Good News on the Football Front

According to the Clarion-Ledger Anthony Johnson, Rodney Prince, and Jamon Hughes have all been re-admitted to Mississippi State. You'll remember that these three had an "indirect role" in that gun incident back in March and subsequently withdrew from school.

Both Anthony Johnson and Rodney Prince are being put back on scholarship immediately. Jamon Hughes has had off field problems in the past so his road will be a little tougher. Hughes will be a walk-on this year. If he stays out of trouble he will be put back on scholarship in '09. All three are ineligible for the '08 season but will be practicing with the team. Johnson, Prince, and Hughes will be RS Jrs. when they get back on the field in '09.

While this doesn't help out the team much this year, the outlook for 2009 just got substantially brighter.

'08 FB Class Review: DE

Devin Jones
Ht: 6'2" Wt: 245
Scout	*** #72 DE, #18 in Mississippi
Rivals	**
ESPN	77 #63 DE

Only other offer was from Ole Miss. Likely explained by the fact that he injured his knee during spring practices and had to sit out his senior year.

Jones may very well grow into a DT before it is all said and done. At the very least he will probably be a DE/DT tweener type, similar to the role Cortez McCraney plays now. He isn't much of a speed rusher and his pass rushing in general needs work, but he is very strong against the run. One thing you'll always hear is how strong Jones is (state power lifting champion), and his ability to overpower OL and take on double teams.

Trevor Stigers
Ht: 6'4" Wt: 225
Scout	*** #51 DE, #12 in Mississippi
Rivals	*** #27 WDE, #20 in Mississippi
ESPN	72, #116 DE

Stigers was highly thought of, holding offers from Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Auburn. As a junior he had 109 tackles and 14 sacks. Production dipped slightly his senior year, but Stigers still had 84 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 3 FF, and 4 pass deflections.

Stigers is more of a threat as a pass rusher than Devin Jones, but he is still better against the run at this point. He doesn't have the explosion out of his stance you look for, but does use his hands well to get off blockers and does have the power to make a push into the backfield.

Nick Bell
Ht: 6'4" Wt: 228
Scout	** #125 DE
Rivals	**
ESPN	74 #94 DE

As a senior, Bell made 70 tackles in six games from his LB position.

He could stay at LB at Mississippi State but everyone seems to project him as a DE so I'm going to go along with them. MSU fans love to compare him to Titus Brown: both 2 stars, both LB in high school, both somewhat of tweeners in college. So yes, Bell could be the next Titus Brown, but what fans don't realize (or are too blind to admit) is Brown is the exception not the rule.

In any case, Bell will bring great athleticism for the position (4.6 40) but will have some work to do as far as technique is concerned before he is ready. This is a bit of a roll of the dice but with a possible huge payoff. Looks like an almost certain redshirt to me.

Sean Ferguson
Ht: 6'4" Wt: 215
Scout	**
Rivals	**
ESPN	N/A

Ferguson held offers from Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Middle Tennessee, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, South Florida, and Rutgers. He had 35 tackles and 5 sacks his junior year and 57 tackles to go along with 12 sacks his senior year.

I like the huge jump in production his senior year, always good to see that. That jump along with the fact that MSU, USF, and Rutgers all got in late on Ferguson tells me he could be one of those late bloomers that slips under the radar. He'll definitely need to put on some weight.

Shane McCardell
Ht: 6'5" Wt: 220
Scout	**
Rivals	**
ESPN	N/A

McCardell held offers from North Texas, Tulane, Boise State, Baylor, Arkansas, and Texas. As a junior he started just 5 games and had 18 tackles, 12 TFL, and 7 sacks. His senior year, McCardell had 33 tackles, 5.5 TFL, and 3.5 sacks.

McCardell is yet another very interesting prospect. Like O'Neal Wilder he didn't play a down of football until his junior year. Suddenly those stats don't look so bad do they? He ran track in high school and is another 4.6 40 guy. I'm sure he needs some work given he has only played two years, but his potential seems ridiculously high. Plus, that Texas offer is good enough for me.

Kirkland Gainous
Ht: 6'2" Wt: 217
Scout	*** #78 DE
Rivals	**
ESPN	73 #107 DE

Gainous didn't make the grades so he won't be here in August. He hopes to be able to greyshirt and come back in January but is more likely headed to junior college.


Overall Grade: A-
I'll be honest, I'm being a bit of a homer with that grade. Aside from Trevor Stigers and possibly Devin Jones (had the injury not happened), this group isn't highly thought of by the recruiting services. The upside of the others seems extremely high though. Bell's outstanding athleticism should help once he learns the position. By all accounts Ferguson is just starting to come into his own. Finally McCardell clearly is just scratching the surface of his abilities having only played two years.

Croom at SEC Media Day

sfslickdawg has once again brought it strong and delivered ESPNU's coverage of Sylvester Croom on Wednesday in Hoover.

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Part 4:


Once again, all credit goes to sfslickdawg. He has plenty of other good MSU vids so check his page out.

'08 FB Class Review: OL

Information from recruiting services and my own personal knowledge about OL is scarce, particularly the latter. This will be short.

John Paul Alford
Ht: 6'3" Wt: 275
Scout	*** #14 C, #24 in Mississippi
Rivals	*** #10 C, #16 in Mississippi
ESPN	67 #37 C

Scout doesn't list any other offers. This could be due in part to the fact he committed to Mississippi State very early on. Alford was invited to the MS-AL All Star Game before tearing a ligament in his left knee in the final game of the year. He still hasn't fully recovered from the injury and he'll be redshirted this year unless something strange happens.

Phillip Freeman
Ht: 6'6" Wt: 290
Scout	***
Rivals	**** #23 JUCO
ESPN	N/A

Other offers included: North Texas, UAB, Southern Miss, Boise State, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State. Freeman enrolled early and went through spring practices. The original plan was to redshirt him, but the departure of Michael Brown changed that. He will now be competing for the RT spot and will be needed for depth.

Tobias Smith
Ht: 6'3" Wt: 292
Scout	*** #66 OT
Rivals	*** #34 OG, #9 in Mississippi
ESPN	N/A

Other offers included: Alcorn State, Jackson State, Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, Baylor. Smith was completely off the radar entering his senior season. He started to catch peoples eyes with an outstanding year and dominating in the MS-AL All Star Game. This could be one of those late bloomers that flew under the radar. Heck, even Mississippi State didn't start getting interested until late November or December. It's likely he will redshirt.

Overall Grade: B
It would be a B+, but Alford's knee injury scared me off. If Alford recovers 100%, he seems to be a good prospect. Freeman can hopefully help out immediately and I just like Smith for some reason.

'08 FB Class Review: TE

Nelson Hurst
Ht: 6'3" Wt: 235
Scout	*** #56 TE, #11 in Indiana
Rivals	** #12 in Indiana
ESPN	74, #47 TE

Nelson Hurst also received offers from Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Purdue, Illinois, and UCLA. He played both DE and TE in high school but will be a TE at Mississippi State. Hurst had 29 receptions for 505 yards and 7 TDs as a junior. His senior season, Hurst had 17 catches for 301 yards and 6 TDs.

The decrease in production as a senior is disappointing but I like the offer list. From looking at the ESPN evaluation, Hurst is a unspectacular but well rounded prospect that doesn't really shine in any particular area. He has decent hands, is a decent route runner, is a decent blocker, etc. Hurst enrolled early and participated in spring practices. Reports say he impressed the coaches and he could wind up being the #2 TE. Even if he doesn't though, he'll be #3 and will get on the field immediately.

Kendrick Cook
Ht: 6'2" Wt: 227
Scout	*** #50 TE
Rivals	**
ESPN	76 #34 TE

Cook held offers from Alabama State, Tulane, and UAB. During his junior year, he had 31 catches for 438 yards and 3 TDs. I looked but couldn't find anything for his senior year.

One line from the ESPN evaluation sums Cook up:

Bottom line, Cook's physical measurables might not be elite, but we still see him producing in both the run and pass game with his toughness, determination and abilities a pure football player.

Not exactly a glowing endorsement. If you read the entire thing, they say he has good hands and shows good strength in breaking tackles and pushing for extra yards. Also he shows good strength in his blocking, but he needs to work on his leverage. Cook lacks good speed and isn't very fluid.

If he gets better at his blocking and can make a 10 yard catch every now and then, he'll be just fine in this offense. The TE doesn't need to be all world.


Overall Grade: B
With only two tight ends on the roster, Mississippi State someone who could play immediately and it looks like they may have got just that in Nelson Hurst. Kendrick Cook will be 4th string and will have some time, barring injuries, to improve before being thrown to the wolves.

'08 FB Class Review: WR

O'Neal Wilder
Ht: 6'5" Wt: 190
Scout	**
Rivals	**
ESPN	79 #44 WR

Wilder is an interesting WR prospect. He originally signed in 2007 but greyshirted to get his grades in order and joined the team in January. His other offers were from Jackson State, Houston, Southern Miss., and Miami. Wilder had 18 receptions for 428 yards (23.8 yards per catch!!) and 4 TDs. As a senior, Wilder had over 600 yards receiving and 13 TDs.

Now as to why he is interesting. He didn't start playing football until he was a junior. With only 2 years under his belt, he is understandably raw, but the upside is off the charts. Wilder is also a track star, specializing in the 400 meters. Basically the guy can move, running a 4.5 at various camps, and as you've noticed he isn't a little guy. Wilder has the raw gifts; the speed to burn cornerbacks on vertical routes and at 6'5 the ability to dominate when it comes to jump balls.

The downside is he still likely needs to learn how to play football. How is his route running? Can he get off the line when cornerbacks start jamming him? Does he know how to use his hands to create separation? How is his blocking? All of these intricacies will likely be weaknesses and need to be learned. How quickly can Wilder learn the position becomes the question, he might be ready come La. Tech, it could be a year from now, or it might never happen.

Wilder looks to be somewhat of a boom or bust player. If he does indeed learn all of the little things that go into being a WR, he could be scary good. If not though, we'll probably never hear from him. Personally, I think the potential payoff is more than worth it. Plus those 13 TDs as a senior seems to indicate he has been able to pick up the game very quickly.

Charles Bailey
Ht: 6'2" Wt: 175
Scout	*** #134 WR
Rivals	**
ESPN	74 #147 WR

Charles Bailey also held offers from Tennessee State, Florida A&M, Memphis, and Indiana. He had 24 catches for 282 yards and 2TDs as a junior; 32 catches for 495 yards and 3 TDs as a senior.

Bailey seems to be your classic possession receiver. Positives includes: runs good routes, has good hands, has the size and jumping ability to go up for jump balls, and is strongest in the intermediate passing game. Negatives include: doesn't have explosive speed, has trouble making people miss, and isn't much of a threat for long TDs. If you look in the dictionary I think that is pretty close to the definition you'll find for a possession receiver.

The lack of production in high school is somewhat troubling, but that may just be the kind of receiver he is. He doesn't need to be flashy if he is the one you can count on to make the catch on 3rd and medium. With both starting receivers leaving after this year, I could definitely see Bailey taking one of their spots as a sophomore.

Delmon Robinson
Ht: 5'10" Wt: 180
Scout	** #190 WR, #30 in MS
Rivals	**
ESPN	75 #75 Athlete

Delmon Robinson's other offers include Alcorn State, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Southern Miss, Auburn, and Michigan. His senior year, Robinson had 77 rushes for 367 yards and 7 TDs to go along with 33 receptions for 482 yards and 4 TDs.

Robinson is one those quick, shifty little guys that you want to get the ball to in space and let them make something happen. In high school, he was used mostly on screens and quick slants, along with being the "scatback" in shotgun formations. While Robinson is fairly fast, his real strength is his quickness and using it to elude tacklers. You never know when he will make the first couple of guys miss and take that little screen for a touchdown.

If Bailey will be the intermediate guy, then Robinson will be used on short throws. I would imagine he will play a similar role at MSU as in high school (minus being a runningback): screens, slants, and short outs. I'm sure he'll get the opportunity as a kick returner as well, maybe even as soon as this year. If the coaching staff can be creative for a change, Delmon Robinson should be a dangerous athlete. I don't know if he will ever be an all around receiver though.

Terrance Davis
Ht: 5'11" Wt: 180
Scout	** #211 WR
Rivals	**
ESPN	77 #54 Athlete

Terrance Davis played QB in high school but it was one of those situations you see frequently where the team takes their best athlete and puts them at quarterback. His senior season, Davis threw for 857 yards and 5 TDs on 40 of 84 passing. He also ran for 963 yards and 9 TDs. As you can clearly see, he is far more dangerous with his feet than his arm. Other scholarship offers include: Middle Tennessee State, Tulane, UAB, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas.

The coaches have said they're going to start Davis out at QB, but that isn't where his future is. He'll be the emergency 4th QB should disaster strike with the first three. He may show up in games at QB every now and then this year; run some draws or spread option plays, maybe some trick plays.

I'm putting him at WR though because that is where his primary position will be; aside from running out of the QB position every once in a while. As far as Davis' skillset is concerned, he is essentially a clone of Delmon Robinson, except more explosive and dangerous. He can make multiple defenders miss with his quickness and is a threat to score on any play if you get him the ball in space. Again like Robinson, I think Davis will get a shot as a kick returner from the word go. Aside from the plays at QB, he'll likely specialize with screens and the short passing game. Also like Robinson, I don't know if Davis will ever be a complete receiver, but I feel he has more potential in that area.

This is just a guy that can make plays with his speed and agility but he isn't necessarily right for every play/situation. At least not right now. The coaching staff is going to have to be creative in finding ways to get him the ball.

Overall Grade: C+
I gave a B- initially, but I ended up changing my mind. In terms of raw numbers, Mississippi State filled their needs as they absolutely had to get at least three WRs in this class. I also like the variety in this group. Robinson and Davis are both those quick, little, juke the defender out their shoes types. Bailey on the other hand is you big possession receiver. Finally Wilder is just a freak athlete who we hope learns the position, if he hasn't already.

With three receivers departing after this year, leaving only Brandon McRae for 2009, MSU needed guys who can start quickly. I don't know if they got that or not. These 4 won't be needed too much this year, but at least one will almost certainly have to be ready to start in 2009, and the rest will have to be able to contribute.

'08 FB Class Review: RB

Montario "Tojo" Patterson
Ht: 6'0" Wt: 190
Scout	*** #87 RB, #21 overall in MS
Rivals	*** #40 RB, #18 overall in MS
ESPN	77, #67 RB

Tojo Patterson is a stark departure from the running style we grew accustomed to last year in Dixon and Ducre. While Dixon and Ducre both attack you with their size and power, Patterson's strength is his straight line speed. He'll outrun many defenders if he can get in the open field and has a good burst. As a junior he ran for 1,858 yards and 17 TDs. He broke his leg early in his senior year though causing him to miss the majority of his games. As far as I can tell, Mississippi State was his only offer.

Montario Patterson will start out at RB. Its possible though he could end up at safety or maybe cornerback before all is said and done. A couple of things to note as well: Patterson played against extremely weak 1-A competition in Mississippi. This can lead to one of two things. First, it is always a question if high school players from these lower division can make the transition to far tougher competition at the college level. You just never know. On the flip side, players from these lower division have a tendency to go unnoticed. If you are going to find one of those "diamonds in the rough", it will generally be from one of these small schools.

We'll be hoping for the latter of course. Assuming he has no lingering effects from the leg injury, I like what Patterson can bring to the team. It won't be this year though. I'd expect him to redshirt as playing time will be hard to come by. Besides, he'll probably need time pick up the pass blocking aspect of the position

Position Grade: B-
Running back wasn't a pressing need so getting only one is still plenty. I like that Patterson will bring another dimension to the backfield with his speed. Dixon and Ducre, while good, aren't home run threats. I am uneasy of the broken leg and playing against inferior competition, more so the broken leg. Coming back 100% from that isn't always a guarantee.

Some News and Links

-As you know, Croom's contract was extended through the 2011 season. Well now we know the financial details as well. Croom will be paid in total $1.7 million this year. No details concerning 2009-2011. That is quite the raise from his previous salary of about $1 million. The announcement also mentions this contract is the first to use "APR language". I don't know that one 8-5 season is deserving of this kind of raise to be honest, but this does put him more in line with the average SEC salary. That will be important should Mississippi State be looking for coaches in the future. You don't want to be looked at as a school that won't pay their coaches.

-With that out of the way, Byrne turned to renewing Stansbury's contract. Rick Stansbury is now locked up through the 2011-2012 season and will be paid around $1.2 million per year. This places him 4th among SEC coaches in terms of compensation.

-Mississippi State is installing a new HD video board in Davis Wade. It will cost around $6.1 million and is scheduled to be completed during the '08 season. It will be the largest "true HD board in the SEC". Unreal. Byrne has been on the job for a couple of months (actually only 8 days officially) and has already hired a top notch baseball coach, renewed out basketball coach's contract, and begun upgrades to the football stadium. I like what I'm seeing.

-Rivals is previewing the teams 1-120. They put Mississippi State at #48. It's a pretty good read. They get some things wrong but not too bad.

-Back to Rivals, they've put out their first team recruiting rankings for 2009. Mississippi State shows up at #15. They've put together an impressive class so far and this is exactly why this year is so crucial. MSU has some momentum going, recruits think Croom is building something here and if they can get to another bowl they should pull in a good class. Good recruiting leads to more wins (generally) and so on and so forth. If they go 3-9 though, it proves last year was a fluke and I wouldn't be surprised to see about half the guys currently committed look elsewhere.

'08 FB Class Review: QB

About 5 months late, I'm finally getting around to this. We start out with the QBs. Technically this position shouldn't be here as no quarterback was recruited (or at least nobody committed) in the '08 class. This was somewhat understandable as at the time there were going to be 4 scholarship QBs on the roster. As we know that quickly changed when Riddell transferred and Henig quit. Tyson Lee did decide to walk on in the spring out of junior college though, and seeing as how he was given a scholarship after impressing in spring practices, he is basically an incoming recruit. On we go.

Tyson Lee
Ht: 5'11" Wt: 190
Scout	****
Rivals	N/A
ESPN	N/A

A JUCO transfer out of Itawamba CC, Tyson Lee did not have a single D-IA offer. He did have a handful of D-IAA and D-II offers(I'm not bothering to look them up) but decided to walk on at Mississippi State instead. Lee enrolled in December in order to go through spring practices and his performance there earned him a scholarship.

You may be wondering how good can this guy possibly be if he couldn't even get an offer from the likes of Florida International or Tulane. Well, his height probably played a significant factor. He is listed at 5'11 which means he is more like 5'10. Sure there have been some successful QBs that short but that is far from an ideal height.

Tyson Lee is a dual threat quarterback that put up some impressive numbers in junior college.
He led the country in passing efficiency and was in the top 5 in every passing category as a freshman. His sophomore year, Lee was 201/323 for 2,308 yards and 12 TDs and finished 3rd in the country in passing yards per game with 230. He also broke the school record for career passing yards with 4,432. Pretty good resume.

Lee also had arguably the best spring and secured at least the backup spot. In the two scrimmages he was a combined 31/45 for 328 yds, 2TDs, and 2 interceptions.

As you can see from the numbers accuracy is Lee's strength, at least on short to intermediate passes. I've heard a few people say that his deep ball is erratic though. Even if true that doesn't seem like a big deal. Of the 4 returning WRs, none are really the deep threat kind of guys.

Position Grade: N/A.
I'm not giving a grade because of the unique circumstances I've already described. They didn't go after a QB in this class because they thought they had 4 returning. Understandable even though I disagree with it. Two left the team though and quite frankly MSU just got extremely lucky that Tyson Lee fell into their lap. You never know until he faces some SEC competition, but based on his JUCO days and his spring performance, it looks like MSU had at the very least a competent backup fall right into their lap just when they needed it most. He'll likely be #2 on the depth chart come September. If Carroll goes down to injury I think its possible Lee might be able to take over without to big of a dropoff. Basically, thank god Lee decided to come here. I shudder at the thought of Chris Relf as the only other QB on the roster.