Lebby Finds The Right Fits For First Signing Class
December 20, 2023 | Football
STARKVILLE – Less than a month after being named Mississippi State's head coach, Jeff Lebby was tasked with maintaining a high-caliber class of recruits to makeup his initial signing class. Â
On Wednesday, Lebby and his staff welcomed in 30Â new Bulldogs, the first day of the early signing period for the 2024 class. And even as talented as the signing class is, it was imperative for Lebby to get the perfect fits for his first football roster both on and off the field.
"It's still about people and putting the right people inside the locker room," Lebby said. "There's nothing more important to me and us to get that part of it right. You've flat got to be good enough first and foremost, but we've got to have the right people in the building. When you do that, you've got a chance to create connections, team and culture. That's something that's as important to me as anything."
Lebby's early additions are appropriately balanced and addressed needs to both sides of the ball. MSU inked 17Â offensive prospects and brought in 13 players defensively. The Bulldogs added 15Â recruits from the high school ranks, 10 from the transfer portal and five from the Mississippi junior college ranks.
"We need to do a great job in the junior colleges in our state," Lebby said. "There's great players here and always have been so for us to be back involved in that is going to be really important moving forward."
The transfer portal yielded a solid squad, particularly on offense. Quarterback Blake Shapen (Baylor), wide receiver Kelly Akharaiyi (UTEP), tight ends Cam Ball (Buffalo) and Justin Ball (Vanderbilt) along with offensive linemen Ethan Miner (North Texas), Makylan Pounders (Memphis) and Marlon Martinez (LSU) bring immediate collegiate experience to that side of the ball to compliment their offensive additions from high school ranks and the No. 1 running back in the country in Johnnie Daniels.Â
"I think we did a really good job whether it be with the three transfer linemen, two tight ends, Kelly at receiver, Blake at QB and Johnnie is a mid-year junior college running back," Lebby said. "Those are some older guys but there are some freshmen that have a chance to make some big impacts as well. Those are some older guys that have played and in today's day and age of college football, you've got a chance to flip a roster in a hurry, address needs and go get guys that have played and are serious about being good. I think we've done that."
Shapen started 23 games as Baylor's signal caller over the past three seasons, throwing for 5,574 yards and 36 touchdowns over that span. The 6-foot-1, 202-pound rising senior led the Bears to the 2021 Big 12 Championship and was named the Most Outstanding Player in that game and was also an All-Big 12 honorable mention the following year. He started eight games this past fall, throwing for 2,188 yards, 13 TDs and three interceptions while also adding four scores on the ground.
The Bulldogs also signed four-star recruit Michael Van Buren out of St. Francis Academy in Bowie, Maryland. ESPN ranks the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder as the No. 4 pocket passer in the nation for the 2024 class and is an Under Armor All-American.
"I feel great about where we're at in that room," Lebby said. "With Blake coming in, he's obviously a guy that's played a bunch of ball and had production. I've seen it up close and in person a couple of different times. I'm excited and when I watch him I'm like 'man, that's our kind of guy'. I think he's going to be exactly what we want him to be. He's a guy that's ate up with it and loves it so that's going to be fun for us.
"Adding Mike is huge. We obviously needed a difference maker in the '24 class to guide it. He's a guy that we expect big things from when he comes down here. He's a guy that at some point has a chance to be the face of our program."
Helping protect those new quarterbacks will be the responsibility of the six offensive linemen Lebby and his staff signed on Wednesday. Martinez (6-5, 340), Miner (6-2, 290) and Pounders (6-5, 290) bring 109 games of experience and 52 combined starts with them from their previous stops at the Division I level. That group will help mentor and mold the three high school prospects State signed in Jimothy Lewis Jr. (6-6, 280), TJ Lockhart (6-5, 380) and Luke Work (6-6, 295).
"I'm proud of our staff for being able to have the day that we've had today with our big guys," Lebby said. "I love the guys that we've got in the boat today. All six of those guys have been serious about coming to State. That part of it fires me up as well. I feel like we've addressed that need and are in a good spot."
The offensive line was not the only area of the trenches that the Bulldogs bolstered. Mississippi State also signed five defensive linemen highlighted by a pair of Power 5 transfers in Sulaiman Kpaka (Purdue) and Kedrick Bingley-Jones (North Carolina). State also added five defensive backs and three linebackers to the mix.
However, there are still several spots on defense Lebby and his staff plan to continue recruiting before the next national signing day in February.
"I think we've got to do a great job as we continue to address corner, safety and getting an edge guy," Lebby said. "Those are three things defensively that will continue to be a high priority for us."
Lebby credited the two holdovers from the previous staff – Chad Bumphis and David Turner – for their roles in helping keep the Bulldogs' recruiting class together during the coaching transition. Their experience navigating the Magnolia State was especially instrumental in MSU signing 11 in-state prospects.
"Both of those guys have huge experience inside the state," Lebby said. "Obviously, D.T. has been here for so long and Bump was a great player here and has ties here. Both of those guys were crucial in getting done what we got done today."
Lebby also highlighted the help current Bulldogs Ty Cooper and Mike Wright added during official visit weekends along with the job Harrell did as one of the committed leaders of the 2024 class.
Players Mentioned
