Mississippi State Football gets much-needed defensive line help out of the Midwest

Mississippi State football added another important piece to the depth chart Monday afternoon. Illinois and Youngstown State transfer defensive lineman Anthony Johnson announced his commitment to the Bulldogs.

Anthony Johnson, who began his career at Bowling Green, spent the last three seasons at FCS Youngstown State. In 2023, the 6'3", 295 lb interior defensive lineman finished the year with 4.0 sacks, 6.5 TFL, and 25 tackles to go along with a QB hurry and fumble recovery.

In December, Johnson transferred to Illinois. However in April, he chose to leave the Illini and re-enter the transfer portal. Johnson had an impressive list of suitors, and Mississippi State ultimately beat out Arkansas, Michigan State, and Pitt to land him.

Johnson's commitment to the Bulldogs came shortly after the news that Michigan State transfer edge rusher Bai Jobe was heading to Kansas. Jobe was a high-priority target for Mississippi State who visited Starkville over the weekend. State pushed hard to land him, but he ultimately chose the Jayhawks.

Though they play different positions, adding another defensive lineman once they missed on Jobe was a must for Mississippi State. They accomplished that by landing Anthony Johnson. State badly needed to bolster its pass-rush, and Johnson was effective in that role as a defensive tackle.

By all counts, MSU now has one final roster spot available to fill ahead of the summer. The expectation is that spot will be for a transfer cornerback. Indiana transfer Kobee Minor and West Virginia transfer Montre Miller both visited Starkville over the weekend.

Minor appears to be making his final decision soon between State and SMU while Miller is going to let the process play out a bit longer. It is a must that State lands one of these two in the coming days. Both are talented prospects, and the Bulldogs are in dire need of help in the secondary.