Mississippi

Mississippi State football 2024 summer position confidence rankings

Published

3 months ago

June 7, 2024

Mississippi State football 2024 summer position confidence rankings

Mississippi State football is going to look very different in 2024, both in terms of style of play and the contributors on the field. Nearly every player that’s likely to play a major role this fall will be one that Bulldog fans may not be overly familiar with.

The majority of starters on the offensive side of the ball will be transfers. There’s more experience back on defense, but still, several transfers and players who’ve seen limited playing time thus far at State will lead the way.

With so much new to MSU in 2024, how do I feel about each position group on the team as we enter the summer? Here’s my rank of the offensive and defensive positions on the roster, from most to least confident…

State took some big losses from the WR room, but Jeff Lebby and Chad Bumphis nailed the reload here with transfers Kelly Akharaiyi, Kevin Coleman, Trent Hudson set for big seasons and a trio of 4-star freshman who’ll contribute immediately. Veteran Jordan Mosely looks primed for a breakout year, and the young but talented Creed Whittemore should take a step forward.

This might be bold, but the fact is State has a proven power conference starter at QB, which they can’t say about many other positions. Blake Shapen was a good QB at Baylor, and he looked to be in full command of Lebby’s offense in the spring. Things are more iffy behind him, but Chris Parson is talented and at least got some SEC experience last year.

It’s crazy to still have LB this high after losing the incredible duo of Bookie Watson and Jett Johnson, but I still feel pretty good about this group. John Lewis should improve moving back to the inside, and Stone Blanton was a big addition to have alongside him. Donterry Russell will likely be the best pass rusher on the team, and Nic Mitchell and Branden Jennings looked good in the spring. There’s good depth to this unit as well.

This is another room that’s been almost totally overhauled, but give Cody Kennedy credit; he did an outstanding job. Transfers LT Makylan Pounders and C Ethan Miner will anchor this unit, and two other talented transfers, guards Jacoby Jackson and Marlon Martinez, will also compete for starting roles. Albert Reese IV brings some versatility, and Leon Bell flashed last season. There are some questions about depth after the top group, however.

There’s a good mix of solid veterans and promising young pieces along the DL. DE De’Monte Russell is the leader of the group, and fellow end Deonte Anderson will be a major factor too. UNC transfer DT Kedrick Bingley-Jones got praise in the spring, and young interior lineman Trevion Williams and Kalvin Dinkins now get their chance to showcase their high ceilings. The question is if State can actually get more of a pass rush up front this fall.

RB is a spot that I feel more confident in after the spring. Jeffery Pittman and JUCO-transfer Johnnie Daniels were both impressive in the spring game, and Keyvone Lee reportedly had a good spring as well. But the biggest boost is from Utah State transfer Davon Booth, an explosive rusher who thrived in this same offense last season for the Aggies. The lone question is whether or not a true bell cow exists in this room that MSU can lean on.

Is MSU finally going to get good production from a TE? Seydou Traore is finally eligible after sitting out last season, and he looks like the first major receiving threat at the position State has seen in ages. Vandy transfer Justin Ball impressed in the spring game, and his younger brother Cam was highly-rated transfer. Still, until we actually see a Bulldog TE make an impact in the fall, I can’t rank them too highly.

Here’s what I can say for the safety room: you’ve at got some experienced pieces there with Corey Ellington and Jordan Morant and at least one truly high ceiling guy in Issac Smith. The issue is you don’t have anyone that’s proven to be a high-level SEC player to this point. Can the veterans step up and Smith play to his recruiting profile? Can a new face like Tyler Woodard become a star? I think the options here are at least serviceable, but I’m not certain this unit will shine.

The recent add of transfer Montre Miller makes me slightly better, but I don’t have much confidence in the CB room as it stands currently. Traveon Wright looked solid in the spring game, but he was pretty much the only guy who did. Can Brice Pollock build off taking some lumps as a freshman? Hopefully. And perhaps Brylan Lanier’s experience gives State a good option at nickel. But there’s little proven with this group, and I’m not sure there are many high ceilings either.

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Mississippi

Mississippi alligator breaks 2 state records and is possibly a world record

Published

3 hours ago

September 10, 2024

Press Room

Mississippi alligator breaks 2 state records and is possibly a world record

‘When she came up she was under the bottom of the boat in between the pontoons. She was slapping the boat with her tail and all that. I thought she was going to knock my motor off for a minute.’

After two frustrating nights on the last weekend of the season, a Mississippi hunter caught the alligator he’d been after, but what he didn’t realize when he pulled it in his boat was that not only did it break two state records, it’s possibly a world record.

Jason Ullendorf said a cousin of his was buying a part at a boat shop last week when he was told about an alligator in the Pascagoula River. The alligator had been spotted near a sandbar and had been making people visiting the location uncomfortable.

“We figured we’d help them out and get it out of there,” Ullendorf said. “We went down there to look at it, and it was a pretty good gator. It’s kind of crazy how it happened.”

Catching it was easier said than done, though. Ullendorf and members of his hunting party repeatedly hooked the alligator, only to have the hooks pull out or break off when the alligator would go under logs.

“We chased it from about 9 o’clock until about 3 o’clock in the morning,” Ullendorf said. “By then we’d lost all our hooks.”

More: Hunters bag Mississippi alligator weighing almost 700 pounds

Another long night of hunting alligators

The following day, Ullendorf bought more hooks and returned to the river with only one other hunter, Joseph Mangano of Richton. Fortunately, they found the alligator in the same spot as the night before. Unfortunately, it was shaping up to be a replay of the night before with the two repeatedly hooking the alligator, only to have the hooks pull free.

“It was frustrating,” Mangano said. “At one point, we got so frustrated we left it and an hour later started again. We knew we would hook it, but we were going to have to get it out of the trees.”

At 4:45 a.m., the hunters got a break. The alligator surfaced in open water near the sandbar. The two hooked the alligator with a rod and reel and then got a hand line on it as the alligator towed the two men and their 18-foot pontoon boat upriver. Everything was going relatively smoothly until they pulled the gator near the boat.

“When she came up she was under the bottom of the boat in between the pontoons,” Ullendorf said. “She was slapping the boat with her tail and all that. I thought she was going to knock my motor off for a minute.”

More: ‘The size and mass of his head is unreal.’ Mississippi alligator hunters bag 800-pound giant

Mississippi hunters suspect their alligator is a female

The two got the alligator in their boat and while Ullendorf referred to it as a “she,” he didn’t think it was a female at the time. This alligator was too big to be a female, and the longest female alligator ever recorded in the state was caught in 2022 by Jim Denson and measured 10 feet, 2 inches.

“As soon as she came up we said, ‘That’s a male,’” Ullendorf said. “We never second-guessed it.”

But then they did. When to two took the alligator to Mangano’s business in Richton, Running M Meat Company, they discovered the alligator didn’t have male sex organs.

“I couldn’t believe it at first,” Ullendorf said. “We called Andrew Arnett to come down and verify it. I didn’t believe it at all.”

Is this Mississippi alligator a world record?

Arnett is the head of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Alligator Program. He confirmed it was a female and certified it at 11 feet, 3/4 inches long and 324 pounds. Not only was it a state record for longest female, it was the new state record for heaviest.

However, it may have broken another record, if only it existed. Multiple internet searches came up empty for an official world record for female alligators, but some states keep official records. According to searches by the hunters and Arnett, the longest female alligator on record before Ullendorf’s was 10 feet, 6.75 inches long and it was caught in Florida. If that’s true, Ullendorf has the new world record for longest female alligator.

“Just from what I’ve seen online, I think so,” Arnett said.

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.

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Mississippi

Mississippi Mass Choir new album

Published

10 hours ago

September 10, 2024

Press Room

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The Mississippi Mass Choir has a new album! We Still Believe is available!

The director and some choir members joined Studio 3 to discuss the songs.

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Mississippi

Fascinating Snake Species Found Along the Mississippi River

Published

18 hours ago

September 9, 2024

Press Room

Fascinating Snake Species Found Along the Mississippi River

The Mississippi River stretches 2,350 miles from Minnesota to Louisiana, serving as a vital commercial waterway and a habitat for diverse wildlife. It’s home to abundant fish like largemouth bass and catfish, as well as waterfowl like wood ducks and Canadian geese. But what about snakes? These reptiles are abundant in and along the famous river and are worthy of analysis. Today’s video will explore 12 snake species living around the Mississippi River.

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