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Mississippi State Football: Most Impactful Newcomers

By Jared Aldridge

Oct 10, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen runs out with his players before the game against the Troy Trojans at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State won 17 - 45. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen runs out with his players before the game against the Troy Trojans at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State won 17 - 45. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 14, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; A general view of Davis Wade Stadium during a game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide game. The Crimson Tide defeated the Bulldogs 31-6. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; A general view of Davis Wade Stadium during a game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide game. The Crimson Tide defeated the Bulldogs 31-6. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /

Who are some of the new players looking to make a big impact for Mississippi State Football this fall?

College Football is a great sport. We can all agree on that. One of the things that makes it great is the unknown. Some team always comes out of nowhere and has a great season. For evidence of that look no further than MSU’s 2014 season. No one in their right mind saw State’s rise to #1 in the nation coming.

Players also change year in and year out. Players graduate or move on to the NFL and new players are asked to step up in their place. This is what gives college football it’s fluidity. It’s why most teams rise and fall between good and great or mediocre and good. And it’s certainly what keeps us coming back every fall Saturday each year.

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Mississippi State is not immune to this factor. One of my favorite things to do this time of year as a Bulldog fan is study the roster. Learn who changed their number, what number did the newcomers select, and who has changed positions. And still players come from seemingly nowhere to have a great impact on your team.

In 2013, for instance, Tyler Russell was MSU’s QB and nobody really knew much about the back up. By the end of 2013 Dak Prescott was leading the Dawgs to an overtime Egg Bowl victory. All us Bulldog fans knew Fred Ross’s name coming into 2015 but did we expect him to be a All-SEC player? Hopefully I can help Bulldog fans get to know some of the newcomers who are expected to make a big impact in 2016.

First I need to do a little defining the terms. I called this post “impactful newcomers” for a reason. It may not necessarily be freshman would make an unexpected impact. It could be an incoming junior college player or a player coming off a redshirt year. Newcomer could even be a player who has been at MSU a couple of years but hasn’t played much. For the sake of this post a newcomer is simply a name you may not know yet but you will need to know before September 3.

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