Mississippi
Mississippi State football’s receiving yardage record could fall in 2024
Mississippi State football’s new offense creates plenty of opportunities to put up big numbers. QB Blake Shapen should easily see the best season of his career playing for Jeff Lebby in Starkville, but in order for him to throw for a lot of yards, he needs weapons to catch those passes.
Let’s look at who’s likely to be his main target and what their production might look like.
Jeff Lebby and WRs coach Chad Bumphis had to completely overhaul the Bulldog receiving corps after losing the top-four WRs from 2023. They did an outstanding job, landing three strong transfers in Kelly Akharaiyi, Kevin Coleman, and Trent Hudson and adding a trio of 4-star true freshmen.
Akharaiyi and Coleman will likely be the go-to options for QB Blake Shapen. Lebby’s slot receivers often end-up being his receiving leader, and that’d be Coleman. But when an outside WR, like Akharaiyi, had been his best, he’s had no issue feeding them the ball.
I tend to think Akharaiyi is the best all-around WR on the team and will have a chance at some lofty numbers on vertical routes. Also, the depth in the slot is greater than on the outside, meaning there could be more of a rotation there.
I’ll take Akharaiyi to lead the team in yardage.
Kelly Akharaiyi played in a run-heavy attack at UTEP that didn’t exactly give a ton of opportunities to multiple WRs. But they had no problem targeting their top option, and in 2023, that was Akharaiyi. He hauled in 48 receptions for 1,033 yards last season. That’s 21.5 yards per catch, fourth best in the country. He’s a true deep threat, which means he can thrive playing for Jeff Lebby.
If you’re the leading WR in a Jeff Lebby offense, chances are you put up huge numbers. I’m going to exclude a very significant outlier here so not to skew the averages, but typically, Lebby’s receiving leader puts up about 1,026 yards a season.
The fewest yards by his leading receiver came from Gabe Davis in 2018 at UCF with 815. As for the most, the statistical outlier I excluded from the average was Ole Miss’ Elijah Moore in 2020. In just eight games, Moore recorded an absurd 1,193 yards. That’s over 149 yards a game. Had Moore played a full season at that pace, he would’ve finished with nearly 1,790 yards.
That’s simply remarkable. I doubt Kelly Akharaiyi comes anywhere close to that, but he should still be plenty productive in this system.
It just so happens that Kelly Akharaiyi’s 2023 season at UTEP is right in line with what Jeff Lebby’s top WR usually records. And while that offense was very different, how he was used was very similar to the role he’ll serve at MSU.
We do have to account for the fact he was playing in the Conference-USA, but as I’ve said many times, I do expect MSU to throw quite a bit this year to make up for their own defense. His number of opportunities will easily increase.
I believe he’s going for over 1,000 yards again. I’d set the over/under at 1,020, and I think there’s a real chance he challenges Makai Polk’s school record of 1,048 yards.
Mississippi State baseball needs a win to avoid a series loss.
The No. 9 Bulldogs (35-11, 13-9 SEC) play at No. 4 Texas (34-9, 14-7) on May 2 (2:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network+).
The Longhorns won Game 1 of the series, striking out MSU 19 times, led by ace pitcher Dylan Volantis. It broke MSU’s nine-game winning streak.
The Clarion Ledger is bringing you live updates for the game. Follow along.
Watch Mississippi State vs Texas
Mississippi State vs Texas score updates
The Bulldogs and Longhorns are tied at 0-0 after two innings. MSU has struck out four times so far after striking out 19 times in Game 1.
Mississippi State is No. 10 in RPI entering the game. Texas is No. 2.
- RF Aiden Robbins
- C Carson Tinney
- LF Anthony Pack Jr.
- SS Adrian Rodriguez
- 2B Ethan Mendoza
- 3B Temo Becerra
- DH Ashton Larson
- 1B Casey Borba
- CF Maddox Monsour
Pitcher: Ruger Riojas
- 2B Gehrig Frei
- 3B Ace Reese
- DH Noah Sullivan
- 1B Blake Bevis
- RF Jacob Parker
- LF Bryce Chance
- CF Aidan Teel
- C Kevin Milewski
- SS Drew Wyers
Pitcher: Duke Stone
Mississippi State versus Texas will air on 96.1 FM. The radio broadcast is also streaming on MSU’s athletics website on the MSU Hail State app.
According to AccuWeather, it will be 76 degrees at first pitch with mostly sunny skies, a 0% chance of rain and wind 8 mph.
- South Carolina at LSU (doubleheader)
- Auburn at Texas A&M (doubleheader)
- Vanderbilt at Alabama
- Missouri at Georiga
- Tennessee at Kentucky
- Ole Miss at Arkansas
- Florida at Oklahoma
What time does Mississippi State vs Texas start today?
- Date: May 2
- Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
- Location: UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin
What channel is Mississippi State vs Texas on today?
The game between Mississippi State and Texas will stream on SEC Network+.
Mississippi State vs Texas starting pitchers
- Game 1: LHP Tomas Valincius (7-1, 2.13 ERA) vs. LHP Dylan Volantis (6-0, 2.06 ERA)
- Game 2: RHP Duke Stone (6-1, 4.64 ERA) vs. RHP Ruger Riojas (5-2, 3.88 ERA)
- Game 3: LHP Charlie Foster (0-2, 5.67 ERA) vs. LHP Luke Harrison (4-2, 3.93 ERA)
Mississippi State vs Texas injury report
Mississippi State
Texas
- OF Jonah Williams: Out
- OF Dariyan Pendergrass: Out
Mississippi State baseball 2026 schedule
Next five games:
- May 3: at Texas
- May 5: vs. Nicholls
- May 7: vs. Auburn
- May 8: vs. Auburn
- May 9: vs. Auburn
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Coming off an exciting end to the season that saw them nearly make a miracle run to the NCAA Tournament, the Ole Miss Rebels have now lost a notable transfer portal battle to their heated rivals this offseason, leaving Chris Beard and the coaching staff with more questions about how to fill out their roster for next year.
Mississippi State has landed a commitment from Washington State transfer forward ND Okafor, giving the Bulldogs their fifth portal addition of the offseason. Okafor’s decision to choose Starkville comes as a surprise less than a month after he had announced his commitment to Ole Miss. He originally didn’t even have Mississippi State as one of his original finalists, but it’s clear head coach Chris Jans and the Bulldogs won him over.
By fumbling the commitment of Okafor, the Rebels miss out on a player who has four years of high-major experience and is coming off of the best season of his career. He started all 32 games for Washington State this past season, averaging 11 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Okafor began his career at California and will now be playing for Mississippi State in his final year of college basketball.
Where Ole Miss Basketball’s Transfer Portal Class Stands
The Rebels have had a somewhat underwhelming offseason in the portal. Beard and staff brought in some interesting portal pieces last year but it remains to be seen how this offseason’s portal class stacks up.
Ole Miss has already landed five portal commitments, though the team has yet to add a true star-studded transfer. The Rebels have Pepperdine center Stefan Cicic, Seton Hall guard Adam Clark, James Madison forward Christian Brown, Saint Jospeh’s forward Dasear Haskins and Pitt forward Roman Siulepa.
As things stands, Ole Miss doesn’t have a portal addition that truly stands out as a potential game-changer for next season. Clark does offer some intrigue though, as he averaged 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals at Seton Hall last season. A strong defender and creator, Clark has started all 99 career games dating back to his first two years at Merrimack and will no doubt bring a veteran presence to the Ole Miss roster.
But the Rebels need more. Okafor would have been a solid addition on the wing who fits the defensive-mind approach that Beard is looking for.
It will be interesting to see where the Rebels go from here after missing out on a portal addition to their arch rivals.
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