STARKVILLE — Mississippi State redshirt freshman linebacker Gerri Green already is drawing comparisons to a former Bulldog linebacker.
Even though Green hasn’t played for the Bulldogs, many think he is similar to Benardrick McKinney.
“It’s a great compliment,” Green said. “B-Mac (McKinney) was a great player. To be anything like him would be a good
accomplishment. Being compared to him and the things that he did here, that is a big compliment.”
One reason for the comparison is McKinney is 6-foot-5 and weighs 249 pounds. Green is 6-4 and 243 pounds.
Last season, McKinney earned All-America honors. He had 244 tackles (19.5 tackles for loss), 7.5 sacks, and seven pass breakups in his three-year career. The Houston Texans used the 43rd overall pick to selected McKinney in the NFL draft in April.
Green likes the comparison to McKinney, but he compares himself to another former Bulldog linebacker.
“I always looked up to K.J., K.J. Wright,” Green said even though the two have never met. “The things I heard about him coming out of high school, tall and lanky kid who is now an NFL superstar. Coming out of high school, I always looked up to him.”
Wright is about to start his fifth season with the Seattle Seahawks. In his four-year Bulldog career, the Olive Branch native had 258 tackles and 14 sacks.
Even with the comparisons, Green is trying to find his niche at linebacker. He watched and learned from McKinney last fall, but he had a chance to get a lot of repetitions in spring practice. He carried over what he learned in the fall and spring into summer. With Manny Diaz as the team’s new linebackers coach and defensive coordinator, Green wanted to get ahead of the game and familiarize himself with the new system.
“I think it helped a lot, just preparing for this moment,” Green said of his work in the summer. “The more we did made the transition in fall camp quicker. I worked hard in the summer, not just waiting for fall camp to hit us in the face but attacking it. It helped a lot.
“I am more comfortable than I was a year ago with the system. I just have to make the most of it.”
Diaz left his defensive players instructions about what they had to key on when watching film. That was a big help for Green when it came to understanding how an offense works.
“He set up keys on film, what things to watch with the receiver, tight ends, running backs,” Green said. “We used that over the summer to learn what the offense was going to do in certain situations.”
Diaz and seventh-year coach Dan Mullen have noticed the work Green has put in.
“He’s a hard worker,” Mullen said. “He worked to improve his athleticism in getting bigger, faster, stronger throughout the offseason. What we need from him is translating that on the football field and translating that to being a better football player. He’s a guy we would like to see do that quickly to get himself in the rotation.”
Green will get an opportunity because the Bulldogs lost two starters — McKinney and Matt Wells. Junior Beniquez Brown is the only returning starter.
Green will back up junior Richie Brown at middle linebacker.
“He’s getting his mental aspect of the game down,” Brown said. “He’s a big guy and he’s doing really good. He’s an awesome person and a great friend, and he’s going to be a good, good player.”
Green hasn’t seen game action since the fall of 2013. He saw limited time as a senior at Greenville Weston High School due to a knee injury. Even with the injury, Green had 98 tackles (11.5 for loss) and five sacks.
He has recovered from his injury and he wants to stay healthy.
“I’m staying strong, staying focused,” Green said. “I don’t want to lose anything I have gained so far, so I want to stay on the up and up.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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