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 defensive line.
While the MSU secondary and linebacking corps both boast ample experienced options to replace departing talent, there is perhaps no unit more youthful and in need of experience than the Bulldog defensive line. With senior Lee Autry III graduated and incumbent defensive tackle Fabien Lovett having transferred to Florida State in the wake of coach Mike Leach’s tweet referencing a noose, MSU is in major need of depth up front.
At defensive tackle, Autry’s and Lovett’s holes are gaping, though there are reasonable — albeit inexperienced — options who can help.
Most notably, sophomore Nathan Pickering should slide into a starting role in the trenches. A former four-star recruit and the No. 4 player in Mississippi in the class of 2018, Pickering came to MSU with considerable hype after a standout career at Seminary High School. Living up to his billing in his inaugural season in the maroon and white, he appeared in nine of 13 games last season, totaling 11 tackles, 6.5 for a loss, and three sacks.
“There has been a long history of defensive linemen in this state who have decided to stay home at Mississippi State and gone on to great success on the field and in the classroom,” former MSU coach Joe Moorhead said on National Signing Day in 2018. “I believe Nathan will be the next guy in that line.”
Alongside Pickering, classmate Jaden Crumedy should also slide into a starting role on the interior defensive line. Crumedy, like Lovett, was thrust into game action earlier than anticipated in 2019 after Autry was caught up in the academic misconduct scandal that left 10 football players and one men’s basketball player suspended for having a tutor complete their coursework. In response, the Hattiesburg native played in 12 of 13 games last year, finishing with 18 tackles, two for a loss, and one sack.
While the defensive tackle spots boast logical starters, defensive end is decidedly more unsettled. With Chauncey Rivers off to the NFL following a three-year spell at MSU, the Bulldogs do return senior Marquiss Spencer after he momentarily tested the professional waters.
Spencer has long been billed as a player with potential to succeed given his 6-foot-4-inch, 285-pound frame, but injuries and ineffectiveness have maligned his time in Starkville to date. After enduring a season-ending injury in 2018, he finished 2019 with 37 tackles and just one sack. If the Bulldogs hope to find any semblance of a pass rush, Spencer’s numbers will have to improve.
Other names to watch include the quartet of defensive end recruits MSU signed in its 2020 class. Of those, Copiah-Lincoln standout Jordan Davis should be an instant-impact performer from his first day on campus.
Rated the No. 4 junior college player in the country by ESPN, Davis boasts an athletic build at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds and stands to add muscle once he’s fully indoctrinated into a Southeastern Conference weight program.
“He’s a guy that’s still learning, still going to get bigger and stronger,” Co-Lin head coach Glenn Davis told The Dispatch in July. “Compared to where he was when he came here, he has made tremendous strides in the weight room.”
Former Provine standout De’Monte Russell could also factor into the equation at defensive end. An Under Armour All-American in high school, Russell was involved in a car accident with teammate J.P. Purvis in December, though he was released from the hospital later that night. Should he be fully recovered mentally and physically, he’ll be expected to contribute in the rotation as a sophomore in MSU’s new 3-3-5 scheme.
“I think anytime you run something that’s a little bit different, that people have to prepare for, hopefully there’s going to be some breakdowns in what they do because they don’t see it week in and week out,” MSU defensive line coach Jeff Phelps said in February. “It changes the picture, so it gives our guys an opportunity to be successful on some plays.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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