Mississippi State football was horrific up front in 2024. They got blown off the line of scrimmage in the run game, and they were incapable of rushing the passer. The defensive line combined for just 3.5 sacks last season! With an offseason to load up on new talent, is State better off up front?
New faces will lead the way for the Bulldog defensive line
Mississippi State desperately needed to upgrade the defensive line through the transfer portal after a disastrous 2024 season. They did just that, as this group looks to be in much better shape after the spring.
Coastal Carolina transfer Will Whitson is the top addition to this room. He was garnering Senior Bowl attention early in 2024 prior to an injury. Now he looks to showcase his talent in the SEC. Another name of major interest in Jamil Burroughs. Burroughs has had stops at Alabama and Miami and took a year off football last season. While that doesn't inspire much confidence, he is a big time talent that State gave a chance to in the spring, and he made the most of it.
Those two figure to be the top newcomers along the defensive interior, though Texas transfer Jaray Bledsoe will also factor in. At defensive end, NC State transfer Red Hibbler and Northern Illinois transfer Raishein Thomas were brought in to help spark what was a nonexistent Mississippi State pass rush in 2024. Both should help the Bulldogs do a better job of getting after the quarterback.
There's a good chance the starting lineup and much of the rotation here consists of transfers, but there are veterans to watch. We've been waiting on Trevion Williams to finally live up to his recruiting hype, and perhaps the added competition in the room gets that out of him. Kalvin Dinkins and Kedrick Bingley-Jones both flashed last season when healthy. If they're back at 100%, they could challenge for starting jobs. And longtime defensive end Deonte Anderson had a solid spring.
Overall, there is more talent in this room and certainly more depth. Whether or not that talent is truly SEC caliber, we won't know until fall.