Special Teams Set To Impact The Game Under Odom
July 31, 2024 | Football
STARKVILLE – No matter the result of the coin toss in Mississippi State's season opener one month from now, the first unit on the field for the Bulldogs will be special teams.
And while special teamers may not receive as many on field reps as their offensive and defensive counterparts, MSU special teams coordinator Cliff Odom believes his units will still have plenty of opportunities to create game-altering moments this year.
"You have a chance to impact the game on special teams," Odom said. "You can get huge momentum swings. Whether it's blocking a kick or getting a big return, I truly think it's a one shot, one kill mentality."
Odom is in his first season with the Bulldogs, joining Jeff Lebby's staff in mid-December. But their relationship dates back well beyond their time in Starkville. Odom first met Lebby as a 19-year-old sophomore cornerback at Baylor in 2008 when the latter arrived as the assistant director of football operations.
Their bond continued to be cultivated over the next decade-plus across several stops and multiple levels throughout both of their coaching careers. Odom and Lebby even reunited on the same staff at UCF for the 2018-19 seasons.
"No matter where I moved or he moved, we always kept in contact," Odom said. "He's someone that poured into me first as a player and then as I started my career in high school and then once I got into college. He was always a phone call away. So, for me to be doing this with him here in his first (head coaching) job means the world to me."
Mississippi State is a program that traditionally prides itself on having a strong prowess on special teams. In recent years, the Bulldogs have produced a pair of the NFL's best special teamers in New Orleans Saints captain and Pro-Bowler J.T. Gray and Jacksonville Jaguars' punter Logan Cooke, who holds the top career net punting average in league history.
"We've had success here on special teams punting and on special teams that are now in the NFL and it all started with what they did here at Mississippi State," Odom said.
Odom is tasked with molding and developing the next wave of special teams talent to come through the Bulldogs' program and will have the entire roster to choose from.
Well, almost the whole roster. Odom joked that quarterback Blake Shapen is the only exception for players available for him to use on his special teams units.
"The best guys will play, whether you're a four-year starter or a true freshman," Odom said.
Two players that Odom highlighted when discussing the return game heading into training camp were wideouts Kevin Coleman and Creed Whittemore.
"They have an elite skillset back there and are going to give us a lot of chances for success," Odom said.
Coleman, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound junior transfer, returned 24 punts for 113 yards and four kickoffs for 88 yards at Louisville last season. He also averaged 30 yards per kickoff return and 8.7 yards on punt returns as a freshman at Jackson State in 2022.
Whittemore totaled three touchdowns on offense as a freshman for the Bulldogs but did not factor into the return game last fall.
A freshman that did burst onto the special teams scene last season was kicker Kyle Ferrie. The left-footer booted 16 of his 22 field goal tries through the uprights with a long of 49 yards while converting all 27 of his extra point attempts and earned two SEC Freshman of the Week accolades.
"He has the mentality you want as a specialist," Odom said. "He wants 100,000 people at an away game to kick the game-winner. That's who he is. It's been really cool as I've gotten to know him the last seven months to know that's his core and who he is. He wants to be in that moment and have that weight on his shoulders."
Also back is veteran long snapper Hayes Hammond. The redshirt senior from Tupelo has been the Bulldogs' primary long snapper for the past three years and has 37 career games to his credit.
State will, however, be breaking in a new punter but has a pair of veterans options to turn to. Redshirt senior Zach Haynes has 195 career punts to his credit at Southeast Missouri State and New Mexico State, averaging 40.7 yards per attempt with a long of 76 yards.
Another redshirt senior, Nick Barr-Mira, is a highly-versatile option with the ability to be the Bulldogs' kicker, punter and kickoff man. Barr-Mira made his only field goal attempt for the Bulldogs last season, tying his career-long of 49 yards as well as both of his PATs. He also handled a majority of the kickoffs, with 25 of his 31 kicks resulting in touchbacks.
Before arriving at MSU last season, Barr-Mira served in a dual-role at UCLA handling kicking and punting duties. He averaged 42.8 yards in his only season punting in 2022 while connecting on 35 of 49 field goals for the Bruins.
The other option Odom has at punter has starting experience in the Southeastern Conference, albeit on the baseball diamond. Ethan Pulliam, who walked onto the football team in the spring, played in 27 games and made 20 starts mostly at second base as a freshman for the Diamond Dawgs this past spring while also fitting in football practices whenever his schedule allowed.
Pulliam was a five-star punter at Starkville High School and helped the Yellow Jackets claim the 2022 Class 6A State Championship.
"He has an elite leg," Odom said. "He hit like a 60-yard punt in the spring game. The biggest thing for Ethan is just getting him reps. He's kind of inconsistent right now, which makes sense because he's been focusing on baseball. But this fall, we need to make sure he gets a pretty high rep count so that whenever his time comes, he'll be ready."
Preseason camp opens Thursday morning for Mississippi State and Odom is anxious to get his units out on the field and start stacking days before the season opener against Eastern Kentucky on Aug. 31.
"I'm excited to see how it unfolds," Odom said.
