Mississippi State Football lands redzone target for Blake Shapen

First-year head coach Jeff Lebby has been tasked with overhauling the Mississippi State football roster ahead of the 2024 season. And when it comes to the offensive side of the ball, he's done a masterful job.

Entering the spring, Lebby and his offensive staff added former Baylor QB Blake Shapen to serve as signal-caller. Transfer wideouts Kelly Akahairyi and Kevin Coleman came in to add explosive weapons to the passing attack, and four transfer offensive lineman enter the fold to anchor things up front.

Those new faces shined in the Maroon and White Spring Game, but Jeff Lebby isn't done adding pieces for his offense. Last week State picked up a commitment from Utah State RB Davon Booth. Today, they landed another skill player from out west.

Former New Mexico State wide receiver Trent Hudson commits to Mississippi State

On Sunday, former New Mexico State wide receiver Trent Hudson announced his commitment to Mississippi State. He's the third wide receiver to transfer-in to Starkville since Jeff Lebby took over.

The 6'3", 180 lb pass-catcher was highly productive for New Mexico State in 2023. He hauled in 35 catches for 551 yards last season and led the Aggies with 10 receiving touchdowns. No other skill player scored that many TDs for NMSU, rushing or receiving.

Trent Hudson is the final missing piece in the Bulldog receiving corps

Prior to the addition of Hudson, the MSU WR room looked prime for a big year in 2024. The room is filled with burners who can consistently win vertically on deep routes, a must for the Jeff Lebby offense. They have guys who can be dangerous in open space as well as be reliable pass-catchers in the short to intermediate area.

The one thing they lacked, however, was size. No one in the regular WR rotation was taller than 6'1". They needed to add a taller weapon on the outside who can consistently go up and win on jump balls. That's precisely what Trent Hudson brings.

State is going to score a lot of touchdowns from long distances in 2024. But when they do happen to get down into the redzone, expect Blake Shapen to throw plenty of fade balls Trent Hudson's way.