STARKVILLE — The rewards continue to roll in for Mississippi State’s Orange Bowl-bound football team.
A week after five Bulldogs were named All-Southeastern Conference performers, three of those players added All-America status to their list of accolades Tuesday.
Linebacker Benardrick McKinney was named a second-team All-American by The Associated Press, while offensive lineman Ben Beckwith was named a third-team selection.
The AP’s All-America teams were released late Tuesday morning. Two hours later, McKinney had his name called again, this time as a first-team All-American, according to Sports Illustrated, which also picked quarterback Dak Prescott as an honorable mention All-American.
McKinney, a redshirt junior from Tunica, added the All-America honors to a pair of All-SEC nods from last week. He was a second-team selection by to the league’s media and a first-team choice by the league’s coaches. He finished the season as MSU’s leader in tackles with 61. He also had eight tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries. One of five Bulldogs who have already filled out exploratory paperwork to explore his options in the NFL draft, McKinney was a All-American as a freshman two years ago.
Beckwith was MSU’s second AP All-American on the offensive line in the past two seasons. Gabe Jackson earned the honors last season.
A former walk-on from Benton, Beckwith was a three-time SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week this season. He has started the past 24 games.
Prescott, a junior from Haughton, Louisiana, is MSU’s first quarterback to receive All-America recognition since Billy Stacy in 1957. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder led the SEC with 38 touchdowns. He helped the offense set 10 school records and led the team to a 10-2 regular-season mark.
Contract talks continue
The departure of MSU defensive coordinator Geoff Collins wasn’t the only coaching news discussed following the Bulldogs’ practice Tuesday.
There also was the matter of a contract extension for coach Dan Mullen, who led the Bulldogs to the program’s first No. 1 ranking in school history.
With his name linked to the coaching search at Michigan, Mullen was asked if he or his agents have been contacted by another school.
“My agent has heard from (MSU Director of Athletics) Scott Stricklin,” Mullen said. “Just Scott, so hopefully we get something done there.”
Mullen, now in his sixth season, is 46-30 in Starkville. After each of his five previous seasons, his contract has been extended by former Director of Athletics Greg Byrne or Stricklin. That hasn’t happened yet, but Stricklin said last week after MSU’s Orange Bowl press conference that he’s “optimistic a deal will be in place soon.”
After practice Tuesday, Mullen echoed those sentiments.
“Mississippi State has always been great to me, my family. We love it here,” Mullen. “I imagine it will get worked out.”
Staley out
On Monday, freshman quarterback Elijah Staley released a message on Twitter announcing he was heading into surgery.
On Tuesday, Mullen confirmed that procedure.
“His patella tendon, which I know it started in basketball,” Mullen said of the two-sport athlete. “In doing that he had some tendonitis in there and then tweaked it out here at practice and had to have surgery. He is going to be out for a little bit. He can still throw. He didn’t break his arm or anything? They said he can still throw, so he might even have to sit in the chair and throw some. But we’ll get him back and get him ready to go play.”
Mullen said Staley, a 6-foot-7, 240-pounder from Marietta, Georgia, is doubtful for spring practice.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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