With Mississippi State football about to kick-off the 2024 season, we're previewing the position groups on the roster. Jeff Lebby hired Alabama LB coach Coleman Hutzler to run the defense in Starkville, and it will be a new-look Bulldog defense.
Here's a look at State's defensive line group...
Who makes up Mississippi State's defensive line room?
Though Zach Arnett's 3-3-5 scheme is gone, State is expected to continue playing with three down lineman the majority of the time. Their most veteran DL both play defensive end between De'Monte Russell and Deonte Anderson. Russell was the primary starter in 2023, but Anderson has played a lot. The interior DL is a mix of young talent and older transfers. Trevion Williams and Kalvin Dinkins were big signees for State two years ago, but injuries ended their seasons quickly last year. They'll take on bigger roles this fall. North Carolina-transfer Kedrick Bingley-Jones and Purdue-transfer Sulaiman Kpaka will also battle for starting roles but should at least give more experienced depth.
Reasons for optimism in Mississippi State's defensive line
Russell gives MSU at least one solid starter along the DL. If Williams and/or Dinkins can play to their talent levels, the Bulldogs would suddenly look much stronger up front on defense than they do currently. And it seems that both Bingley-Jones and Kpaka, who many viewed to be merely depth pieces, have impressed this offseason, enough so that they could become good players in Starkville. While it's unlikely this unit becomes dominant like many MSU D-Lines of old, the ceiling is there to be solid.
Reasons for concern with Mississippi State's defensive line
State is putting a lot of faith in players who haven't shown much in their careers to suddenly breakout in 2024. Russell is solid, but he's far from the pass-rushing stud you'd like at DE. There's potential with the young DL based on recruiting profile, but they've shown practically nothing on the field to this point. And the older transfers weren't starters at their old programs (and they aren't coming in from powerhouses). If everything clicks, they could be ok here, but there's also a possibility this is one of the weaker DLs in the SEC.