Building More Bulldogs
March 28, 2023 | Football, Joel Coleman
Arnett continues development of MSU players this spring.
(NOTE: Watch head coach Zach Arnett's full post-practice press conference as well as all MSU Pro Day press conferences by clicking the image above.)
STARKVILLE – Zach Arnett had a full Tuesday. The Mississippi State football head coach began the day rooting on guys from MSU's very recent past. It ended with him continuing to develop the future.
State held its on-campus Pro Day and Arnett was in attendance to support his guys chasing professional dreams over the course of Tuesday morning. By the afternoon he was back on the practice fields at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex as MSU's spring practice schedule rolled on.
The first-year coach couldn't help but tie the two events together following the Dawgs' practice.
"[Watching Pro Day was] kind of bittersweet," Arnett said. "It's a lot of guys I've developed really good relationships with and were really good players for us the last several years…I look forward to their future here in the next coming weeks in the draft and everything, but I'm kind of sad they're not going to be in the Maroon and White, you know? Then we come out and practice and…you wish you had a few of those guys back."
Arnett isn't the first football coach and won't be the last to wish he had an extra year or two with star players. But time is undefeated and that's obvious in college sports as players graduate, go pro or otherwise move on to other ventures in life.
That means player development is always at the forefront for college programs. It determines who'll be the next wave of Mississippi State standouts and who'll be the guys showing out at future Pro Days.
That's what Arnett and company are busy doing these days. State's coaching staff is molding the team's returners as well as putting a solid foundation in place for a wave of newcomers.
Spring is critical for everyone, but it's especially important for the youngsters who enrolled early at MSU.
"Guys could be going through their senior year of high school and probably getting ready for prom right now and instead, they're in spring practice," Arnett said. "Some days they look like they're excited to be here and glad they early enrolled. Some days, they do look like they wish they were getting ready for prom instead. So, it's fun anytime you get the chance to work with those guys and get a jump on their development. You feel lucky as a coach. I've enjoyed it. A couple of guys have flashed more than others, but the biggest thing is getting them in the weight room and getting them the nutrition and seeing how their bodies develop."
First-year guys and veterans alike will continue their progression in the days to come. The Bulldogs will practice again on Thursday ahead of their first scrimmage of the spring Saturday. When it comes to development, Arnett makes no bones about it. Days like Saturday will be key in determining who's making progress.
"You've got all these drills [and] you do different tempos [at practice]," Arnett said. "But the most valuable film for evaluation is playing real football. You can [evaluate them as they] live tackle or cut. Some guys go make plays on the ball. Some guys make plays, and some guys don't. So, the opportunity to scrimmage in the spring is huge."
And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, days like Saturday will start to reveal who'll be the next Bulldogs knocking on the door of going from State to Sundays like the ones who took part in Tuesday's Pro Day festivities.
"You enjoy watching them go out and fulfill their dream of working out for the pros," Arnett said. "I'm happy for those guys. It was a great performance [Tuesday]."
