Mississippi State Football Spring Practice Overview: Offensive Linemen
Taking a look at each position group as the Mississippi State Football team gets ready for Spring Practice in 2016.
The Mississippi State Football team has a chance to be good in 2016. But those chances will be put to the test if the offensive line doesn’t get substantially better in a hurry. The offensive line for the Mississippi State football team was able to hold their ground against mediocre pass rushers, but they were incredibly outmatched when it came to teams who knew how to get after the quarterback.
Players leaving from the 2015 Mississippi State Football team
- Justin Malone
- Rufus Warren
- Damien Robinson
2016 Recruiting Class Early Enrollees
- None
2016 Returning Players and 2016 Classification
- Justin Senior – Senior
- Jamaal Clayborn – Senior
- Devon Depser – Senior
- Jocquell Johnson – Senior
- Martinas Rankin – Junior
- Deion Calhoun – Sophomore
- Ronald Cochran – Sophomore
- Elgton Jenkins – Sophomore
- Michael Story – Redshirt Freshman
- Darryl Williams – Redshirt Freshman
- Harrison Moon – Redshirt Freshman
2016 Recruiting Class Players on the way
- Stewart Reese
- Greg Eiland
- Dareuan Parker
There is so much this group needs to do it’s tough to know where to begin. But I’ll start with the person who needs to step up the most out of this group and that’s Martinas Rankin.
When Rankin signed with the Mississippi State football team in 2015, most Bulldog fans weren’t too concerned about losing three starters on the offensive line from the 2014 team. We believed Rankin would be able to come in and not only fill the gaps, but be one of the best linemen on the team.
Things didn’t go as planned, and Rankin struggled to adjust to the style and play of the SEC and the coaches thought it best to redshirt him and give him a year to catch up. If you believe the reports, Martinas Rankin finally caught on and was up to speed toward the end of the 2015 season, but it would have been a waste of a year of eligibility to go ahead and play him.
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So the first order of business for John Hevesy and the rest of the Mississippi State football coaching staff is getting Rankin to play to the potential everyone saw in him when he was rated the number one JUCO offensive lineman of the 2015 class. After that, it’s to find the best players to play on the line.
Justin Malone, Jamaal Clayborn, and Devon Desper are the returning starters and all seniors. They’ll likely be listed as starters during the Spring and headed into the season, but if the younger players are better, it’s time for Hevesy and company to find out.
Elgton Jenkins, Deion Calhoun, Harrison Moon, and Michael Story will all push for playing time. Elgotn Jenkins got the most playing time of this group last season, and he played well when given the opportunity. If any of these guys or some of the other players on the roster give the Mississippi State football team a better chance to win, Mullen and Hevesy have to abandon their preference to play those with the most seniority and let the young guys take over.
The Bulldogs will be able to win in 2016. But the difference in being a solid team, and a team that competes with the best in the SEC will hinge on the production of the offensive line in 2016.