STARKVILLE — Coach Jeff Lebby was sporting a white hat, wearing it backwards as he watched the Mississippi State quarterbacks go through drills Tuesday. Defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler was on the opposite end of the field, throwing his hands in a circle as he motioned for players to rotate between stations.
As they tended to their jobs, music blared from the speakers surrounding MSU’s practice fields while whistles echoed from the turf.
The sounds of spring football practice have returned to Starkville, but they’ve come with a new cast ahead of the 2024 season. Former coach Zach Arnett and much of his staff are gone while Lebby, a first-time head coach, and his assistants have taken over a program hungry for success after a five-win campaign in 2023.
One week into their first spring session, there’s plenty to shore up and implement for the Bulldogs. However, some answers have been provided regarding a program overcoming dramatic change. Here’s what we’ve learned about Mississippi State through four practices.
Who are Mississippi State’s starting, backup quarterbacks?
There’s little surprise that Blake Shapen, a transfer from Baylor, is on track for a starting quarterback job in his first season at Mississippi State.
“He injected himself as a leader early,” sophomore receiver Creed Whittemore said. “He was getting us out here. We were throwing. We’re pretty confident with him right now. He throws a very pretty deep ball. He’s on time. He almost throws it like he plays baseball, which he did for a little bit. In this offense, it’s a good thing. He gets the ball out quick and it on time for us.”
Behind Shapen, sophomore Chris Parson is emerging as the backup ahead of senior Mike Wright and freshman Michael Van Buren.
Parson was an All-SEC freshman team selection last season after throwing for…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/early-mississippi-state-spring-football-100042987.html
Author : The Clarion Ledger
Publish date : 2024-03-27 10:00:42
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