Player movement is one of the biggest talking points in college sports, especially football. With the transfer portal wide open and many eligibility restrictions gone, players can move freely. And with NIL opportunities for those players, guys are all the more willing to transfer elsewhere.

One of the topics within the player movement discussion is the issue of tampering, contacting a player at another school not currently in the transfer portal to convince them to transfer elsewhere. The head man of Mississippi State football spoke on that issue Wednesday.

During Wednesday’s SEC Football Coach’s Teleconference, Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby was asked about how big of an issue tampering is in this level of football. Lebby not only was blunt in saying that it’s an issue, he also said that it’s happening right now with players on his team.

“It’s going on. There are guys on our football team that are going through that.”

– Miss State HC Jeff Lebby

Advertisement

Lebby didn’t specify which Bulldogs are being tampered with, and he didn’t allege which schools have been in contact with them. But he did call for tampering to be addressed going forward.

“Until that is managed and policed at the highest level, then there’s nothing that’s going to stop people from doing it.”

– Jeff Lebby

Jeff Lebby is correct. Until there’s an actual risk to tampering with someone’s roster, teams will continue to do it. We saw that earlier this season when the SEC chose to implement fines for teams that are blatantly faking injuries in game. Suddenly, seemingly fine players aren’t dropping like flies. The same applies with tampering. Unless there’s a consequence, there’s no reason to not tamper.

But until that time comes, if it ever does, Mississippi State is simply going to have to deal with it just like everyone else.

Lebby may not have said which players have been contacted, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who the likely candidates are. Mississippi State is bad and only has a handful of impactful players. You can easily zero in on who Lebby is referring to.

WR Kevin Coleman is the most obvious. He’s been one of the SEC’s best this year. His running mate at wideout, true freshman Mario Craver, has flashed elite explosiveness this year. Both those guys are undoubtedly being contacted by rivals. State doesn’t have much going for it at all on defense, but safety Isaac Smith is a great player who would shine in a better defense. I’m sure people are telling him to jump ship.

There are likely a few others as well. But that’s just the reality everyone is in. Even the best teams are having their players back-channeled to enter the portal. Of course the few great players on a struggling team are going to be targeted. If you’re the rival team, that seems like easy pickings.

That’s why it’s imperative that Mississippi State do everything in it’s power to keep those guys in Starkville. Whatever it takes from a NIL commitment or whatever vision for the program must be sold, State has to hold onto the few key players they have on the roster. Otherwise, they won’t be building out of the hole they’re in.

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Governor Tate Reeves has announced the state is investing over $110 million toward economic development, infrastructure upgrades, workforce development, tourism, and conservation efforts throughout Mississippi.

The majority of grant approvals, totaling over $97 million, will be invested into projects that, the governor says, will strengthen Mississippi’s economy.

“Mississippi’s economic development results have been historic and unprecedented,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “We’ve secured billions in new private sector investment and created thousands of jobs across the state. The funding we announced today will go a long way toward continuing Mississippi’s economic momentum and will help create more high-paying job opportunities for Mississippians across the state.”

According to Reeves, the investment will help expand infrastructure capabilities at sites across the state and better position Mississippi to secure more private sector investment.

Funding for these projects is available through the Mississippi Development Authority, Appalachian Regional Commission, Delta Regional Authority, RESTORE Act, GOMESA, and Southeast Crescent Regional Commission.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.

Copyright 2024 WLBT. All rights reserved.

STARKVILLE — Eniya Russell had spent four years in the Southeastern Conference almost exclusively coming off the bench. But Mississippi State head coach Sam Purcell was familiar with Russell long before she scored a combined 29 points in two games against the Bulldogs with Kentucky last year.

Russell grew into a five-star recruit and a top-50 national prospect in the class of 2020 at St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Maryland, and Purcell, then an assistant coach at Louisville, tried to recruit her to the Cardinals. Instead, Russell chose to play for Dawn Staley at South Carolina, where she won a national championship in 2022 but played roughly seven minutes per game.

She broke out as Kentucky’s sixth woman last season, averaging 10.1 points per game, but with the Wildcats making a coaching change, Russell transferred again, and this time Purcell landed her for her final year of eligibility.

“He stayed consistent throughout this whole process,” Russell said. “When we played against him when I was at Kentucky, I witnessed the fan base here. It was amazing. And when I came on my visit, it felt like home. Even when I got here and committed, he stayed consistent. It was like a real, true friendship. He wasn’t just a coach, he was helping me on and off the court.”

A 6-foot wing who has been a jack of all trades throughout her career, Russell can spell Jerkaila Jordan for stretches, but the two also work well on the court together. Jordan struggled in MSU’s season-opening win over Memphis, and it was Russell who filled her usual role as the lead scorer, finishing with 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting — including 4-for-8 from 3-point range.

Jordan returned to her usual form Sunday against Alcorn State and Russell was held to eight points, but she did pull down 10 rebounds, all on the defensive end.

“The style of play has changed. I wouldn’t say my role has really changed,” Russell said. “Coach Sam allows me to play free and fast, (which is) how I like to play. I fit into this system very well.”

Russell did turn the ball over five times against the Braves, and turnovers have been the Bulldogs’ biggest weakness so far. MSU (2-0) had 20 turnovers and just 12 assists Sunday, though the Bulldogs did hold Alcorn State to just nine points off those turnovers.

“The turnovers are coming because sometimes we’re too unselfish, and we love to make that home run pass,” Purcell said. “We’re new, with so many new pieces. It’s a combination of everything. Do I think it’s going to improve and get better? I do. Because every game we play better.”

Scouting Alabama State

MSU will play in front of its largest crowd of the season so far against the Hornets (2-0), with elementary school students representing most of those in attendance. This is the Bulldogs’ annual Education Day game, tipping off at 11 a.m., and schools from around the Golden Triangle region will bus their kids to the game for a field trip.

Purcell, who has three daughters himself, recognizes the importance of being introduced to high-level athletics at a young age. He said MSU expects 5,800 kids will be in the stands at Humphrey Coliseum.

“When we score a bucket or get a stop, they’re going to cheer for us, but you know what, they’re probably also going to cheer for Alabama State,” Purcell said. “A young kid who doesn’t have the opportunity to come to the game because of hard-working parents, when they sit there and come to the game and watch Eniya Russell, they might say, ‘I want to grow up and I want to be her.’ This game is bigger than just getting them out of school.”

Alabama State played two NAIA opponents to start the year, beating Faulkner University 70-58 and defeating Stillman College 55-50. The Hornets’ schedule is about to get a lot tougher — the Bulldogs are the first of six SEC teams Alabama State will face between Wednesday and the end of December.

Cordasia Harris leads the Hornets in scoring and rebounding, averaging 20.5 points and 14 boards per game.

“Their coach (Freda Freeman-Jackson) plays a tough non-conference schedule because she understands they have to win their conference in order to make the NCAA Tournament,” Purcell said. “They would love to have an opportunity to knock us off. Every possession matters, and that’s what I want our team to learn from coming into this game. We have to have that same kind of mentality.”