Jeff Lebby grateful as Mississippi State football coaching staff assembled solid recruiting class

New Mississippi State football head coach Jeff Lebby didn't have much time between being hired and the opening of the early signing period on December 20. He basically had about three weeks. While he was taking on the responsibilities of a new head coach in the SEC, Lebby faced the monumental task of salvaging and strengthening the Bulldogs' recruiting class after the coaching change.

But things went well for Lebby and the MSU Bulldogs. They pieced together a really solid recruiting class and Lebby is more than insistent that his new coaching staff was incredibly instrumental in pulling together this recruiting class.

"It's been humbling you know just all the support and everything that's gone into getting us to this point this morning," Lebby explained in his press conference. Mississippi State's head coach emphasized over and over just how essential the rest of his coaching staff was for ensuring this class could come together as it ended up.

Lebby continued, "Again, a ton of different people getting it done for us and moving the needle for us to get to this point. So, [I'm] appreciative of that."

The first-year head coach made it known that he would not have been able to assemble this class all on his own, especially given the timing of when he was hired to come to Starkville. So that made some specific holdovers from the last coaching staff pretty important.

David Turner and Chad Bumphis were pretty critical for Lebby and the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State football: Jeff Lebby and Mississippi State football coaching staff quickly assemble solid recruiting class

"Both those guys having great experience inside this State. Obviously, DT having been here for so long and then Bump being a great player here and having his ties here. So both those guys were, were crucial for us to get done what we got done today," Lebby explained.

While it's not exactly clear just yet on what Lebby's long term recruiting strategy will be, the Bulldogs definitely needed to focus on making quick moves and thriving in the short term. And Lebby did a great job of doing that. 10 transfer portal guys and several junior college additions should help the Bulldogs elevate the floor of what this program can be in a hurry.

That's a solid strategy on Lebby's part. Especially when you consider the whirlwind timeline that he was forced to work with.

For a first time head coach, that's a pretty solid job on Lebby's part. Lebby's first recruiting staff signals what the Bulldogs can achieve on the recruiting trail when they have a cohesive staff vision. It'll be fascinating to see how things develop over time.