Bulldogs Plan To Air It Out

STARKVILLE – Jaden Walley and Austin Williams were two of the biggest benefactors of Mike Leach's Air Raid offense last year.

The Mississippi State duo combined for 95 catches, 1,090 yards and five touchdowns out of the slot and are both back to try and boost those numbers even higher this fall.

"We're airing it out all the time," Williams said. "You're expecting 40 or 50 passes a game. It's great. It's a dream come true."

Walley – a converted high school quarterback from D'Iberville - broke Mardye McDoyle's freshman record which stood for 43 years and led the Bulldogs with 718 yards on 52 catches and a pair of touchdowns. He also closed out the regular season with four consecutive 100-yard performances which helped him finish third nationally among rookie receivers and earn Freshman All-SEC honors.

"I think it's going to be even more fun this year," Walley said.

Williams posted a career-best 43 receptions for 372 yards and three touchdowns as a junior last year. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder topped the Southeastern Conference with an 82.4 percent catch rate out of the slot and over half – 54.7 percent to be exact – of his career catches have either been for a first down or a touchdown.

Although Walley and Williams each enjoyed their share of success, inside receivers coach Dave Nichol isn't planning on letting either player rest on those 2020 laurels.

"Walley is still young and Austin is still new in the offense so I don't let up on those guys either," Nichol said. "They've got plenty of work to do too."

The inside receivers group also got a boost when Jamire Calvin joined the team as a graduate transfer. Calvin spent three years playing for Leach at Washington State where he totaled 92 career catches for 980 yards and five TDs.

Calvin is completely comfortable sharing his knowledge of the Air Raid system with his new teammates in Starkville.

"It's fun to listen to them talk about it and helping (each other) out," Nichol said. "Since Jamire has been in (the Air Raid offense), he'll talk to the young quarterbacks and tell them how he runs his routes. That's kind of cool and a small little thing that helps us."

Lideatrick Griffin is the only other MSU receiver with experience in the slot returning. The sophomore – also known by his nickname 'Tulu' – saw action in nine games and caught 10 balls for 61 yards and a score.

Griffin along with redshirt freshman receiver Rufus Harvey of Starkville have a similar build at 5-foot-10 and in the 170-180 pound range and have both made a jump so far in their second fall camp.

"I think they've grown a lot," Williams said. "Obviously they had a pretty good offseason working and (running) extra routes. They have a better understanding. They're proving it out here. They're doing really well and playing hard."

State also signed four-star Teddy Knox to bolster their talent in the slot even more. ESPN rated the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder as the No. 19 receiver prospect in the country and one of its Top 300 overall recruits.

"We like Teddy," Nichol said. "We didn't miss in recruiting. He's explosive. He's fast, wants to learn and has a lot of energy. He's fun to be around. It seems like he loves football."

Nichol noted that he has also been impressed with walk-ons Brodie King and Christian Ford in camp which really helps bolster the numbers at that position even more.

"I've got a nice little room," Nichol said. "A lot of them are the same size. They all look the same in size and sometimes speed and ability so it's about who can be more consistent. It's a nice little competition."

One area that could help decide which inside receivers receive a majority of reps on the field this fall is how well they block. The Bulldogs wrapped up their third practice in pads on Tuesday and whichever players can grasp that concept the quickest will have an advantage on their counterparts.

"We've got to work on blocking," Nichol said. "When you put the pads on you see who can kind of handle that and who can't. If they can't, we've got to get them up to speed. We're nowhere where I'd like to be as far as blocking so we've got a way to go."

Players Mentioned

Jamire Calvin

Scoobie Ford

Lideatrick Griffin

Rufus Harvey

Brodie King

Teddy Knox

Jaden Walley

Austin Williams

Mississippi State University Athletics