Photo by: Austin Perryman/MSU Athletics
Eight Bulldogs Earn All-SEC Honors
December 21, 2021 | Football
STARKVILLE – Eight members of Mississippi State's football squad were recently recognized on Phil Steele's All-SEC team.
Sophomore offensive tackle Charles Cross, senior linebacker Tyrus Wheat and sophomore cornerback Emmanuel Forbes were all selected to the second team. Quarterback Will Rogers, wide receivers Jaden Walley and Makai Polk along with kick returner Lideatrick Griffin – all sophomores – were tabbed to the third team while junior defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy was named to the fourth team.
It is the fourth All-SEC honor for Cross, who was named a first team All-SEC performer by Pro Football Focus (PFF), the Associated Press and the league's coaches. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder who declared for the NFL Draft last week, also earned All-American honors from PFF and ESPN in addition to being awarded the Hull Trophy.
Wheat finished the regular season with 45 tackles and led the Bulldogs with 10.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. The Amite, Louisiana native also added an interception and forced and recovered a fumble. Forbes topped the team with three interceptions and is tied for the FBS lead with three career pick-6's. He finished fourth in tackles for MSU with 53 while also adding 4.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage, one sack and one forced fumble.
Rogers tops all Power 5 quarterbacks and ranks second nationally with 4,451 passing yards this season. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder also leads the country completing 75.1 percent of his passes and has thrown 35 touchdown and only eight interceptions in 631 attempts. He needs just 57 yards and 23 more completions to set new school single-season records.
Polk led the SEC with 98 catches and with two more grabs will become just the fifth player in conference history with 100 receptions in a season. He also tops the Bulldogs with 989 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Walley hauled in 52 passes during the regular season for 610 yards and six scores and topped the team averaging 11.7 yards per catch.
Griffin topped the league with a 33.8 kickoff return average, which is currently a single-season record for State. He returned 13 kickoffs for 439 yards, including a 100-yard return for a TD against NC State. Crumedy closed the regular season with 20 tackles, two TFL's, one sack and a forced fumble and recovery.
For more information on the Bulldog football program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateFB" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Sophomore offensive tackle Charles Cross, senior linebacker Tyrus Wheat and sophomore cornerback Emmanuel Forbes were all selected to the second team. Quarterback Will Rogers, wide receivers Jaden Walley and Makai Polk along with kick returner Lideatrick Griffin – all sophomores – were tabbed to the third team while junior defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy was named to the fourth team.
It is the fourth All-SEC honor for Cross, who was named a first team All-SEC performer by Pro Football Focus (PFF), the Associated Press and the league's coaches. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder who declared for the NFL Draft last week, also earned All-American honors from PFF and ESPN in addition to being awarded the Hull Trophy.
Wheat finished the regular season with 45 tackles and led the Bulldogs with 10.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. The Amite, Louisiana native also added an interception and forced and recovered a fumble. Forbes topped the team with three interceptions and is tied for the FBS lead with three career pick-6's. He finished fourth in tackles for MSU with 53 while also adding 4.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage, one sack and one forced fumble.
Rogers tops all Power 5 quarterbacks and ranks second nationally with 4,451 passing yards this season. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder also leads the country completing 75.1 percent of his passes and has thrown 35 touchdown and only eight interceptions in 631 attempts. He needs just 57 yards and 23 more completions to set new school single-season records.
Polk led the SEC with 98 catches and with two more grabs will become just the fifth player in conference history with 100 receptions in a season. He also tops the Bulldogs with 989 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Walley hauled in 52 passes during the regular season for 610 yards and six scores and topped the team averaging 11.7 yards per catch.
Griffin topped the league with a 33.8 kickoff return average, which is currently a single-season record for State. He returned 13 kickoffs for 439 yards, including a 100-yard return for a TD against NC State. Crumedy closed the regular season with 20 tackles, two TFL's, one sack and a forced fumble and recovery.
For more information on the Bulldog football program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateFB" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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