Photo by: Austin Perryman/MSU Athletics
Experience Making A Difference At Safety
August 16, 2022 | Football
STARKVILLE – Two years ago during Mike Leach's first season, Mississippi State's safety group was marred by injuries and inexperience.
But what might have been seen as a shortcoming back then is now considered one of the Bulldogs' strengths. MSU has the benefit of having veterans like Shawn Preston Jr., Collin Duncan, Jalen Green and Dylan Lawrence back along with a host of promising transfers and young talent at the position.
"We played with a lot of youth and inexperience and now we have a group that has some experience and that makes all the difference in the world," said associate head coach Tony Hughes.
It was Preston and Duncan who were thrust onto the field early on in their careers. Now the senior safety duo brings 63 games and 27 starts worth of experience to the table along with a combined 213 tackles, seven stops for loss, three interceptions, 18 pass breakups and a forced fumble during their careers.
"We've got some guys coming back and some guys coming in," Duncan said. "If you look at the corners and safeties, we've got a lot of experience. A lot of guys have taken some meaningful snaps and started some meaningful games."
Green joined the group last year after transferring in from Texas. The fifth-year senior had played cornerback throughout his football career but transitioned to safety last season and started 10 out of 12 games at State and finished tied for second on the team in interceptions.
As Green started preparing for the rigors of a second season in the Southeastern Conference, he wanted to add some size and strength to his 6-foot-1 frame. He was able to pack on five pounds of lean muscle mass during summer and will take the field this fall at an even 200 pounds.
"Mainly, I needed to get bigger and stronger," Green said. "That was one of the things I worked on and focused on during the offseason. I've just been trying to get bigger and stronger because it's way different from the Big 12."
State is hoping another Big 12 transfer will be able to have a similar impact this year. Like Green, Jackie Matthews played cornerback during his time at West Virginia but switched to safety after arriving in Starkville as a graduate transfer in time for the spring semester.
"It was tremendous to get an older guy like him in during the spring," Hughes said. "That makes a big difference because you have so much coming at you once the season starts."
Matthews started eight games for the Mountaineers last season and finished as the fifth-leading tackler on the team. Of his 43 stops, 6.5 went for a loss along with one sack and an interception.
"We've just got to get Jackie a lot more reps so that he's comfortable with the assignments so that it becomes second nature," said defensive coordinator Zach Arnett. "He had a really good spring. He played some corner at West Virginia but played some in the slot and nickel too so he feels really comfortable in man coverage and we like him in that scenario."
But the Bulldogs weren't done adding Power 5 talent from the transfer portal during the offseason. Redshirt sophomore Jordan Morant was also added to the mix after spending his first two years at Michigan.
Mississippi State also has some homegrown products vying for more playing time as well. Lawrence (George County) provides the secondary with length at 6-foot-4 and is entering his fourth year with the Bulldogs while Corey Ellington (Holmes County Central) is trying to build off a successful true freshman campaign last fall.
Ellington impressed the coaching staff so much in 2021 that the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder was able to get on the field during eight games and even started in the Liberty Bowl.
MSU also signed a pair of high school products from the Magnolia State. Raymond's Trent Singleton and Wesley Miller of Heritage Academy are expected to be the blueprint for the Bulldogs' future in the secondary.
"We've got quite a few guys who have significant reps under their belt," Arnett said. "We're just trying to identify the top six and within that, the top three that deserve to start."
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But what might have been seen as a shortcoming back then is now considered one of the Bulldogs' strengths. MSU has the benefit of having veterans like Shawn Preston Jr., Collin Duncan, Jalen Green and Dylan Lawrence back along with a host of promising transfers and young talent at the position.
"We played with a lot of youth and inexperience and now we have a group that has some experience and that makes all the difference in the world," said associate head coach Tony Hughes.
It was Preston and Duncan who were thrust onto the field early on in their careers. Now the senior safety duo brings 63 games and 27 starts worth of experience to the table along with a combined 213 tackles, seven stops for loss, three interceptions, 18 pass breakups and a forced fumble during their careers.
"We've got some guys coming back and some guys coming in," Duncan said. "If you look at the corners and safeties, we've got a lot of experience. A lot of guys have taken some meaningful snaps and started some meaningful games."
Green joined the group last year after transferring in from Texas. The fifth-year senior had played cornerback throughout his football career but transitioned to safety last season and started 10 out of 12 games at State and finished tied for second on the team in interceptions.
As Green started preparing for the rigors of a second season in the Southeastern Conference, he wanted to add some size and strength to his 6-foot-1 frame. He was able to pack on five pounds of lean muscle mass during summer and will take the field this fall at an even 200 pounds.
"Mainly, I needed to get bigger and stronger," Green said. "That was one of the things I worked on and focused on during the offseason. I've just been trying to get bigger and stronger because it's way different from the Big 12."
State is hoping another Big 12 transfer will be able to have a similar impact this year. Like Green, Jackie Matthews played cornerback during his time at West Virginia but switched to safety after arriving in Starkville as a graduate transfer in time for the spring semester.
"It was tremendous to get an older guy like him in during the spring," Hughes said. "That makes a big difference because you have so much coming at you once the season starts."
Matthews started eight games for the Mountaineers last season and finished as the fifth-leading tackler on the team. Of his 43 stops, 6.5 went for a loss along with one sack and an interception.
"We've just got to get Jackie a lot more reps so that he's comfortable with the assignments so that it becomes second nature," said defensive coordinator Zach Arnett. "He had a really good spring. He played some corner at West Virginia but played some in the slot and nickel too so he feels really comfortable in man coverage and we like him in that scenario."
But the Bulldogs weren't done adding Power 5 talent from the transfer portal during the offseason. Redshirt sophomore Jordan Morant was also added to the mix after spending his first two years at Michigan.
Mississippi State also has some homegrown products vying for more playing time as well. Lawrence (George County) provides the secondary with length at 6-foot-4 and is entering his fourth year with the Bulldogs while Corey Ellington (Holmes County Central) is trying to build off a successful true freshman campaign last fall.
Ellington impressed the coaching staff so much in 2021 that the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder was able to get on the field during eight games and even started in the Liberty Bowl.
MSU also signed a pair of high school products from the Magnolia State. Raymond's Trent Singleton and Wesley Miller of Heritage Academy are expected to be the blueprint for the Bulldogs' future in the secondary.
"We've got quite a few guys who have significant reps under their belt," Arnett said. "We're just trying to identify the top six and within that, the top three that deserve to start."
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