STARKVILLE — Seydou Traore grew up playing 11-man football. Just not the kind that’s most popular in the United States.
A former standout soccer goalkeeper in his home city of London, Traore nonetheless became interested in American football, to the point where he moved to the U.S. for his senior year of high school in the hopes of earning a Division I football scholarship despite having never played the sport before.
That one year at Clearwater Academy International in Florida was enough for Traore to garner interest from the likes of Florida State, Iowa State and Memphis, but he chose to sign with Arkansas State, his lone Football Bowl Subdivision offer. After appearing in 11 games as a true freshman in 2021 and coming on strong late in the year, Traore broke out in 2022, leading the Red Wolves with 655 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
He was among the most productive tight ends in all of college football, piling up the fifth-most receiving yards at the position and leading all Sun Belt Conference tight ends in both receptions and yards. Traore entered the transfer portal after that sophomore season and landed at Colorado under Deion Sanders, but with the Buffaloes’ roster in a constant state of churn, he transferred again after the spring, committing to Mississippi State in July of 2023.
“It’s been ups and downs, obviously,” Traore said. “I knew I couldn’t play last year, and I knew I was good enough to be on the field. It’s all in timing. I know there’s a bigger plan, so I just had to stay patient.”
Traore was required to sit out last season after having transferred twice the previous year, but he is expected to be a big part of the Bulldogs’ tight end room in 2024. It’s a group that produced almost nothing last year from a pass-catching standpoint — TCU transfer Geor’quarius Spivey was ruled ineligible days before the season opener and Georgia transfer Ryland Goede made just one reception.
Malik Ellis, recruited as an offensive lineman, moved over to the tight end to make up for that lack of depth but was used primarily as a blocker. Antonio Harmon did finish with 14 catches for 98 yards and a touchdown, but he plays more like a slot receiver than a true tight end. Traore appears to have the inside track to start at tight end in head coach Jeff Lebby’s new-look offense.
“He can do a lot of different things,” Lebby said. “That tight end room has really progressed. There’s some really quality depth in there, some guys who are going to be able to make plays for us and be really good on the perimeter in the block game. I like where that room has grown. We have a lot of work to continue to do, but Seydou is going to be a huge piece of that.”
MSU also added brothers Justin and Cameron Ball, from Vanderbilt and Buffalo, respectively, to fill out the tight end room. Both played regularly at their previous schools, but neither put up anything close to Traore’s sophomore year numbers at Arkansas State. If Traore and the tight ends can become weapons in the passing game, it would alleviate some of the pressure on a talented but relatively inexperienced group of receivers.
With Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin, Zavion Thomas and Justin Robinson all out the door, the reserves from last year — Creed Whittemore, Jaden Walley and Jordan Mosley — will join a highly-touted freshman trio of JJ Harrell, Braylon Burnside and Mario Craver. Transfers Kevin Coleman (Louisville) and Kelly Akharaiyi (Texas-El Paso) are the Bulldogs’ most seasoned wideouts.
“(Traore) has caught my eye for sure,” Whittemore said. “He’s a guy who can run a route and also set up a good block, so he’s somebody we’re going to use a lot this year. He can do it all.”
Spring game to feature offense vs. defense format
Instead of dividing the full squad into two teams with both offensive and defensive players, MSU’s offense will face off against the defense Saturday with a unique scoring system.
The offense will score in the traditional sense, while the defense will score 12 points for a defensive touchdown and seven for a turnover or a fourth-down stop. A punt earns the defense a net of three points, and the defense also gets three points for forcing a field goal attempt. Two points go to the defense for a missed extra point or two-point conversion.
The spring game is the first chance for Lebby and the Bulldogs to showcase their new quick-strike offense to the public. MSU ranked 105th out of 133 FBS teams last season in yards per play, ahead of only Arkansas among Southeastern Conference programs.
“I want to show (the fans) that we’re going to play fast,” Lebby said. “We’re going to be fearless (and) we’re going to be physical in everything we do. I want to put a product on the field that people are excited about.”
The defense also has plenty of questions to answer after losing the majority of its starters to either the NFL Draft or the transfer portal. De’Monte Russell and Deonte Anderson are returning veterans on the defensive line, and South Carolina transfer Stone Blanton should anchor the linebacking corps. Apart from safety Corey Ellington and cornerback Brice Pollock, though, the secondary is the most unproven area on the roster.
“You want guys to be able to go play free and fast,” Lebby said. “After 14 days of practicing and being on the grass with them and in a bunch of meetings and a bunch of different installs, you want to see how they’re going to respond on their own when there’s nobody on the field with them. We try to do that as much as we can in scrimmages, but still this will be different on Saturday.”
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