Brock (co-defensive coordinator/linebackers), Ty Warren (defensive line), Kevie Thompson (defensive backs/nickels) and Jermauria Rasco (assistant defensive line).
On offense, Mississippi State has a new quarterbacks coach, Kevin Johns, wide receivers coach, Phillip Montgomery, and assistant wide receivers coach, Desmond Lindsey.
The Bulldogs have one opening after safeties coach Matt Barnes left for Maryland, but it’s possible Arnett takes that role since he is not assigned a position.
It should be a big boost for MSU if Arnett can return the defense to where he had it while being the coordinator under coach Mike Leach.
Grade: B+
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Softball
May 16, 2026
Alyssa Faircloth’s no-hitter is Mississippi State’s first in NCAA softball tournament
May 16, 2026
Alyssa Faircloth threw a no-hitter in Mississippi State’s regional win over Oregon, the Bulldogs’ first in an NCAA tournament game. Watch the extended highlights from the no-hitter here.
Despite scoring 33 runs in its final three-game series, Mississippi State baseball didn’t leave College Station, Texas, with a series victory.
No. 10 Texas A&M beat the visiting No. 12 Bulldogs 7-6 on May 16. It was the rubber match of the three-game series. MSU (39-16, 16-14 SEC) won the first game 18-11 and Texas A&M (39-13, 18-11) took the second game 11-9.
The Bulldogs are still entering the postseason in good position. MSU will be anywhere between the No. 8 and No. 10 seed in the SEC Tournament and has a case to be awarded a top-16 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
MSU can hit and does it well. The Bulldogs entered May 16 with the No. 2 batting average in the SEC (.314) and the third-most runs (471). Pitching was more hit-or-miss.
Here’s what stood out regarding MSU’s pitching in the regular season finale as the Bulldogs head into the postseason.
Ryan McPherson is back, but can he find peak form?
Getting star sophomore Ryan McPherson back in any capacity is big for MSU, but the Bulldogs need him to look like his old self to have their best chance at a deep postseason run.
McPherson started Game 3 against Alabama. He pitched 2⅓ innings, allowing one earned run on 44 pitches. He got into some trouble in the third inning and was pulled.
McPherson has only pitched one other time since March 20, when he suffered a forearm strain against Vanderbilt. That was on May 9 vs Auburn, but he only threw 1⅓ innings before he injured his ankle after tripping behind home plate while backing up a potential throw in the second inning.
At his best, McPherson has lights-out stuff that can win a postseason game. He was 5-1 with a 2.45 ERA before getting injured.
Ben Davis quietly shined in bullpen
The MSU bullpen got plenty of action against Texas A&M. Senior reliever Ben Davis pitched all three days.
Davis threw one inning in the first game, 2⅓ in the second game and 1⅓ in the finale. Across the 4⅔-inning span, Davis allowed four hits and no earned runs. He struck out three.
It’s the first time this season Davis pitched three consecutive days.
Walks, not hits, cost Mississippi State the series
The Bulldogs outhit the Aggies 11-7 in Game 3, but the discrepancy in walks was too much to overcome.
MSU walked 13 batters and drew just one.
Four of the walks went on McPherson’s ledger, but the bullpen struggled with control as well. Five of the six relievers who pitched after McPherson walked at least one batter. Only 96 of the 176 pitches MSU threw were in the strike zone.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
Easy ways to identify snakes
Depending on where you are, snakes are inevitable. Here’s how to identify if the snake is venomous or not.
Can you kill a snake in your yard in Mississippi? As the weather heats up and people spend time outdoors, run-ins with snakes are increasingly likely.
It is legal to kill most snakes found in Mississippi. But there are rules about when you need a license. Some species have federal protection.
Mississippi is home to more than 50 types of snakes. A small number are venomous.
Most snake-related interactions can be avoided by just walking away or letting them slither to safety. Still, there are times when you might need to keep kids and pets safe.
Here’s what we know about the rules protecting wildlife, venomous snakes that live in Mississippi and which species are protected.
Can you kill a snake in your yard in Mississippi?
Yes, Mississippi residents can kill a snake in their yard. Mississippi landowners, or people who live on the property, can kill a snake on their property, whether it’s venomous or not.
It’s one of a few specific exceptions when the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks allows killing a snake without a hunting or fishing license.
Nongame snakes and animals that have come inside a resident’s building, damage plants and yards or hurt pets or livestock can be killed. Nonresidents are allowed to kill wildlife that enters a building they lease or rent.
If a venomous snake poses “a reasonable danger to human life,” MDWFP regulations allow people to kill it.
In any of these cases, the animal’s body has to be disposed of or allowed to decay in nature. You can’t keep it as a trophy or sell it.
Mississippi landowners, or people who live on a property, can kill a snake on their property, whether it’s venomous or not.
When you need a license to kill a snake
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks oversees regulations for hunting and the management of nongame species in the state.
Everyone needs the appropriate hunting/fishing license to harvest snakes for personal use, according to MDWFP information. No more than 20 nongame snakes and lizards can be taken a year. No more than four specimens of a species or subspecies should be taken from the wild in a year.
Venomous snakes found in Mississippi
The Mississippi Poison Control Center via the University of Mississippi Medical Center lists venomous snakes and other animals, like spiders, stingrays and jellyfish.
The list of dangerous snakes includes:
- Timber rattlesnakes
- Pygmy rattlesnakes
- Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes
- Water moccasins (also called Cottonmouths)
- Coral snakes
- Copperheads
Snake Snap lists eight snakes with venom. The site includes specific variations of some species: Western Cottonmouth and Northern Cottonmouth, along with the Dusky and Western variations of Pygmy Rattlesnakes.
Snakes you cannot legally kill
The Endangered Species Act helps protect native wildlife and plants from dying off entirely. The MDWFP lists several animals that are protected, including the black bear, Florida Panther and gopher tortoise. All sea turtles, sawback turtles and two kinds of bat are also protected.
These snakes are protected because they’re listed as an endangered species:
- Black pine snake
- Eastern indigo snake
- Rainbow snake
- Southern hognose snake
The Eastern Indigo Snake hasn’t been seen in decades in Mississippi. It’s now considered rare in the state or extirpated, meaning locally extinct.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.
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