STARKVILLE — Mississippi State linebacker Aaron Brule knows training under Zach Arnett isn’t easy.
Some of Brule’s past coaches allowed their players to simply run and play around during training camp. Not so with the second-year defensive coordinator, though.
“Coach Arnett, he wants you to have fun, but he also wants you to know your plays and do everything perfectly,” Brule said.
That emphasis on perfection has so far gotten the best out of a versatile, deep group of linebackers ready to man the middle in the Bulldogs’ 3-3-5 defensive scheme.
“Everybody’s coming along pretty well,” Brule said Sunday. “I think we have at least four or five guys who could be starters, so that’s pretty good.”
Mississippi State’s most likely starters are Brule at weak-side linebacker, senior Tyrus Wheat manning the strong side and redshirt junior Nathaniel Watson in the middle. But as Arnett specified Saturday, that’s subject to change.
“I imagine we can go out there tomorrow and we can tell Tyrus, ‘Hey, you’re not the Sam today; you’re the Mike’ and Bookie, ‘You’re the Sam’ and flip them around, and they’ll have a general idea,” Arnett said.
The coordinator, who joined Mike Leach’s staff from San Diego State, has tried to emphasize that versatility with all six of his linemen and linebackers.
Brule said defensive lineman Jaden Crumedy — who checks in at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds — is equally adept at either defensive end spot as he is playing nose tackle.
“It’s nice to let them specialize and hone in on one specific set of jobs, but anytime you’ve got cross-training, it increases your depth,” Arnett said.
At linebacker, Brule said that applies less to himself and more to Wheat and Watson, who will often be called on to switch around as the Bulldogs make rotations.
Head coach Mike Leach said that movement between the two will help the Bulldogs catch opposing offenses off guard.
“The versatility is good, but you can create mismatches with those guys by moving them around,” Leach said Monday. “They’re both guys you don’t want to see across from you.”
Watson in particular has drawn comparisons to Erroll Thompson, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent after leading Mississippi State in tackles in 2020. Arnett praised the Maplesville, Alabama, product’s work ethic but tamped down the juxtapositions.
“All Bookie needs to worry about is being the best version of himself,” Arnett said. “He doesn’t need to spend any time thinking about the guy he’s replacing. That doesn’t matter.”
Behind the Bulldogs’ likely starters, there are several linebackers ready to step in. Brule praised redshirt junior Jett Johnson of Tupelo and Florida freshmen Timar Rogers and Nic Mitchell.
Rogers, Lovertich lead the way in QB battle
Leach gave an update Monday on the competition for the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback.
The coach said sophomore Will Rogers and South Alabama transfer Chance Lovertich have taken the lead in the battle for the job after receiving first- and second-team reps, respectively, in the team’s first four fall practices.
But nothing’s set in stone yet, Leach insisted.
“I think it’s an open deal,” he said. “I think Will and Chance are at the top, but it’s an open deal.”
Rogers threw for 1,976 yards and 11 touchdowns in nine games as a freshman, while Lovertich completed 47 of 86 passes for 619 yards and five scores in six games with the Jaguars.
Southern Miss graduate transfer Jack Abraham, expected to be one of the Bulldogs’ top options, has not participated in team drills yet during fall camp.
The other quarterbacks throwing in camp are Sam Houston State transfer Jack Kristofek, Tupelo freshman Jake Weir and Texas freshmen Sawyer Robertson and Daniel Greek.
Leach said the Bulldogs will eventually need to “push” things when it comes to naming a starter before their Sept. 4 season opener.
“We’ve got quite a few more practices to do it, but there will come a time when we have to make a decision and split the reps differently,” Leach said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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