Pair of Bulldogs Named To PFF Preseason All-SEC Team

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State duo of Nathaniel Watson and Lideatrick Griffin have been named to the Pro Football Focus (PFF) Preseason All-SEC Team.

Griffin earned All-American honors from Pro Football Focus last season and earned his spot on the preseason All-SEC team as a return specialist. Last season Griffin racked up 613 kickoff return yards as a junior with one return touchdown. He tied a career-high with 144 return yards and a touchdown in State's overtime victory over Auburn and was named the SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts. He has earned 1,333 kickoff return yards and two touchdowns in his career. Griffin also lined up at receiver and posted career-highs during the 2023 season in receptions (40), receiving yards (502) and receiving touchdowns (4). Griffin has 76 receptions for 832 yards and five scores in his career.

This is Griffin's fourth preseason All-SEC selection of the year. He has also been named to the Paul Hornung Award watch list and earned preseason All-America honors from Sports Info Solutions.

Watson has already earned his fair share of preseason recognition and picked up another honor with his addition to the PFF Preseason All-SEC Team. Watson is coming off a career year that saw him finish with 113 tackles. As one of the anchors to last year's defense that ranked seventh in the SEC in team defense, Watson finished second in the SEC in total tackles and third in tackles per game (8.69). Watson also had a knack for getting to the quarterback with six sacks, tied for the most on the team, while adding an interception to his season stat line. Watson has played 45 career games and has racked up 242 tackles with 11 sacks.

This is Watson's third preseason All-SEC honor of 2023. He has also been named to the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

Mississippi State will kickoff the 2023 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 2, when the Bulldogs host Southeastern Louisiana at 3 p.m. (CT). Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here or visiting hailstate.com/tickets.

For the most up-to-date information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU football on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateFB."

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Mississippi State University Athletics

Pair of Bulldogs Named To PFF Preseason All-SEC Team

Players Mentioned

Lideatrick Griffin

Nathaniel Watson

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