STARKVILLE — The new additions to Mississippi State football’s defensive coaching staff, coordinator Bob Shoop and linebackers coach Tem Lukabu, didn’t need long to see exactly what they’re inheriting in their defensive line. Lukabu has said his linebackers’ eyes light up when they see what happens in front of them, and Shoop has said that unit has lived up to the hype.
Shoop has seen reason for excitement elsewhere, in the position he coaches: safeties.
Even as Brandon Bryant’s temporary absence turned into a permanent one after he announced his intent to transfer over the weekend, Shoop has seen enough from the safeties who practiced in his absence to feel assured of the back end of his defense.
“I’m pretty excited. Johnathan Abram’s sort of the alpha of the group, Mark McLaurin’s a solid, steady player,” Shoop said. “The nickels are with me, too, and that’s going to be very competitive: Brian Cole and (Jaquarius Landrews) are competing at that position and Marcus Murphy made a nice play, a pass break-up, at the end of practice (last week), so we’re training him at that position, too.
“I’m excited about it because I already knew about Johnathan Abram, but I didn’t really know about Stephen Adegoke or C.J. Morgan, and those guys have been as steady as any players.”
Throughout spring practice, McLaurin and Abram have been starting at the two safety positions with Cole starting at nickelback. McLaurin led last year’s team with 79 tackles, 3.5 of them for a loss, and six interceptions, which ranked tied for first in the Southeastern Conference. Abram was second with 71 tackles, five of them for a loss, and five pass break-ups.
Cole missed last season as an academic redshirt after transferring from East Mississippi Community College. It hasn’t taken him long to make an impression on his new coordinator and position coach.
“He’s probably one of our best 11 to 15 players,” Shoop said. “I think he’s a good athlete, he’s big, strong, can blitz, can play the curl to flat. He fits the job description. He knows what he needs: he needs to be more consistent, but he certainly has the ability to be a really good player.”
Scrimmage priorities
Head coach Joe Moorhead spent the first weeks of spring practice installing on Tuesdays and Thursdays before reviewing on Saturday and repeating that cycle. The final three weeks of the schedule conclude with an intrasquad scrimmage as opposed to a review session, which is an indication of the installation’s progress.
“You get to a certain point in camp where you’re pretty much done with the installation and we’re at that point, we only have a few things to add up,” Moorhead said after Saturday’s scrimmage.
With all of that more or less complete, Moorhead’s priorities shift — other than his dedication to breaking the spring game attendance record. Now, he just wants to end the spring with no injuries.
“We want our guys to stay off the ground and stay up, protect each other so we can avoid piles,” Moorhead said. “I think that’s a big part in avoiding injuries, just staying off the dang ground.”
Guidry, Peters return
MSU was without three players in its scrimmage last weekend — defensive linemen Marquiss Spencer, cornerback Jamal Peters and wide receiver Stephen Guidry — but the latter two were back on the practice field Tuesday.
Peters and Spencer missed the scrimmage while tending to family matters, Moorhead said, and Guidry missed all of last week while he tended to off-field things. Spencer was not spotted at Tuesday’s practice.
Cornerback depth
MSU’s interceptions problem last year hit no position group harder than the cornerbacks, who had just three interceptions combined last season. For context, seven SEC cornerbacks had at least three interceptions last year as individuals.
Shoop sees the talent to make that problem disappear.
“I think (Cameron) Dantzler is really talented, he’s a special dude. I think he’s got the skillset that lends itself to being a really high-caliber SEC player,” Shoop said. “(Jamal) Peters, too. (Chris) Rayford’s got a lot of experience.
“Of that second group of guys, the guy that’s stepped up and been the most consistent is (Maurice) Smitherman. Anytime there’s a change, there’s a little anxiety, but for other guys it’s a fresh start and I think it might have been a fresh start for him. Some guys get in the dog house for whatever reason with a coaching staff or a particular coach.”
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