Mississippi State football's 2025 spring practices come to an end on Saturday with the playing of the Maroon and White Spring Game. As the Bulldogs look to bounce back from a 2-10 season, they've overturned the roster with loads of new faces, and MSU fans will be eager to see them take the field for the first time. Here are five players to watch for on Saturday...
Quarterback Kamario Taylor
I'm not sure Mississippi State fans have ever been more excited for a prospect than Kamario Taylor. The Noxubee County product is the highest-rated QB the program has ever signed, and he's more than gifted enough to be a superstar in Starkville. The freshman enrolled early, so fans will get to see him on Saturday. And there's no doubt everyone is dying to see him flash his potential in Davis Wade Stadium.
Running Back Fluff Bothwell
State's top portal addition of the offseason will certainly garner plenty of attention in the spring game. RB Fluff Bothwell was a superstar for South Alabama as a freshman last season, running for 834 yards and 13 TDs on 7.4 yards per rush. The bruiser made the move to Starkville and will compliment the explosive Davon Booth in the backfield. If he can be the thunder to Booth's lightning, MSU could have one of the SEC's best rushing attacks.
Defensive Lineman Will Whitson
MSU has to be much better along the D-Line, and Coastal Carolina transfer Will Whitson should be leading the charge in the turnaround. In 17 career games, Whitson racked up 63 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 5.0 sacks. There was some early Senior Bowl buzz with Whitson in 2024 before an injury ended his season early. Fans are hoping he proves to be a force for the Bulldogs up front in 2025.
Linebacker Tyler Lockhart
State's biggest win of Signing Day came when they miraculously pulled LB Tyler Lockhart away from Ole Miss in the final hour. The 4-star freshman was one of the top defensive prospects in the state of Mississippi, and for a Bulldog defense in desperate need of talent upgrades, Lockhart immediately becomes one of the most gifted players on that side of the ball. The LB room seems to be solid already, but Lockhart could easily make a case to see the field immediately by showing out in the spring.
Safety Stonka Burnside
Fans will mostly be interested in seeing the many new faces to the roster, but what about someone at a new position? Starkville native Stonka Burnside was a 4-star signee for the Bulldogs last season. An outstanding athlete, he was expected to play WR for Jeff Lebby. But he was a great safety in high school, and after one year, he's made the move to defense. Burnside now provides another high-level talent to the secondary, and fans will want to see how that transition has gone.