Building A Brotherhood Up Front
August 12, 2024 | Football, Joel Coleman
State’s offensive line has quickly come together as one.
STARKVILLE – It's been said before that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. So perhaps it should come as no huge surprise that for Mississippi State's offensive line unit – a group that features several new faces – there has perhaps been no better bonding experience than over food.
Take for instance the following scene from a couple of weeks ago when members of MSU's front went out for a bite.
The setting: Buffalo Wild Wings.
The situation: all-you-can-eat wings.
The result?
"I don't think they were too happy with us," Bulldog center Ethan Miner admitted.
A bunch of 300ish-pound athletes can eat a lot before reaching that all-you-can-eat point, you know. And which Dawg put away the most?
"Probably [Grant Jackson]," Miner said. "I think Grant had over 30 and his fiancé had to stop him."
Jackson's bride-to-be might've slowed him down. But the hope is that nights like these have helped MSU's linemen build a camaraderie that'll keep opposing defenses from being able to stop the Dawgs on game days this fall.
It's still more than two weeks before State hits the field in a game that counts. Only then will State's linemen truly get to prove themselves. But right now, even with all the changeover in the room, the group has built a firm foundation for success.
It's incredibly special, especially considering that when offensive line coach Cody Kennedy joined head coach Jeff Lebby's staff back prior to the spring, MSU essentially had no returning starters up front.
"So the first thing, you've got to go recruit and get the right people in here," Kennedy explained. "Obviously, this day and age, you have the transfer portal and you utilize that. We were able to bring four guys in and they're all going to be contributors. More importantly, I think they're really good people.
"I think they add to the room in unselfish ways, which when you do that and sign people, I think you have to recruit the person as much as you recruit the player."
Kennedy has watched as his high-quality players have indeed proven themselves to be the high-quality people he thought he was getting.
"Guys come into these situations, and you have all these personalities blending together," Kennedy said. "That's been the biggest thing I've seen through my time here. They want to hang out with each other. They care for each other."
The results have been eye-catching. Lebby has certainly noticed. Following State's first scrimmage of the preseason on Sunday, it was the offensive line that received perhaps Lebby's highest praise.
"They're maybe the group that's made the most improvement between the end of spring and fall camp and have continued to get better," Lebby shared. "I appreciate their sprit, their work ethic, their toughness and their camaraderie. They're a tight group for a bunch of guys that haven't known each other for a long time, and you'd never know that. Cody Kennedy has done an incredible job in that room in creating that and that's been huge for us."
Marlon Martinez can vouch for everything Lebby said. The LSU transfer has been shocked at how quickly his new teammates felt like old teammates – from Bulldog veteran Albert Reese IV, right on down the line to fellow transfers like Miner, Jacoby Jackson and Makylan Pounders.
"It didn't take long at all for us to bond and build relationships all across the board," Martinez said. "We did a lot of stuff together outside the facility like fishing and a whole bunch of other stuff. But I'm really excited to play next to them.
"We glued together really quick."
This Bulldog brotherhood amongst the linemen is so vital. Maybe at no other position in sports can the sum of the whole so obviously be greater than its individual parts all because of a bond with those beside you.
"I think offensive line chemistry is one of the most important things because it's the only group on the field that has to play in unison and if you're not, you can notice it," Pounders said. "For us, I feel we are in a great spot now, and we've got room to get closer and grow closer. That'll just come with repetition and time."
It'll take repetition, time and almost assuredly a few more evenings breaking bread (or crushing wings) beside one another – all in the name of creating an unshakable unity.
"When things get tough, you want to be around guys you trust and guys you have that bond with," Kennedy said.
Mississippi State football's preseason camp rolls on this week with all eyes looking ahead to the August 31 season opener against Eastern Kentucky at Davis Wade Stadium. To purchase your tickets for the Eastern Kentucky game, or any of MSU's seven home contests this season, CLICK HERE.
