'It's Everything That I Dreamed About'
November 22, 2024 | Football
STARKVILLE – When Jeff Lebby went to Brookhaven for in-home visit with Xavier Gayten last year, the four-star running back had a surprise waiting on his future head coach.
As Lebby pulled into the driveway, Gayten was standing in the yard shirtless wearing a pair of cowboy boots with several horses and dogs roaming around freely. The prized Mississippi State recruit wanted to let Lebby know what he was all about with that first impression.
"I was outside just being me," Gayten said. "I'm from the country. I love horses, I love all that. I wanted him to see who I was as a person. I had my horses out and I had everything just like a normal day. Even when we went in the living room to talk, we had the curtains open and you could see the horses just walking around with the dogs. He loved all that stuff."
Needless to say, the visit went well and Gayten signed on to play for the Bulldogs. And play he has. Despite being behind a logjam of veteran backs, the 6-foot, 190-pounder has found his way onto the field for nine games as a true freshman.
"He's been a guy that's been really good for us on (special) teams and when he's had an opportunity, he's played really well," Lebby said. "He's created trust throughout the week through his preparation and his process and that's created some opportunities for him on offense. I see that continuing. He's a guy with a ton of ability, just incredibly young but has made great strides playing the position. He's a kid that you can coach the heck out of every single day and I'm excited about where he's going."
Gayten has carried eight times for 119 yards and one touchdown this season and his 14.4 yards per carry is nearly triple that of any other tailback. As the lone running back on the depth chart that did not get the opportunity to go through spring practice, Gayten credits Davon Booth, Johnnie Daniels and Keyvone Lee with showing him the ropes and getting him up to speed before the season started.
"When I first came, I just knew that I was going to have to just stay down and just work because it wasn't going be handed to me," Gayten said. "I just came in with that mindset that I've got to work. My teammates - my running back group - really helped me a lot. They took me under their wing, and they really helped me grow and develop into where we are now."
Although the running backs are all competing for carries, the group remains tight-knit and support one another's success. Prior to each game, they choreograph individual celebrations with the intention of all of them reaching the end zone that particular week.
"We all build on each other's success," Gayten said. "We are planning on each one of us getting a touchdown and we all come up with a celebration for each one of us. We plan on every single one of us backs getting in the end zone. Whenever one of us scores, the rest of the running backs will run down to the end of the sideline and wait on him so that we can all celebrate together. It's nothing but love."
In the win over UMass earlier this month, Booth, Daniels and Gayten all registered rushing touchdowns. Gayten's 72-yard scoring scamper not only capped a 45-20 victory, it also stands as the Bulldogs' longest run of the season. Â
"It's been a long time since I ran that far, but it was nobody but God," Gayten said. "As soon as soon as I hit that corner, it was like everything came back to me, just muscle memory. Â This is what we trained for. We trained for this moment. I just turned it on, got on my horse and I got on out of there."
And just as he'd done for them so many times this season, his fellow running backs were waiting there on the sidelines to celebrate his first career TD.
"With them doing that, that really meant a lot to me," Gayten said. "All of us are family here and they want to see everybody succeed as one."
Crossing the goal line is nothing new to Gayten. He did it 54 times during his career at Brookhaven High School while also chewing up 5,216 yards. But scoring a TD on the college level is something he's pictured since childhood and has cherished every opportunity in his first fall.
"Every moment since I was a little kid, this is all I could dream about - playing at the next level," Gayten said. "And now that I'm finally here, it's amazing. I'm soaking it all in still, but everything is amazing. I just love what I'm doing here. I love the environment. I love the people here and it's just amazing. It's everything that I dreamed about."
