Cooking Up Something Special
August 13, 2024 | Football, Joel Coleman
Linebacker Branden Jennings is ready to make an impact at State.
STARKVILLE – Do you smell what Branden Jennings is cooking?
Well, truth be told as Mississippi State goes through preseason football practice, the Bulldog linebacker is simply preparing what he hopes is a productive 2024 campaign for the MSU defense. But in an alternate universe, things could have been different.
"I'm not going to lie, I used to want to be a chef," Jennings said after practice on Tuesday morning. "I wanted to get my degree in food and nutrition science. But things lead in a different direction."
So, it could be said Jennings got out of the frying pan and into the fire of football. Turns out, that's been a really good decision for the Jacksonville, Florida, native. The redshirt junior is preparing for his fourth collegiate season and first at MSU, but he has already put together a pretty impressive resume.
Jennings earned an All-American honor at Maryland as a true freshman back in 2021. After spending a season at UCF, he then transferred and got his first experience in the Magnolia State down at Hinds Community College, where he led the team in tackles and tackles for loss on the way to earning NJCAA All Region and All-MACCC First Team honors.
That all sets up Jennings' debut season as a Dawg. It's been a winding road, but Jennings is happy to be in Starkville.
"It's definitely been a long journey," Jennings said. "I just feel like my journey has led me to Mississippi State and I'm really grateful for it. I plan on graduating from here and having a successful career under this new coaching staff."
It's early on in Jennings' tenure in Maroon and White, but so far, so good with his plan. He's had an incredibly promising preseason camp.
He's learning the Jack linebacker position – which is essentially a hybrid position that does a little of everything. Jennings is loving it, too.
"We're playing off the ball, on the edge, inside the box," Jennings explained. "They're moving us around. I'm really comfortable with it. I feel like I can do it all."
Jennings showed what he can do at last Sunday's first scrimmage of the preseason. He recorded a sack and made life difficult for the offense. Jennings wasn't totally satisfied. What true competitor ever is? But it was something to build on for sure.
"It wasn't a perfect day, but I was in the backfield a lot just trying to cause as much havoc as I can," Jennings said. "Finishing up through camp, I just want to sharpen everything and get better each and every day."
Consistently making progress is what Jennings has been best at so far in his time at State. And that thought comes straight from the head coach himself, Jeff Lebby.
"He's a guy that's gotten better every single day," Lebby said of Jennings. "He's settling in and has some understanding of the expectation, of the defense and how he needs to play inside our scheme. I'm excited about Branden. That dude loves football and has great physicality. He's a big, physical, athletic guy. I'm hoping he can continue to trend in the direction that he's trending right now and get better every single day because that's one that's got a chance to help us."
He's turned away a chef's hat for a football helmet, but still Jennings might soon be figuratively doing some cooking for the Bulldog defense. That's precisely Jennings' goal because for as much as the kitchen appeals to him, the gridiron is even higher up the ladder in his heart.
"Nobody loves football more than me," Jennings said. "No matter if I have a good day or bad day, I'm going to come back tomorrow ready to practice. I love football."
