Battling And Getting Better
August 07, 2023 | Football, Joel Coleman
Zach Arnett is fostering an extremely competitive preseason camp environment.
(NOTE: View Monday's media sessions with head coach Zach Arnett and players Cole Smith and Jaden Crumedy by clicking the image above.)
STARKVILLE – It's likely that every football program in the country would make the claim its preseason camp is full of competition.
It's every coaches' dream, right? To have a battle every day on the practice fields, separating the men from the boys.
At Mississippi State, head coach Zach Arnett's bunch isn't just talking the talk when it comes to discussing the competitiveness of practice. The Dawgs are walking the walk.
Only four days into preseason work, every player in every position group has quickly learned the foot better stay on the gas pedal.
"[Offensive line coach Will Friend], Coach Arnett, [the coaches] all preach, 'Competition, competition, competition,' every day," center Cole Smith said after Monday's practice. "Nobody's position is solidified. Everybody is in a battle every single day, and I think that really brings the best out of everybody."
It's said that iron sharpens iron. Well, there's certainly been a lot of sharpening going on at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex since camp opened up last Friday. That goes for both sides of the football.
At linebacker, J.P. Purvis and John Lewis continue to push each other at the Sam spot, but Arnett is quick to point out the competition actually runs even deeper.
"Those guys come out to work and they've done a nice job," Arnett said of Purvis and Lewis. "Replacing Tyrus Wheat and all the different hats he wore on our defense the past couple of years is going to be a challenge. But [Purvis and Lewis] have certainly come to work. We're throwing everything at them.
"The thing to keep in mind, too, is that they're not just battling each other for that job. They're battling the defensive ends [to determine] if we're better off in an odd defense or an even defense. You have to get your best 11 players on the field, so if we have four defensive linemen who give us more than playing with a Sam linebacker, that's on the table, too."
In simple terms, pretty much everybody is competing with everybody. Nothing is off the table, and everyone has a chance to prove they're one of State's best 11 to have on the gridiron at a particular moment in time.
It's just as true on offense as it is defense as Arnett explained when discussing his wide receivers and tight ends.
"Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, so we're figuring that out," Arnett said. "I would repeat the same thing I said about the Sam linebackers [because] our tight ends are under the same challenge. They're competing with either the fourth receiver or a second running back in the game. If you're best with four wideouts and going with 10 personnel in a game, you're going to do that. If you're best in 20 personnel and putting a second running back in, [we'll do that]."
Absolutely everything is under the microscope in Starkville. The most exciting thing is it appears everyone is well aware of that fact and is rising to the challenge.
"I feel like we've had a lot of progress [over the first four days of preseason camp]," defensive lineman Jaden Crumedy said. "Everybody is coming together. The young guys are trying to step up and do different things. New people are showing what they can do here. I just feel like everybody is doing their part and doing a great job."
If each individual continues to compete and improve, it won't make life easy on Arnett and the coaching staff when it's time to make decisions. That'd certainly be great problems to have once game week arrives, but there's plenty of time between now and then for the players to keep battling and the coaches to keep evaluating. It's all in the name of making sure the Dawgs are wrapping games in Maroon and White starting September 2.
"That's the challenge in front of all of us as coaches," Arnett said. "You're four days in, so you can't make final decisions on who your best 11 are. But every day, you get a little more film to make that evaluation. We're trying to figure out what personnel we need on the field to give us the best chance to win."
