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Mississippi State Football: 5 most secure positions

By Josh Barnhill

Nov 14, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs linebacker J.T. Gray (45) waits for a play to begin during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Davis Wade Stadium. Alabama won 31-6. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs linebacker J.T. Gray (45) waits for a play to begin during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Davis Wade Stadium. Alabama won 31-6. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here are Mississippi State’s five most secure positions on the football field for 2016.

1. Linebacker – you have to love this group led by MLB Richie Brown. He’ll be the veteran of the group as a second year starter but he got plenty of playing time as a freshman and sophomore too.

At WLB are a pair of redshirt freshman in Leo Lewis, the No. 1 LB in the 2015 class, and Tim Washington. There’s youth here, but it’s really talented, and Gerri Green could also step in here too.

At the “Star” LB you’ve got J.T. Gray who started in 2015 and Traver Jung who is coming off a redshirt year after transferring in from juco. These two are fast and athletic.

Finally the Viper position who could be led by Gerri Green, or perhaps Will Coleman or Anfernee Mullins. So long as Green’s involved you have to feel good here.

2. Defensive End – A.J. Jefferson has quietly become a star in the SEC. His playing time has been about like Richie Brown’s in that this is only his second year as a starter but he was always on the field as a freshman and sophomore. He had 11.5 TFL and five sacks in 2015 – those numbers may or may not improve with the new scheme but he’ll be a force either way.

Johnathan Calvin is a guy who came on late in the year as a juco transfer to put up some nice numbers as a backup to Ryan Brown. He’s a senior now and it appears he has the ability to fill the shoes Brown left behind.

Jeffrey Simmons is a 5-star recruit and will get playing time behind Jefferson and Calvin. Also look for Coleman and Mullins to line up at DE when not at the Viper (or I guess when they are).

3. Slot WR – Fred Ross had a monster 2015 season with one of the few 1,000 yard receiving seasons in MSU history. It may be hard to duplicate that kind of production without Dak Prescott, but the Slot has always been a strength for Dan Mullen’s offenses.

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If Ross ultimately has to move outside, or when he’s taking a breather, MSU has some really talented guys who can fill in. Gabe Myles, Malik Dear and Keith Mixon all fit the bill and are extremely athletic.

4. Center – Jamaal Clayborn will be snapping the ball to a fresh face in 2016. He has quickly become a senior on this team. In 2013, he was a true freshman getting playing time and learning from Gabe Jackson at Guard. Now he’ll be in his second year as the starting Center. He’s widely known as the strongest player on the team, and so long as he’s healthy we should see him on the field for nearly every offensive play this fall.

5. Safety – the most exciting talent at any position on the field for Mississippi State is at Safety. They are all the way down at number five simply because of youth and inexperience. If this was a measure of raw talent, however, they’d be No. 1.

Sophomore Brandon Bryant and senior Kivon Coman are likely to start here. Bryant is an emerging star who got a lot of experience in 2015, and Coman has plenty of experience from his playing time the last few years. Behind them are two true sophomores in Mark McLaurin and Jamal Peters who will be on the field a ton.

All of these positions are strengths, on paper, to begin the 2016 season. They all need to pan out in order for MSU to accomplish it’s goals.

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