STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State football team”s 22-player signing class might not have been highly touted, but coach Dan Mullen feels it addressed needs.
Though MSU inked just one linebacker — Rosa Fort”s Bernardrick McKinney — to help cope with the loss of All-Southeastern Conference players KJ Wright and Chris White, the Bulldogs signed four offensive linemen and three running backs.
The Bulldogs” biggest haul was in the secondary, where they signed five defensive backs, led by Stone County safety Dee Arrington. Athlete Taveze Calhoun also could wind up at defense back.
The signees add depth to a crowded and talented positions group. Entering the 2011 season, the Bulldogs will have senior safeties Charles Mitchell and Wade Bonner, and a pair of juniors Johnthan Banks and Corey Broomfield at cornerback.
MSU redshirted two defensive backs a year ago and will graduate six players from that group in the next two seasons.
The Bulldogs” incoming group of secondary players features size, as all four listed defensive backs are listed at 6-foot-1 or taller.
Arrington, a Parade All-American, is listed at 6-2, 210 pounds. He was rated the No. 3 overall prospect in the state by Scout.com. He had 121 tackles and rushed for 1,121 yards during his senior season. He turned down offers from the University of Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas Tech.
“Dee Arrington and (Heidelberg safety) Zach Jackson (are) big-time hitters in the secondary coming in with size potential to grow,” Mullen said. “We”ve been fortunate to get some taller defensive backs and play with some with the likes of John Banks. That length kind of helps you a little bit out there on the field.”
Arrington will join a safety rotation that accounted for 189 tackles, three forced fumbles, and three interceptions.
In MSU”s multiple formation defense, players rotate at a two-deep level at all positions. Keeping fresh bodies in the game was a goal of former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, and will carry over with new coordinator Chris Wilson, who was co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach last season.
The depth will include redshirt defensive backs Jamerson Love and Jay Hughes.
West Point”s Justin Cox, who led the Green Wave to back-to-back state titles as a quarterback, impressed Mullen and his coaches with his speed. Cox is confident he can make a quick transition to playing cornerback full time, something he hasn”t done since his sophomore year.
“I”m a football player, so I can make the adjustment,” Cox said recently. “I”ll have good coaches, so I”m sure it won”t take no time.”
With most of the buzz surrounding MSU”s wave of de-commitments and perceived defeat in the race to sign the top in-state players, Mullen pointed to his defensive back group in rebuttal.
“The top three or four DBs if you talk to the high school coaches were (South Panola standout) Kendrick Market one, Dee Arrington two, Zach Jackson three, and Justin Cox four,” Mullen said. “That”s how I viewed it.”
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