STARKVILLE — With Spring Commencement at Mississippi State now officially passed, summer has arrived in Starkville.
And while the MSU football team has yet to endure their usual regimen of spring practices due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there remains a growing optimism a 2020 football season will be played — though when that would happen and the logistics behind such an occurrence.
Over the next week-plus we’re going to dive into the Bulldogs’ depth chart heading into the summer and what it might look like once competition is allowed to begin. With that said, let’s get things started with the MSU defensive backs:
Cornerback
Replacing a two-year starter is never easy. Replacing one as productive as Cameron Dantzler is even more difficult.
With Dantzler now off to the professional ranks after being selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, cornerbacks coach Darcel McBath will be tasked with replacing his production and leadership come fall, though he boasts a host of youthful options to do so.
Most notably, sophomores Martin Emerson Jr. and Jarrian Jones will see increases in their playing time after standout freshman campaigns in coach Joe Moorhead’s final year at the helm.
Emerson profiles much the same way Dantzler did given his lanky 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame. In his inaugural season in Starkville he flashed shut-down corner-type traits and was named an honorable mention Freshman All-American by Pro Football Focus for his efforts.
Alongside Emerson is his roommate and proclaimed best friend in Jones. Though the former Northwest Rankin defensive back struggled in coverage at times — particularly during SEC play — he showed flashes of speed and physicality in the defensive backfield.
“I haven’t ever seen a pair of corners like that,” former MSU safety Jaquarius Landrews, now with the New York Giants, said of the pair last fall. “They’re hungry, they have a close bond. Those boys are going to be top notch later on in life.”
Incoming freshman Decamerion Richardson could also factor into the equation. Richardson was among the final additions to MSU’s 2020 class after he was underrecruited for much of the process. Soon after his commitment, 247sports bumped him to a four-star ranking in their in-house rankings given his stature at 6-foot-2, 176 pounds and track-like speed.
Other names to watch include senior Tyler Williams — who played major snaps in 2019 — classmates Korey Charles, Taury Dixon and sophomores Jaylon Reed and Dylan Lawrence.
Safety
Like at corner, MSU must replace experienced talent in Jaquarius Landrews and Maurice Smitherman. But with junior West Point native Marcus Murphy and senior C.J. Morgan returning in 2020, the Bulldogs have logical replacements at both spots.
Murphy returns in full after being suspended for eight games last season for his involvement in the academic misconduct scandal that implicated 10 football players and one men’s basketball player having a tutor complete coursework for them.
After contributing as a freshman on special teams, the former high school quarterback starred in limited opportunities in 2019 — including an interception return for a touchdown against Arkansas that helped the Bulldogs keep their bowl aspirations alive.
As for Morgan, he endured a season ending lower-body injury against Alabama and was carted off the field but appeared in all 10 games to that point. Should his rehab go according to plan, he’ll start opposite Murphy.
Other youngsters to keep in mind include freshman Janari Dean, junior Landon Guidry and senior Fred Peters.
Dean, who played both running back and defensive back at South Panola, could slide into the nickelback spot vacated by Brian Cole II given his compact build at 5-foot-11 and 185 pound, while Peters should be the third safety in the rotation between Murphy and Morgan.
“The kids have been great and just very welcoming,” new safeties coach Jason Washington told The Dispatch in February. “I’m excited about moving down the road and working with them.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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