Mississippi

Mississippi State football’s receiving yardage record could fall in 2024

Published

2 years ago

June 29, 2024

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.

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Mississippi

No. 15 Arkansas uses balanced scoring to beat Mississippi 94-87 in SEC matchup

Published

45 minutes ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

No. 15 Arkansas uses balanced scoring to beat Mississippi 94-87 in SEC matchup

OXFORD, Miss. — Darius Acuff, Jr. had 26 points and nine assists, and No. 15 Arkansas got double-figure scoring from five players in a 94-87 win over Mississippi on Wednesday night.

Arkansas (12-3, 2-0 SEC) used a decisive 14-6 run midway through the second half to build an insurmountable 76-61 lead. The win snapped a three-game losing streak to Ole Miss (8-7, 0-2).

The Rebels pulled within 91-87 in the final minute, but Acuff converted a short jumper and Trevon Brazile added a free throw to help seal the win. Arkansas finished 22 of 30 (73%) from the free throw line, including 11 of 12 by Acuff.

Brazile scored 18 points, Billy Richmond III and Meleek Thomas added 13 points apiece, and Karter Knox scored 10 in the balanced Arkansas performance.

Ole Miss was led by Ilias Kamardine and Malik Dia with 16 points apiece. AJ Storr scored 12 points, Eduardo Klafke had 11 in the second half and Patton Pinkins added 10.

Arkansas used a 10-2 surge in the final two minutes of the first half for a 42-32 lead at the break. Brazile and Thomas had 10 points apiece in the first half, as the Razorbacks never trailed after the opening five minutes.

The Arkansas win is a sharp contrast to last season when John Calipari’s club started 0-5 in SEC play. The Razorbacks rallied to finish 7-3 with a berth in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) steps back to take a shot at the basket while guarded by Mississippi guard Travis Perry (11) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Oxford, Miss. Credit: AP/Rogelio V. Solis

Ole Miss, after a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tournament, has struggled to replace four starters and three other significant contributors from last season’s nine-player rotation.

Up next

Arkansas: Completes a two-game trip at Auburn on Saturday.

Ole Miss: Hosts Missouri on Saturday.

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Mississippi

Vote: Who is the Mississippi High School Football Quarterback of the Year?

Published

13 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Vote: Who is the Mississippi High School Football Quarterback of the Year?

Today, we take a look at some of the best signal callers in the state of Mississippi from the 2025 season.

This season was one to remember in the state of Mississippi, and part of that is due to the terrific play from the quarterback position. Our nominees include a mixture of gunslingers and dual-threat quarterbacks who put on a show every single week, and because of that each nominee is worthy of a vote.

However, we will leave that up to you, the fan, to decide who is the High School on SI Mississippi high school quarterback of the year for 2025.

Voting will close on January 31 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Here are the nominations:

Chancelor comes in as our first nominee as he led the Magnolia State in passing yards this season. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,419 yards and 28 touchdowns. Chancelor also added two more scores on the ground.

This season, Mayes completed nearly 67 percent of his passes for 2,934 yards and 40 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. He also showed that he was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the state this season. He rushed for 1,195 yards and 17 touchdowns on 122 carries.

Craft led the Oilers to an appearance to the Class 2A state championship after a terrific season as the signal-caller. He completed nearly 72 percent of his passes for 2,912 yards and 35 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Like Mayes, Craft was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the state this season. He rushed for 1,027 yards and 17 touchdowns on 117 carries.

Stockett completed nearly 66 percent of his passes this season for 2,905 yards and 23 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He also rushed for one touchdown.

Wilcox was another outstanding quarterback from the MAIS this season. He completed 58 percent of his passes for 2,868 yards and 34 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He also rushed for 272 yards and eight touchdowns on 72 carries

Stringer completed just shy of 61 percent of his passes this season for 2,783 yards and 37 touchdowns to seven interceptions. He added 144 yards on the ground with two touchdowns.

As the leader on the offense, and one of the leaders on the entire team, Nettles was outstanding all season long as he helped led the Admirals to the Class 7A state championship. He finished 2025 with a 66 percent completion percentage and 2,750 yards with 23 touchdowns. He added two more scores on the ground.

This season, Shettles completed nearly 62 percent of his passes for 2,730 yards and 28 touchdowns with only one interception. He also rushed for 325 yards and nine touchdowns on 67 carries.

Hall took the momentum he had from his sophomore season and carried it over to this season. He completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,709 yards and 34 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He added 189 more yards on the ground with one touchdown.

Trivillion helped led the Pirates to 11 wins this season which is a school record thanks in part to his play from the quarterback position. He completed nearly 53 percent of his passes for 2,570 yards and 34 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Trivillion also rushed for 1,120 yards and 15 touchdowns on 105 carries this season.

This season, Ducksworth completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,581 yards with 27 touchdowns to only five interceptions.

Davis was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the state this season. He completed nearly 64 percent of his passes for 2,547 yards with 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions. On the ground, he rushed for 650 yards and seven touchdowns on 96 carries.

Edwards showed that he was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the state this season with a 73 percent completion percentage. On top of completing nearly three-fourths of his passes, he passed for 2,534 yards with 20 touchdowns and just one interceptions. He also added 170 yards on the ground with three touchdowns.

Johnson completed over 50 percent of his passes for 2,510 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 488 yards and eight touchdowns on 104 carries.

Wade is our final quarterback of the year nominee for the 2025 season in the state of Mississippi. He completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,402 yards and 22 touchdowns with three interceptions. Wade also rushed for 407 yards and 12 touchdowns on 107 carries.

Editor’s note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. This poll is specifically for fans to vote on the players that have been nominated and in no way discredits any other player that may not be mentioned in our poll.

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Mississippi

Miami Hurricanes have two Mississippi connections – and one is quite large

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Miami Hurricanes have two Mississippi connections – and one is quite large

The Miami Hurricanes, who play the Ole Miss Rebels in Thursday’s Fiesta Bowl, have two Mississippi connections. One is left tackle Markel Bell, a former standout at Holmes Community College. The other is offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, who previously worked at Millsaps College and Southern Miss.

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