Right Where I Want To Be | By Davon Booth
Davon Booth
5/9/2025
I’m from out West.
That’s what was going through my mind last year when I was trying to decide where to go to continue my college football career. I wanted to stay out West. The SEC wasn’t really even on my radar.
It’s crazy though. Here I am at Mississippi State, and thanks to a fortunate turn of events, I’ve just recently wrapped up spring practice and am now eagerly looking ahead to my second season as a Bulldog.
Before I get to how I’m going to have the chance to run it back for an extra year in Starkville, let me tell you a little about myself.
I was eight years old when I fell in love with football. I’d play with my older cousins. Well, not really play, but stand on the sidelines. I was just an extra guy. But I loved being out there.
I’d eventually get the chance to play more. I had a coach – Tony Gallegos – who put me at running back. He passed away just last year, and I miss him more than I can say. I owe so much to him. He set me on my way and the rest is history.
I’ve had an interesting journey. I actually didn’t play any football my first two years of high school, living in North Las Vegas, Nevada. I broke my collarbone a couple of times and missed a whole season. I then transferred to a different school, but because it was outside of my school zone, I wasn’t able to play sports that year.
I needed a fresh start. So, I moved to California where I’d been before. At this point, my old coach, Tony Gallegos, was an assistant at El Monte High School under head coach Jesse Ceniceros – or Coach C as we called him. I wouldn’t be where I am today without either of those men. When I joined them at El Monte, that’s when I started to show I was able to really play.
I started making a lot of noise. My senior year, we went to the state championship and won it.
My future was bright, but it’d be a minute before I’d have the chance to play at a big college.
Going back to my freshman and sophomore years of high school when I wasn’t playing football or any sport, I’d say I was depressed a little bit. I wasn’t paying attention the way I should have in school. I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to do. That made my grades slip up some.
So, I had to start the next step of my football career in JUCO at Cerritos College. Two seasons there got me back on track and I landed at Utah State for the 2023 season.
I remember being so nervous my first game with Utah State. We were playing at Iowa. It was different than anything I’d ever experienced. It was loud – very loud. But it felt so good to have that opportunity.
I grew so much at Utah State. I developed as a football player by learning to dig into the details. People may think progress is because of big things, but it’s always the little things. When you sharpen the little things, that’s what makes you become a better player overall.
It’s things like learning how to watch film. That alone can help you understand the game better from the mental side and lead to you performing better physically.
Following my year at Utah State I was looking for a new place to play. I had SEC schools reaching out, but again, I had every intention to stay out West.
That changed when [Mississippi State running backs coach] Anthony Tucker called me. Coach Tuck had recruited me when he was an assistant at Utah State. Like me, he’s from out West – from Los Angeles. I thought if he could do it and head to the SEC, why can’t I? Our bond was a big piece of what led me to Starkville.
I can’t say enough good things about Coach Tucker. He’s going to tell you the truth. I’ve always been one that can take criticism, and Coach Tucker is able to provide the type of constructive criticism that only makes you better.
I’ll also admit, at first, being in Starkville, Mississippi, gave me a little culture shock. First off, the way people talk caught me off guard, and when I talked to people, they knew I wasn’t from around here. I sound completely different.
I settled in fast though. Football and sports in general are way better here. The food? It’s way different down here. It’s like everything is good.
I’m becoming a country music fan now. I even bought some overalls and wear them every now and then.
Some of my teammates have liked horses and things like that. I’m still not there yet. I’m a little scared of horses. But overall, I love this place. That’s what made it so easy to decide to come back to it.
I really enjoyed being a Bulldog last season. I feel like I was able to get stronger and stronger as the year went along. You can’t change the record, but you can always stick to the script and pay attention to those little details and just get better. I feel like I did that.
I was hurt when the season ended. I walked off the field crying and holding my head down. I thought my college career was done and my time in Starkville was over. It turns out, it wasn’t.
After the Egg Bowl last year, I took a couple weeks off to recover, then got to work training for the NFL. When news started to come out that junior college athletes might could get an extra year of eligibility, I saw it, but I just stuck to training for the NFL and working on my craft.
After a day or two, Coach Tucker called me and I was also talking with Coach Lebby. They said they were going to try and get me one more year. Pretty quickly, they got back with me and said I was good to go.
I knew immediately if I had one more year to play college football it was going to be at Mississippi State. I didn’t even think about the transfer portal or any of that. It was an instant decision and not difficult at all. I was coming back to State. It was a no-brainer.
I’ve seen the guys that have been recruited and the guys that are back from last year and knew I had to come back here and finish what we started.
I think this team can be a great group. This spring, the offense is looking strong. The defense is way different than last year. All spring, our defense has been on me. They’re just on the ball all the time. It’s constant. There’s an aggression. They’re very, very physical, and that’s what we need.
Plus, this is just a special place. I always knew of Coach Lebby before coming here and had friends that’d played for him that told me how good of a person he was. It’s true. He’s really down to earth. He cares for you on and off the field. He’s preparing us for life and not just football. I’m proud to get the chance to play for him again.
One more year in Starkville also gives me the chance to get my son to Mississippi. He’s been to a couple of my games before, but those were games back out West.
His name is Khalan. He’ll turn three years old in August, and he’s my life. He’s my everything. He’s the reason why I go. I want him to have a better childhood than I had.
I’ll be representing him some with my number this season. I’ve switched to No. 6. It was the number I wore my last two years of high school, and that digit has been special to me ever since.
I wore it in JUCO. When I found out I was having a son, it was on December 6th. Khalan was born on August 6th. We were in room No. 6. So now, I’m No. 6 again, too. A lot of good has come with that number for me, and hopefully big things will happen for me in the No. 6 again this fall.
I’m proud to be back here. With the bonds I’ve built here with the team and in the state of Mississippi and the city of Starkville, it just feels like home.
