Maroon Friday Update: Sept. 26
September 26, 2025 | Athletics
Happy Maroon Friday!
It is a great day to be a Mississippi State Bulldog!
I want to start this week by highlighting a beautiful moment last week between junior linebacker Zakari Tillman and his mom, LaTonia Tillman. LaTonia was honored on Scott Field during our Salute to Service recognition.
LaTonia served 21 years in the U.S. Air Force, rising to the rank of technical sergeant. She ensured mission readiness and security both at home and abroad, earning numerous honors throughout her career, including the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Outstanding Unit Award, the Longevity Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
If you haven't already, I encourage you to watch and read the coverage from our team on this special moment. We are all deeply thankful to LaTonia and her family for more than two decades of service to our country. We are honored to have the Tillman family as part of our Bulldog Family! Talk about a proud son - you can see the admiration in Zakari's face.
This week, women's golfer Samantha Whateley earned her first collegiate tournament win and was named SEC Golfer of the Week. Congratulations to Samantha - we know the best is yet to come for her and her teammates under Coach Charlie Ewing.
This week some of our student-athletes and I were invited to a roundtable discussion exploring how academic and athletic commitments shape one another. We appreciate the Institute for Humanities for inviting us. The roundtable was hosted in the new Jim and Thomas Duff Center – What an incredible place for learning! It was a great space! Well done to our campus partners and, of course, a thank you to the Duff family for this outstanding environment for our students to learn and thrive.
As the panelist began to share more about their experiences - it was certainly inspiring for me to hear from our student-athletes on their intentionality with maximizing the resources provided to them, their daily discipline and desire to be excellent in all that they do. I have listed out our student-athletes below along with their bios – I encourage you to click and learn more about each of them!
Our participants were:
Curt Carman – Men's Track
Tafada Wright – Women's Track
Alyssa Faircloth, Softball
Taylor Troutman, Softball
Zaniyah Jones, Women's Track
These young people are excelling in competition and in the classroom, and even more importantly, they are preparing to be outstanding leaders and community members beyond their time at MSU.
When our student-athletes were asked to go through their schedules and how they manage and optimize the resources they are provided as a part of being student-athletes at Mississippi State, each of them mentioned the McDaniel Performance Nutrition Center as a game-changer. They praised the quality of food, the chance to connect with teammates and fellow MSU student-athletes, and the convenience it provides during packed schedules. A thank you to Laura and Mike McDaniel for their generosity in transforming this space to be a valuable resource for our Bulldogs.
Another powerful theme from the discussion was the value of teamwork. Even our track and field athletes, often seen as competing individually, emphasized how being part of a team teaches respect, connection, and resilience. One student-athlete summed it up beautifully:
"Not everyone comes from the same background, not everyone thinks the same as you - but that's the whole point. We respect and care for one another, even when we disagree or challenge each other. That's the best part of being on a team."
What an important lesson for all of us to learn from these young people. Wow.
I am the most fortunate person in the world to see our student-athletes thrive and to learn their stories, families, and passions. One way you can get to know them better is by following them on social media:
Last night, I was asked to welcome folks to Humphrey Coliseum for Limelight, Chi Omega's annual fall philanthropy event benefiting Make-A-Wish Mississippi. Limelight is MSU's largest Panhellenic philanthropy event, bringing together fraternities and sororities in a spirited dance competition. Though my daughters couldn't attend this year due to their busy schedules, it's one of their favorites, and the impact on our community is remarkable. Kudos to our MSU students for their generous hearts for others and the joy in which they brought to the coliseum.
The Southeastern Conference also announced details for the 2026–2029 football seasons. Our three annual opponents will be Alabama, Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt, as the SEC moves to a nine-game schedule. Each school will play every other SEC program at least once every two years, and both home and away over a four-year cycle. The full 2026 schedule will be released later this year.
Immediately after the special opponent match-up show, the SEC Network aired SEC Inside, featuring our team. If you haven't seen it, I highly encourage you to watch - it's a great showcase of our program.
We have some very special Bulldogs with us this weekend. We have our M-Club Hall of Fame Inductees, and we have our 2000 Snow Bowl team in town as we recognize the 25th Anniversary of that game.
Our 2025 M-Club Hall of Fame Inductees are:
What an outstanding honor for each of these deserving Bulldogs and we look forward to the official induction later this evening. Please read more about each of their accolades here.
We are also planning to recognize the Snow Bowl team on the field tomorrow during the game – so please give them a warm welcome home.
Once you are a Bulldog, you are a Bulldog for Life so we are thrilled to welcome everyone home for an exciting weekend.
Coach Jackie Sherrill also stopped by my office today. He was one of the first people to greet me when I arrived in Starkville, and I always value his encouragement and friendship.
The Best Small Town in the South is buzzing and painted Maroon and White. Here's your schedule of events for tomorrow:
I'll see you all tomorrow at 1:10 p.m. for the Dawg Walk. As Coach Lebby reminded us earlier today:
Hail State!
Zac
It is a great day to be a Mississippi State Bulldog!
I want to start this week by highlighting a beautiful moment last week between junior linebacker Zakari Tillman and his mom, LaTonia Tillman. LaTonia was honored on Scott Field during our Salute to Service recognition.
If you haven't already, I encourage you to watch and read the coverage from our team on this special moment. We are all deeply thankful to LaTonia and her family for more than two decades of service to our country. We are honored to have the Tillman family as part of our Bulldog Family! Talk about a proud son - you can see the admiration in Zakari's face.
This week some of our student-athletes and I were invited to a roundtable discussion exploring how academic and athletic commitments shape one another. We appreciate the Institute for Humanities for inviting us. The roundtable was hosted in the new Jim and Thomas Duff Center – What an incredible place for learning! It was a great space! Well done to our campus partners and, of course, a thank you to the Duff family for this outstanding environment for our students to learn and thrive.
As the panelist began to share more about their experiences - it was certainly inspiring for me to hear from our student-athletes on their intentionality with maximizing the resources provided to them, their daily discipline and desire to be excellent in all that they do. I have listed out our student-athletes below along with their bios – I encourage you to click and learn more about each of them!
Our participants were:
Curt Carman – Men's Track
Tafada Wright – Women's Track
Alyssa Faircloth, Softball
Taylor Troutman, Softball
Zaniyah Jones, Women's Track
When our student-athletes were asked to go through their schedules and how they manage and optimize the resources they are provided as a part of being student-athletes at Mississippi State, each of them mentioned the McDaniel Performance Nutrition Center as a game-changer. They praised the quality of food, the chance to connect with teammates and fellow MSU student-athletes, and the convenience it provides during packed schedules. A thank you to Laura and Mike McDaniel for their generosity in transforming this space to be a valuable resource for our Bulldogs.
Another powerful theme from the discussion was the value of teamwork. Even our track and field athletes, often seen as competing individually, emphasized how being part of a team teaches respect, connection, and resilience. One student-athlete summed it up beautifully:
"Not everyone comes from the same background, not everyone thinks the same as you - but that's the whole point. We respect and care for one another, even when we disagree or challenge each other. That's the best part of being on a team."
What an important lesson for all of us to learn from these young people. Wow.
I am the most fortunate person in the world to see our student-athletes thrive and to learn their stories, families, and passions. One way you can get to know them better is by following them on social media:
The Southeastern Conference also announced details for the 2026–2029 football seasons. Our three annual opponents will be Alabama, Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt, as the SEC moves to a nine-game schedule. Each school will play every other SEC program at least once every two years, and both home and away over a four-year cycle. The full 2026 schedule will be released later this year.
We have some very special Bulldogs with us this weekend. We have our M-Club Hall of Fame Inductees, and we have our 2000 Snow Bowl team in town as we recognize the 25th Anniversary of that game.
Our 2025 M-Club Hall of Fame Inductees are:
We are also planning to recognize the Snow Bowl team on the field tomorrow during the game – so please give them a warm welcome home.
Once you are a Bulldog, you are a Bulldog for Life so we are thrilled to welcome everyone home for an exciting weekend.
Coach Jackie Sherrill also stopped by my office today. He was one of the first people to greet me when I arrived in Starkville, and I always value his encouragement and friendship.
The Best Small Town in the South is buzzing and painted Maroon and White. Here's your schedule of events for tomorrow:
- Be the difference.
- Wear white.
- Come early.
- Be loud.
- Ring Responsibly!
Hail State!
Zac
2024-25 Mississippi State Athletics Recap
Thursday, August 21
STATE OF MIND: EP 4 | FT. ZAC SELMON
Thursday, January 09
STATE OF MIND: EP 1 | FT. JOSH HUBBARD
Monday, November 04
Zac Selmon Joins Charlie Winfield And Bart Gregory On Out Of Left Field
Thursday, October 03