Coming off Tuesday afternoon’s practice, Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett was candid about some of the defensive players he saw compete at MSU Pro Day earlier in the day.
It was a tough practice for the Bulldogs, and he joked about not having them around.
“It’s kind of sad that they’re not going to be lining up in maroon and white,” Arnett said. “And then we come out and practice and we don’t look too good and you wish you had a few of those guys back.”
Good days and bad days happen on the practice field, a big reason why practice even exists in the first place, but those on the field on Tuesday could very well be the next in line to participate in pro day drills at Palmeiro Center.
Arnett was on hand to watch 16 former Mississippi State players participate in this year’s pro day event, including the likes of top-end cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr., one of nine defensive players to participate.
“A lot of guys you develop really good relationships with and were really good players for us the last several years, you enjoy watching them go out and fulfill their dream of working out for the pros,” Arnett said. “Looking forward to their future here in the coming weeks with the draft … (I’m) happy for those guys. That was a great performance today.”
Players like Jackie Matthews and Jalen Green, who transferred to Mississippi State from West Virginia and Texas, respectively, also earned spots at pro day after brief, but successful stints with the Bulldogs.
Arnett is hoping that performances like that will continue to attract more in the transfer portal to Starkville.
“You got some evidence right there of getting a plan in place for guys when you recruit them out of the portal,” Arnett said. “You hope it speaks to the fact that you have the ability to coach them, get them up to speed quickly and get them on the field.”
This week is a busy one for Mississippi State football, with pro day having taken place on Tuesday and the first scrimmage of the spring coming on Saturday.
Change and adaptation has been the de-facto theme of the Bulldogs this spring with transfers, new coaches and a number of coaching changes overall.
Practice will finally give way to more game-like situations, all leading up to the April 15 spring game.
“The most valuable film toward evaluation is playing real football,” Arnett said. “Live tackle, cut, guys go make plays on the ball, some guys make plays, some guys don’t. These three scrimmages, the opportunities we get in the spring are huge.”
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