There is a new quarterback in Starkville this season in Blake Shapen, and if April’s Maroon and White spring game was any indication, big numbers could be in his future.
In his first live appearance in front of Mississippi State fans, Shapen, a Baylor transfer, completed 18 of his 22 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns in just one half of work.
How much of his performance, and the positive signs in Jeff Lebby’s first spring game in Starkville, will matter come opening kickoff against Eastern Kentucky on Aug. 31, are up for interpretation.
In his spare playing time, Shapen showed enough to make many think that, not only will he make an instant impact for Mississippi State’s offense, but he could be one of the top quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference.
If it were to happen, here are three reasons why:
Jeff Lebby’s quarterback history
Lebby, in his first season at Mississippi State, brings with him a track record of explosive offenses, dating back to his first coordinator position at Southeastern (NAIA), where The Fire averaged over 55 points per game, which finished top-five in any level of college football.
Since then, Lebby has engineered three top-20 offenses at the Division I level, and two in the top five, with Central Florida in 2019 and last season with Oklahoma, largely because of quarterback play.
Last season at Oklahoma, Dillon Gabriel finished ninth in all of college football with 3,660 passing yards, finishing with 30 touchdowns and six interceptions. The year before that, Gabriel finished 27th in football with 3,168 yards, adding 25 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Mississippi State football’s spring camp is officially over.
Saturday’s Maroon and White showcase and Davis Wade Stadium, won by the Bulldogs’ offensive players, capped the month-long practice sessions with a performance that left fans excited for what could be coming this fall.
How much of that will matter come fall when Mississippi State opens the season against Eastern Kentucky remains to be seen. But in the meantime, it is fun to make predictions.
Here are eight overreactions coming out of Saturday’s spring showcase.
Blake Shapen can be a top-six quarterback in the Southeastern Conference
Mississippi State’s new starting quarterback couldn’t have had a better showing in Saturday’s spring game, completing 18 passes for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. Most importantly, he played clean football.
In first-year head coach Jeff Lebby’s offense, Shapen has the ability to put up some big numbers this fall, as he has throughout his career. Even while battling injuries, Shapen has thrown for nearly 5,009 yards and 31 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
If he manages to play all 12 games this year, he could accomplish that by November.
Of last year’s top-10 passers in the SEC, only five return in Georgia’s Carson Beck, Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart, Missouri’s Brady Cook, Florida’s Graham Mertz and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. The league will also add Texas’ Quinn Ewers this fall.
Shapen has the ability to compete in this group, whether he does remains to be season.
Mississippi State’s running back room is deeper than we thought
One of Mississippi State’s biggest needs this spring, due to healthy bodies and talent, was the running back room, which Lebby addressed by adding Miami (OH) transfer Rashad Amos.
Amos projects to be the bellcow of this group, but Saturday showed maybe this position has more depth than originally thought.
All three of Keyvone Lee, Jeffery Pittman and junior college transfer Johnnie Daniels flashed in Saturday’s scrimmage, with Lee and Pittman each finding the end zone.
Daniels led all rushers, finishing with 64 yards on six carries. Pittman added 61 on 10 carries, while Lee chipped in 30 on seven rushes.
I don’t know if any of those guys have the ability to handle 20 carries a game, like Amos may have to do this fall. But if Mississippi State can get that collective production on the ground, it should open things with the passing game.
There may be too many mouths to feed in Mississippi State’s wideout room
It is hard not to be excited about Mississippi State’s receiver room after Saturday’s spring showing.
True freshman Mario Craver led all pass-catchers with five receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown. UTEP transfer added 86 yards on five receptions, with a touchdown, while Louisville transfer Kevin Coleman chipped in 76 yards and a score.
That doesn’t even count Jordan Mosley’s 65 receiving yards on three catches and Braylon Burnside’s three catches on 41 yards, or the fact that sophomore wideout Creed Whittemore did not participate due to an apparent foot injury.
There is also Jaden Walley still hanging around, true freshman JJ Harrell, who did not record a catch and other 2024 class members, Sanfrisco Magee and Ricky Johnson joining the team in the summer.
As a fan, and a coach in Chap Bumphis, you can never have too many options and playmakers to go to. But there are also only so many targets per game to pass around, and by fall, some of these guys may get squeezed out.
As fun as Saturday was, that is simply the reality.
It’s April, but Mississippi State’s starting offensive line is set
Just from the eye test, there was a huge disparity with the offensive line group that ran with Mississippi State’s first-team offense and the group that ran with Chris Parson and the second team.
Blocking for Shapen in the first group was Memphis transfer Makylan Pounders at left tackle, Albert Reese IV at left guard, North Texas transfer Ethan Miner at center, LSU transfer Marlon Martinez at right guard and Leon Bell at right tackle.
That’s a lot of college experience there, even though most of it was at other programs. That group seemed to work well together and are already gelling.
Even in April, it feels like this will be Mississippi State’s starting line come Aug. 31 against Eastern Kentucky.
Mississippi State’s tight end room will be the X-factor to this season
This had to be the most pleasant surprise to Mississippi State fans. Not only does Lebby’s offense look to have a bonafide tight end, something it didn’t last year with Georgia transfer Ryland Goede, but multiple guys that can step in and make plays.
Seydoe Traore, after having to sit out last year, looks poised to have a big year. He caught four passes for 33 yards, but it felt like more because he seemed to be a go-to target for Shapen on important plays. Traore appears to have a knack to get himself open for his quarterback, and could be a safety blanket.
Then there are transfer brothers Justin and Cam Ball. Justin Ball, from Vanderbilt, caught two touchdowns on Saturday, one from Shapen and on from Parson. Cam Ball, from Buffalo, was limited, coming out of the game with an apparent injury and didn’t return.
The biggest attribute the trio have is their size, all standing above six-feet. Having those big bodies, means big targets and big catch radiuses.
By fall, that could be a big difference-maker, pairing with Mississippi State’s outside attack.
If there is one thing for Lebby to accomplish this season, it is gaining depth on the defensive line
One of the more notable things coming out of Saturday’s spring game was seeing sophomore defensive lineman Kalvin Dinkins on a scooter with a boot on his foot.
Sources have told GenesPage.cm that Dinkins has a similar foot injury to last year, and should be back by fall camp in August.
Mississippi State’s first-team defensive line came out with a front of De’Monte Russell, Trevion Williams and North Carolina transfer Kedrick Bingley-Jones.
Behind them, Deonte Anders, Kai McClendon, Gabe Moore, Ashun Shepphard and Sulaiman Kpaka all saw action throughout the room.
Could that turn into a strong room this fall? Maybe. But there needs to be some more depth added from the portal to keep guys fresh.
The best addition to Mississippi State’s LB room was Branden Jennings, not Stone Blanton
If there was one guy on Mississippi State’s defense that flashed, it was junior college linebacker Branden Jennings.
Jennings was all over the field on Saturday. He would have been credited multiple sacks had he been allowed to hit the quarterback in a normal setting. He showed great poise setting the edge in rushing situations and even made a couple plays when having to drop back in coverage.
One of Mississippi State’s biggest offseason moves was adding South Carolina’s Stone Blanton to its linebacker room in order to replace Jett Johnson and Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson. Blanton could end up starting at some point this season, though he ran with second team on Saturday after missing much of the spring with an injury.
He could end up being one of, if not, Mississippi State’s best linebackers this season.
If Saturday was any indication, Jennings could end up having the biggest impact.
Mississippi State’s biggest issue this season will be its secondary
Coming out of Saturday’s spring game, Lebby picked out Mississippi State’s secondary as an area he felt needed to be addressed in the spring transfer window, and you can see why.
There is some talent in that room, but not much experience or depth, with Brice Pollock being the only returning starter.
Along with Pollock, Mississippi State started Isaac Smith, Corey Ellington and EMCC transfer Brylan Lanier at safety, with Memphis transfer Treveon Wright at Cornerback.
That group played fine. Did nothing noteworthy, but didn’t struggle either against Parson and the second team.
Parson, and true freshman Michael Van Buren, combined to throw for 170 yards and two touchdowns.
But coming off of a year where State’s secondary struggled to create stops and turnovers, not much has appeared to change.
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