HOOVER, Ala. — The annual SEC Media Days came to a close Thursday afternoon following four days of press conferences.
Joining the other 13 teams in attendance, Mississippi State sent a contingent comprised of coach Joe Moorhead, senior center Darryl Williams, senior tight end Farrod Green and junior linebacker Erroll Thompson during Wednesday’s session.
The quartet discussed everything from suits and shoes, to play calling and new offensive roles. Here are a few of the highlights from MSU’s appearance:
The defensive tides are changing
Plenty has been made of the departures of defensive linemen Montez Sweat, Jeffery Simmons and Gerri Green to the NFL. What remains in Starkville is an older, albeit inexperienced group.
That said, Thompson and running mate junior Willie Gay Jr. figure to be major components of the defense this season at linebacker given the exodus of talent up front.
Following an 87-tackle campaign in 2018, Thompson was chosen as a captain for this year’s squad. A Florence, Alabama native, he explained Wednesday he expects the linebackers to be a bigger part of this year’s defense.
“Montez and Jeff, those are first round guys — you can’t replace those guys,” Thompson said. “So, it’ll probably be a little more strain on us but we’re up for the task.”
Moorhead was similarly cognizant of the experience Thompson brings in the middle as he addressed local reporters later in the day.
“Go to PFF and some of those other things,” Moorhead said. “(Thompson has) great eyes, one of the top linebackers in the country.”
Same faces, new places along the offensive line
Like the defensive line, the MSU offensive line replaces a number of NFL pieces heading into the coming season following the losses of Deion Calhoun and Elgton Jenkins.
Williams has already begun his move to center in place of Jenkins after spending most of his career at guard.
Other changes include juniors Stewart Reese and Dareuan Parker moving from right to left guard, while classmate Greg Eiland shifted moved from right tackle to left.
“I think with any great team, the mentality of championship-level team is dictated by the offensive and defensive line,” Moorhead said. “I feel very good about our depth and our talent on that line.”
Let the quarterback games begin
And so the quarterback conundrum in Starkville has begun. While the competition is decidedly unsettled between junior incumbent Keytaon Thompson and Penn State graduate transfer Tommy Stevens, Moorhead extensively addressed the position for the first time this offseason Wednesday.
As Commercial Dispatch Sports Editor Garrick Hodge wrote in his column Thursday, Moorhead said he’s not putting an exact date on when he will choose a starter — though he mentioned it would be ideal to do so at least 10 days ahead of MSU’s season opener against Louisiana Aug. 31.
Also of note during his comments was how he referenced the competition. Though Keytaon was the No. 1 coming out of spring ball, Moorhead said the battle for the job spot is up for grabs and that both players have an equal shot.
“We’ll go put a good plan together, they’ll get a good amount of reps with the No. 1s and with the 2s and we’ll see where it goes from there,” he said.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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