STARKVILLE — With spring commencement at Mississippi State now officially passed, summer has arrived in Starkville.
And while the MSU football team has yet to endure its usual regimen of spring practices due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there remains a growing optimism a 2020 football season will be played — though when that would happen and the logistics behind such an occurrence remain unknown.
Over the next week-plus, we’re going to dive into the Bulldogs’ depth chart heading into the summer and what it might look like once competition is allowed to begin. With that said, let’s keep things going with the MSU linebackers.
Like in the defensive backfield, MSU must replace an underclassman-turned-pro in the center of its defense. Following a junior year that was marred by suspension for his role in the academic misconduct scandal that saw a tutor complete coursework for 10 football players and one men’s basketball player, coupled with a reported fight with freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader, Starkville native Willie Gay Jr. opted for the NFL draft rather than return for his senior season.
Gay, who played with as much speed and tenacity as anyone on the Bulldog defense a year ago, was not only a vocal standout but one who recorded a 93.9 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus since 2017 — the best mark among 2020 draft-eligible linebackers.
But with the former Yellow Jacket now off to Kansas City after being selected in the second round by the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, new defensive coordinator Zach Arnett must make use of a roster that boasts a solid base for the 3-3-5 defense he’ll bring with him from San Diego State.
“You want to get into a four-down look? Well, you put a linebacker at the line of scrimmage,” Arnett said in February describing his defensive scheme’s fit at MSU. “You want to get another linebacker down in there? You drop a safety down, then he becomes a linebacker. It’s not so much some strict, ‘Hey, there’s three (defensive) linemen; there’s always three linebackers right here.’ It just allows us the most multiplicity.”
Of those returning at linebacker in 2020, none is more valuable than senior Erroll Thompson. A team captain as a junior under Joe Moorhead’s regime, Thompson finished the 2019 season with 84 tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
After flirting with an early NFL draft entry, the Florence, Alabama, native will return for his final season in Starkville as a leader in the middle of the Bulldog defense. And though Thompson profiles more as a thumper than the versatile athletes that the 3-3-5 breeds, he’s far and away the most experienced player at the position.
Beyond Thompson, things get bare quickly for a position that was a strength of last season’s defense. In addition to Gay’s departure, seniors Tim Washington, Leo Lewis and Sh’mar Kilby-Lane have all graduated. Behind them, Aaron Brule and Nathaniel Watson saw limited playing time but impressed in spurts as freshmen.
Brule, who redshirted during the 2018 season, should thrive in Arnett’s new versatile system given the athleticism that made him a football and basketball standout at Archbishop Rummel in Metairie, Louisiana. After seeing time in all 13 games last season behind Gay and Lewis at the WILL linebacker spot, he should slide into the position with ease.
Other names to watch include Copiah-Lincoln Community College import Tyrus Wheat and incoming freshman Rodney Groce Jr.
Wheat joins fellow Co-Lin standout Jordan Davis (more on him in the coming days) in Starkville and should give MSU another college-ready option in the middle of the field. The No. 1 junior college linebacker in the country according to 247 Sports, Wheat played safety as a high schooler and boasts comparable athleticism to Brule that should allow him to play both in coverage and as a standup blitzer off the edge when the scheme calls for it.
Groce was initially committed to Nebraska but flipped his pledge to Mississippi State in December. The Pleasant Grove, Alabama, native was rated the No. 24 inside linebacker in the country and finished his senior season with 134 tackles — including 34.5 tackles for loss — 14.5 sacks, nine pass breakups, 21 quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles, one interception and one fumble recovery.
With an improved strength program run by Washington State import Tyson Brown combined with Arnett’s 3-3-5 base formation, the MSU linebacking corps stands to be as versatile as it has been in decades. It’s just a matter of giving the youthful unit game reps.
“I’ve been incredibly impressed with how the guys have been approaching the workouts because, you know, our strength coaches, he’s working them now,” Arnett said in reference to the MSU defense in February. “And you know it’s fun as a coach when you get to be around players like that in your program.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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