Calvin And The Pass Catchers
September 10, 2021 | Football, Joel Coleman
Jamire Calvin helps lead the MSU receivers into Week 2 after a standout Bulldog debut.
STARKVILLE – It didn't take graduate transfer receiver Jamire Calvin long at all to introduce himself to the Mississippi State family.
It was still the first quarter last Saturday when Calvin hauled in a pass from quarterback Will Rogers and took it to the house for a score. Less than 15 minutes of game action into Calvin's Bulldog debut and he already had the cowbells clanging and Davis Wade Stadium rocking.
The athleticism, speed and quickness of Calvin might've caught some off guard. Meanwhile on the sideline, MSU head coach Mike Leach likely wasn't surprised at all. He'd seen it all before.
Calvin originally played for Leach when the two were together at Washington State. Now reunited in Starkville on the other corner of the country, the colors might've changed for both men since their days in the Northwest, but the talent of Calvin remains the same.
"He's got really good ball skills," Leach said of Calvin. "He's got good route skills. He's a good stop-and-go guy. He can stop and accelerate suddenly. And he has a little experience, which I think has elevated the others and brought them along."
Indeed Calvin is new to the maroon and white of MSU, but he is no newbie to the Air Raid offense. That bodes well for himself, as well as those around him.
Under Leach at Washington State back in 2017, Calvin earned a Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honor as he played in every game and caught 33 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie. He increased his production a season later as he caught 42 passes for 497 yards and a score, averaging 11.8 yards per catch.
Given his background, the Air Raid is a bit like second nature to Calvin and it's showing. With a team-leading 67 receiving yards headed into this week's game against NC State, Calvin has quickly established himself as a pass catcher to watch all year long, but that's not just because of the stats he'll put up. Calvin is helping make Leach's receiving unit as a whole better using all the knowledge he's gained from previously performing under Leach
"It's pretty cool being in a role where now I'm leading and kind of helping to show everyone else what to do and how to do it," Calvin said. "I started to take initiative with that and I just want to be a positive guy and be a good leader and influential on the younger guys that are learning. I want to really set a good example for them so when the older guys leave that have experience in this offense, the younger guys can take over and take control."
Calvin is paving the way for the future by shining in the present. He's catching passes. He's scoring. He's helping teach. None of that is to even mention when the Bulldogs hit adversity as they did a week ago when they trailed late, Calvin is one of the guys rallying the troops.
"He has a lot of positive enthusiasm," Leach said of Calvin. "As far as body language, [he is] very much [about focusing] on the next play. He really does a good job of reinforcing that. I think he does a good job of being even-keeled as far as how he plays. Some of it is experience. He is more experienced than most of our guys out there. Maybe all of them. It starts to build the kind of stability that we need."
Perhaps inspired by Calvin, State's receivers certainly had a strong opening week. In all, including Calvin, five different Bulldogs had 55 or more yards receiving against Louisiana Tech.
Calvin's fellow first-year Bulldog and transfer Makai Polk led in catches in Week 1 with 10 for 57 yards. Austin Williams also had 57 yards of receiving. Jaden Walley had 64 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Rara Thomas totaled 55 yards in his first collegiate game.
Of course it was Calvin's 67 yards that set the pace for the receiving corps. He excelled, just as he planned to do when he made the choice to finish his college career in Starkville, once again alongside Leach.
Leach's scheme has long been attractive to Calvin. It dates all the way back to Calvin's prep days at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles.
"Coming out of high school, we ran a very similar style of offense," Calvin recalled. "We ran spread and my coach was actually a really big Coach Leach guy. He liked the system. He'd come to his clinics and talk to him. So it was kind of an easy decision once I met Coach Leach and saw his offense and started watching film. It kind of all came together how it's supposed to [and I originally chose to go to Washington State]."
Calvin made the most of playing under Leach in his first two seasons. He would've gotten a third with Leach at Washington State, but injury kept Calvin out of action for all of 2019.
"It was one of the most frustrating times of my life because I'd never really been hurt since I'd started playing football as a little kid," Calvin said. "That was something new for me. I truly had to find myself in that and find out how to come out stronger in that situation. It was definitely a tough time, but I battled through it."
He returned to the football field in 2020 for Washington State's COVID-pandemic-shortened, four-game schedule. Calvin started all four games last year, making 17 catches for 183 yards. Then, with a degree in hand, Calvin made the choice he was ready for a new challenge. Down in Starkville, Calvin had connections both with Leach, as well as with inside receivers coach Dave Nichol, who'd also previously been at Washington State.
"I'd graduated and everything and it was just a thing where I made a decision to see what my opportunities would be," Calvin said. "Coach Leach and Coach Nichol, they wanted me again of course. It kind of just made sense, and I'd already played in the Pac-12. I wanted to give myself a different look."
Calvin is only one game in, but he certainly seems right at home with the SEC patch and Mississippi State stitched on his jersey now. He's making an impact at practice, in the locker room and on game day.
As a sign of who he is though, Calvin isn't settling. Week 1 was a fine start, but now it's week 2. There's more work to do to ensure his debut was just the beginning of so much more, so it's on to NC State.
"It was definitely great and fun, but I don't want to think about it too much," Calvin said of his performance against Louisiana Tech. "That was only the first game. I just want to stay levelheaded and try to get better each week and keep stacking each day."
