Mississippi
‘Our guys are getting it’: How Jeff Lebby evaluated Mississippi State football offense
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football is replacing all of its offensive starters from last season.
Is it a cause for concern? Perhaps to a degree, though the Bulldogs had the worst scoring offense in the SEC under coach Zach Arnett. Instead, it’s more likely to be a breath of fresh air under first-year coach Jeff Lebby.
He and an almost entirely new assistant coaching staff are in the process of installing Lebby’s offense, which possesses more similarities of a spread, up-tempo scheme that Mike Leach constituted.
“We’re being incredibly aggressive with the install,” Lebby said after Wednesday’s practice, the sixth of the preseason. “We want to apply as much pressure as we can, mentally and physically so we can see what guys we can go count on. Our guys are getting it. They’ve taken to it. They’ve done a good job with it.”
Part of what’s helped, Lebby said, is that the Bulldogs had most of their players on the team in the spring. They hit the transfer portal hard and found what projects to be multiple plug-and-play starters at wide receiver and offensive line. Blake Shapen was also added from Baylor and will be the starting quarterback.
“It was huge,” Lebby said. “Our guys got really good knowledge of what the expectation is, how we want to go play and how we want to do things. There is still a ton of growth to be made at every single position. They’ve got great intent. There’s great energy in the building.”
MORE: Jeff Lebby said this unit has ‘dominated’ in Mississippi State football preseason practice
What Jeff Lebby wants to see before first Mississippi State football scrimmage
The Bulldogs will hold their first preseason scrimmage on Sunday. It is closed to the media.
Wednesday was the first day in full pads. The Bulldogs have Thursday off but will practice on Friday and Saturday.
“Offensively when we look at it, we want to play clean football,” Lebby said. “We’re going to play with a ton of tempo. We’re going to play really, really aggressive. But from a penalty standpoint, from pre-snap penalties, making sure that we are playing really clean football and not shooting ourselves in the foot is really critical while taking care of the ball.
“And then defensively, it’s all about getting the ball and getting off the field on third down. Those are the things that we will continue to look at. That’s where we want to continue to clean up before we get live on Sunday.”
Gabe Moore appears out for the 2024 season
Defensive lineman Gabe Moore posted Tuesday on Facebook he will not be playing this season. However, the post was deleted a few hours later.
“Due to health issues, I will be opting out of football this year,” the post said before being deleted.
Lebby was asked about Moore’s status on Wednesday and didn’t provide much information.
“No comment on it,” he said. “We’ll keep it internal and in-house but hoping the best, wishing the best for Gabe.”
Moore is a redshirt freshman from Louisville that did not appear in any games last season, though he was in contention for playing time in 2024.
Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@hattiesb.gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Inside the new Lego retailer, Bricks & Minifigs
Customers can buy or sell Legos and get individual bricks at the new store in Montrose.
Shoppers visiting Renaissance at Colony Park later this month will notice a big change.
Apple is moving to a new and larger store within the Ridgeland shopping center, while LEGO plans to take over Apple’s current location once the move is complete, according to Apple and other industry sources.
Apple has announced that its new store will open July 24 near the development’s Show Fountain. The company is not leaving Ridgeland. Instead, it is moving to a new location a short distance away inside Renaissance at Colony Park.
The company has operated a store at Renaissance for more than a decade. Once Apple moves into its new store, LEGO plans to open in the company’s former space. The addition will bring another well-known international brand to central Mississippi and give LEGO fans a dedicated store in the Jackson metro area.
It is another win for Ridgeland with last week’s announcement that a Dave & Buster’s that will be located at the PradoVista development near Topgolf. A site plan and architectural review for Dave & Buster’s was approved at the Ridgeland Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday, July 7.
Renaissance at Colony Park continues to thrive
Over the years, the center has attracted a mix of national retailers, restaurants and specialty stores. Previous developments at Renaissance have included luxury retailers, popular restaurant chains and entertainment options that draw shoppers from across Mississippi and neighboring states.
Apple’s new location will continue offering product sales, technical support and repair services. Customers will also be able to attend the company’s “Today at Apple” classes and workshops, which provide free lessons on photography, video, music and other topics.
Apple has not released details about the size of the new store. The Ridgeland project is one of several store moves announced this summer.
Renaissance keeps storefront
For Renaissance, the deal works in several ways.
Apple stays at the shopping center and receives a newer storefront. At the same time, the center fills Apple’s former location with another high-profile retailer instead of leaving the space vacant.
LEGO stores are often considered destination retailers because customers will drive long distances to visit them. Families, collectors and hobbyists frequently seek out official LEGO stores for exclusive products and special events.
For shoppers, the most immediate change will be Apple’s July 24 opening. Customers who need repairs, technical help or product purchases will be directed to the new store after the move.
LEGO has not yet announced an opening date.
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi leaders across the board are reflecting on the legacy of service Sen. Lindsey Graham had in Washington, D.C.
3 On Your Side spoke on the phone with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith who shared that Graham treated her like a little sister when she arrived to the Senate.
Their friendship grew outside of work, but one thing she’ll really cherish is the teamwork they developed to get things done with President Donald Trump.
“There were times he would come to me and say, OK sister, you’re going to have to break this news to Trump. If it was a difficult situation, he would say you got to soften him up, you call him and then I’ll call him after you but you’re the one that’s going to have to take care of this. Or you’ve got to go to Mar-a-Lago and handle this, but we were a pretty good team together because we were both close to the President,” said Sen. Hyde-Smith.
Sen. Hyde-Smith added, since coming to Washington, D.C., she looked up to Sen. Graham like an older brother in the chamber.
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STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball signee Landon Brown will play for the Bulldogs instead of signing a pro contract, he told the Clarion Ledger on July 12 during the 2026 MLB Draft.
Brown, a right-handed pitcher from Rosharon, Texas, was ranked as the No. 77 prospect by MLB.com. He pitched and played corner infield for Iowa Colony while winning Brazoria County Player of the Year.
He won’t be eligible again for the MLB draft until 2029.
Brown is 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. He has a fastball that reaches 98 mph as part of a four-pitch mix. He also throws a slider, cutter and splitter.
Brown committed to Mississippi State in 2024 under previous coach Chris Lemonis.
He is the third high school draft prospect to reveal he will play for MSU instead of signing a pro contract. Shortstop Noah Danza withdrew from the MLB draft before it began, and pitcher Denton Lord announced after the fifth round that he was heading to Mississippi State.
Three Mississippi State signees were drafted in the first 10 rounds: shortstop Rocco Maniscalco, catcher Will Brick and outfielder Martin Shelar.
Landon Brown stats
- 66⅔ innings
- 0.63 ERA
- 110 strikeouts
- 13 walks
- .424 batting average
- 13 home runs
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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