Devoted To The Dawgs
November 21, 2024 | Football, Joel Coleman
Ahead of his final home game, JP Purvis reflects on a long career in Maroon and White.
STARKVILLE – Just how long has JP Purvis been associated with Mississippi State football? Consider the following.
Purvis committed to play football for the Bulldogs In April of 2018. At that point in time, current MSU starting quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. was in the sixth grade, and when Purvis made his Dawg debut and recorded his first career tackles in the fall of 2019, Van Buren was only an eighth grader.
"Yeah, [teammates] pick at me all the time and call me Old Man," Purvis said with a chuckle following practice earlier this week.
Old Man? Nah. Purvis is a young and vibrant 24 years old. But he is a bit of a unicorn in today's age of college football when player movement is common.
Purvis has spent six full seasons in Maroon and White. But this Saturday, when MSU hosts Missouri at 3:15 p.m., Purvis is going to run out of the home tunnel at Davis Wade Stadium one final time as a Bulldog player and be the latest example of how all things indeed come to an end.
"My emotions will probably be all over the place [on Saturday]," Purvis said. "I'll probably be a little angry because [we wanted more wins this year]. I'll probably be a little sad. But for the most part, I'll probably be proud of myself, you know – just sticking through it…just sticking with the same program and just battling it out."
Purvis' journey has absolutely been one of resilience. He's fought back from injuries, played through a pandemic, swapped positions from safety to linebacker and stayed the course while playing under the guidance of multiple coaching staffs.
Through it all, one thing didn't change. Purvis' commitment that he'd made way back when he was a high school junior held firm to Mississippi State.
"I asked myself the question not too long ago, I was like, 'What made me stay here?'" Purvis shared. "Three or four years ago, I could have up and left, but I felt like it's kind of quitting on the team, you know? Once I start something, I don't like to quit."
Purvis' loyalty to the Bulldogs can be put in numbers. Headed into Saturday, the Pelahatchie, Mississippi, native has appeared in 49 career games with seven starts. He's amassed 93 total tackles with two tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a blocked punt. Each takedown or big moment Purvis has had is a testament to how he just couldn't see himself doing any of it in any other uniform.
"I've taken a lot of pride in [representing my home state at Mississippi State]," Purvis said. "Back at home, all the little kids still look up to me. They enjoy me when I come back home. It's just really been a blessing to actually do what I've done so far."
Purvis will keep right on doing his thing with the Bulldogs over the course of these next two weeks. From there, he'll see what his next steps of life are. Wherever life takes Purvis, he's always going to treasure his time in Starkville.
"[Mississippi State] is like a brotherhood," Purvis said. "It's just a real family environment around here. All the guys, we connect well. We play around. We joke around. We come out on the field and play ball, but we still know we're brothers at the end of the day."
Brothers for life. Family for life. Dawgs for life. That's exemplified by how Purvis talks about the immediate future.
He might soon be headed out the door, but Purvis doesn't hide how he believes the State program is in excellent hands, and he can't wait to see it ascend.
"It's definitely headed up," Purvis said of Bulldog football. "[Head coach Jeff Lebby] has recruited great guys. You've got a lot of young guys that have come in and they have shown that they can play at this level. So, it's definitely going to be one of those programs and teams you should watch in the next couple of years."
Oh yes, rest assured Purvis will be watching. There's no doubt. Because you can take the Old Man out of Maroon, but you'll never take the Maroon out of the Old Man.
