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Mississippi State Football: The Impact of the Air Raid on Running Back Recruiting

By Derrick Thomas

LITTLE ROCK, AR - NOVEMBER 21: Anthony Dixon #24 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs runs for a touchdown against the Arkansas Razorbacks at War Memorial Stadium on November 21, 2009 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Bulldogs 42-21. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
LITTLE ROCK, AR - NOVEMBER 21: Anthony Dixon #24 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs runs for a touchdown against the Arkansas Razorbacks at War Memorial Stadium on November 21, 2009 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Bulldogs 42-21. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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Mississippi State Football: The Impact of the Air Raid on Running Back Recruiting

Mississippi State Football is in the middle of a culture shift from the ground and pound spread attack to the pass-happy Air Raid offense. This is not the offense Bulldog fans are familiar with, but change can be a good thing, right. Mississippi State has a rich history of running backs.

I can go down the list of great Mississippi State running backs. I am sure we all have our favorite running back and rushing moments. Some great running backs of recent memory are J.J. Johnson, Jerious Norwood, Dicenzo Miller, Anthony Dixon, Vick Ballard, LaDarius Perkins, Josh Robinson, and yes, Kylin Hill.

Some older Bulldogs will remember Michael Haddix, Walter Packer, Michael Davis, and Kevin Bouie. Anthony Dixon is the goat of Mississippi State running backs with 3994 rushing yards. We also cannot forget Keffer McGee, a Bulldog we lost way before his time.

Historically Low Rushing Yards This Season

This football season has seen Mississippi State run for what has to be a program low 209 yards and 5 touchdowns. Excluding Nick Fitzgerald’s 258 yards rushing in the Egg Bowl in 2016, seven Bulldog running backs have run for over 200 yards in a single game. Mississippi State still has time to showcase some form of a running game this season, but I have given up hope of that happening.

I am still excited about the passing offense that the Air Raid brings, but I would absolutely love the early Christmas gift of seeing our running backs run the football. While this offense will definitely break passing records at Mississippi State and maybe the SEC, our running back recruiting could suffer from such a one-dimensional offense.

2021 and 2022 Running Back Recruiting

Mississippi State currently has no running backs committed in the class of 2021. Starkville native Amaryion Howard recently decommitted. He was not a Leach recruit, so I did not expect him to stick. Mississippi State has offered the top running back in the state in Jarquez Hunter out of Philadelphia, MS.

Hunter is a guy who is used to running the ball, as he has rushed for 5834 yards and 78 touchdowns in his career. He does have the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. I would love to have a talent like Hunter in the fold at Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs have offered three other running backs for the class of 2021 in the form of Jaylin White, Ahmonte Watkins, and Armoni Goodman. Watkins and Goodman are both four-star prospects, and White is a three-star. Mississippi State is in the hunt for Watkins as the Bulldogs are in his top four.

https://twitter.com/ahmontewatkins/status/1330654732390641664?s=20

Mississippi State Football has offered some big fish at the running back position for 2022. Gavin Sawchuk, Jaydin Blue, Kaytron Allen, Jordan James, and instate prospect Branson Robinson all have offers from Mississippi State.  I don’t expect Mississippi State to land any of those prospects.

What the of Future Running Back Recruiting Could Look Like at Mississippi State

Mississippi State Football currently has six running backs on its roster. Only three of those players have played significant snaps this year. If Mississippi State decided not to take a running back this year, it would not surprise me.

Our offense does not run the ball enough to impact the game from the running back position except for in the passing game. I feel like the way our offense runs the ball will deter running backs who want to run the ball and showcase their abilities to get to the NFL.

I had a conversation with a friend of mine last week about the type of running back Leach might look to recruit to Mississippi State. I felt Leach would recruit wide receivers or athletes of decent size who have hands, vision, and speed. That opinion was solidified as Paul Jones of Gene’s Page reported that Dakota Jordan has committed to the class of 2022.

Jordan is also a baseball commitment who plays wide receiver for Canton Academy and has this to say about his commitment to Mississippi State.

“I just mainly played receiver this year, and I only ran the ball 3-4 times,” said Jordan. “But Mississippi State coaches want me at running back. Coach Mele likes the fact that when I am in space, I can make something happen.”

Now, this is only my opinion, but it makes plenty of sense. Leach has run the ball in his previous stops at Texas Tech and Washington state. It normally takes a couple of years before Leach implements an effective rushing attack.

Recruiting athletes like Dakota Jordan is a way to add versatile and talented players to the roster and put the skillset you want on the field. I may have to give up on my wish for Mississippi State to run the ball like the days of old.

As long as we end up winning some games and keeping the Egg more than we lose, I can accept a subpar rushing attack. I am on record for wanting Leach as the coach for Mississippi  State when we hired Joe Moorhead. I have my wish now, so no use crying over a rushing attack that is no longer right.

Mississippi State fans, what are your thoughts on our running game and how the Air Raid will impact the caliber of running back that decides to play football for Mississippi State?

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