STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State University football team will have three captains this season.
Seniors defensive back Johnthan Banks and senior linebacker Cameron Lawrence and junior offensive guard Gabe Jackson were chosen in a vote by MSU players to be captains when the team opens its season at 6 p.m. Saturday (Fox Sports South) against Jackson State University at Davis Wade Stadium.
Banks, who is from East Webster High School in Maben, has been nominated to five national award watch lists and to the All-Southeastern Conference first team honors by at least six major publications. This week, Banks was named to the ESPN.com All-America team as a first-team cornerback.
“I think the one guy people are talking about in terms of NFL is John (Banks), and rightfully so,” MSU coach Dan Mullen said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t have multiple NFL guys on this roster, but John has seen his profile gone up with the work he’s put in before this year has even started.”
Lawrence is the leading returning tackler in the SEC from a year ago. The outside linebacker had 123 tackles in 2011. He was selected to the 2012 Butkus Award Watch List, an award given annually to the nation’s best linebacker.
The Bulldogs enter the 2012 season losing only two linebackers (Brandon Wilson and Brandon Maye).
Lawrence, who played the past three seasons at MSU with his older brother, Addison, practiced at quarterback and safety before finding a home at linebacker two years ago.
“Linebackers are the quarterbacks of the defense, and I take that mentality to how I play,” Lawrence said.
Jackson is on the list for the Lombardi Award, which is given to the nation’s best lineman of the year. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound guard also was named to the Outland Trophy Award Watch List and to the All SEC second-team offense by the coaches.
The recently turned 21-year-old has started each of the 26 games he’s participated in at left guard in the past two seasons.
Last year, MSU allowed only 25 sacks, but the offense slipped from 214.8 yards rushing per game to 175.3 last year. Jackson hopes to help MSU get back over 200 yards per game.
“Every year we have to set our expectations higher, we have to get better, win more,” Jackson said. “I feel like (last season) was a disappointment, but we are going to come back from it.”
Clay decommits to MSU
Clay-Chalkville (Ala.) High wide receiver DeAndre Woods confirmed to multiple media outlets Thursday he has decommitted to MSU for “personal reasons.”
Woods, who verbally pledged his services to the Bulldogs in early June, became the first projected member of the 2013 recruiting class to decommit following the resignation of wide receivers coach Angelo Mirando.
According to 247Sports.com, Woods informed linebackers coach Geoff Collins on Thursday of his decision, but said he still was considering signing with MSU in February. Woods has opened up his recruitment to include the University of Arkansas, Purdue University, and Vanderbilt University. He plans to visit each school this fall.
According to the NCAA recruiting calendar, coaches are permitted to call a prospective recruit once a week after Sept. 1.
“With the five senior receivers leaving, it’s a good opportunity for me,” Woods said in July. “I just want to go to a college where I can play as a freshman and play hard.”
Woods, a three-star prospect, according to most recruiting services, from Pinson Valley, Ala., had 36 catches and 10 touchdowns last fall. He was a 2011 Birmingham News All-Metro first-team selection at receiver.
The Alabama Sports Writers Association also named him an honorable mention to the Class 6A all-state football team last December. His decommitment leaves the Bulldogs with 18 commitments in the 2013 recruiting class, including three wide receiver prospects: Scott Austin, B.J. Hammond, and Shelby Christie.
“What I hope my commitment did was allow others to feel comfort in knowing they can stand up and say they want to come here, too,” Hammond told The Dispatch in July. “I talked to (MSU verbal commit DeAndre Woods from Pinson Valley, Ala.) and he told me he already knew where he wanted to do, but when I committed, it gave him somebody to stand up with and say I’m going to go there despite where everybody else wants me to go.”
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