2024 New Year's resolutions for Mississippi State football fans
By Ethan Lee
No. 3: Enjoy the highs of this next season without dwelling (too much) on the lows
I know there's some notion that Mississippi State might be able to compete immediately and that some believe Jeff Lebby will have the Bulldogs moving in the right direction sooner rather than later. Theoretically speaking, that's plausible because of the way the transfer portal works, but it's just flat out not guaranteed at all.
This may not be a total sort of "year zero" situation in the way it was for Mike Leach as he was tasked with rebuilding the Mississippi State football program and then also decided to completely overhaul the underwhelming team he inherited with a brand new scheme. Still, it's not like Lebby is inheriting a team that won nine games the season prior the way that both Joe Moorhead and Zach Arnett did.
Lebby is getting a team that was a bit dysfunctional and underwhelming at times this past season. He's taking the Bulldogs in a new direction with a brand new offense that MSU has never attempted to run before.
And on top of it all, the Bulldogs are losing a number of key contributors from this past season along with a fair amount of depth.
So, to reiterate things a bit, it's important to stay patient with this season. But I think you can also go into this season with the expectation that things might be a lot more fun. I think Blake Shapen fits this offense pretty well and could be fun to watch.
I'm actually really intrigued by the direction that Lebby is taking this program. And in year one, I think we'll see plenty of potentially fun things to dissect and takeaway. I also think we're going to see some rough moments as this team experiences some bumps in the road.
But I don't think you can assume that everything we see in this first season with Lebby will be indicative of everything that Lebby's tenure at Mississippi State will be. I suspect it'll be in the midst of season two under this new coaching staff (so, sometime in 2025) to really get a better idea of how this program is going to look in the long term with Lebby leading things.