STARKVILLE — As Mike Leach and his wife, Sharon, rode their bikes down the roads of Key West in recent weeks, the small island 90 miles from Cuba has quickly emptied.
Vacationers have up and gone. Beaches are bare. Hotels have few, if any, occupants. The supermarkets in town are among the only places that remain open.
What is normally a small, but bustling beach town, the Conch Republic has become a shell of itself following the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19.
“We’re not really a place where there’s just mass crowds at the beach,” Leach explained. “You know, you have your space and all that. But I don’t know — it just seems like fresh air, breeze and salt water would be pretty good at attacking this thing. You know?”
For Leach, his well-documented haven has become a home office of sorts since he departed Starkville for spring break nearly three weeks ago. An avid reader, he’s delved into the works of famed Mississippi writer Willie Morris. Documentaries have also filled the hours. But more pressing, it’s preparations for the 2020 season that have captured the largest component of Leach’s extended jaunt to paradise.
“I do think it’s kind of a good time to reset, sort your thoughts, sort your priorities and what you want to do, need to do and reassess what’s really important,” Leach told The Dispatch. “Now that doesn’t change the fact that everybody is ecstatic, and biting at the bit and incredibly eager to get out there on the field and to practice — which we desperately need.”
Having spent the better part of the past month in Key West, adjusting to MSU has been all the more difficult for Leach as he is a literal ocean away from Starkville and the majority of his players. Technology has helped him keep in touch with his staff. Twice weekly meetings with Athletic Director John Cohen and the other MSU head coaches have also helped.
That said, it’s still a challenge for Leach to learn a roster that he’s only been able to observe in passing during offseason workouts and varying team activities — though he remains upbeat about its potential.
“I wish I could give you a more complete answer,” he conceded. “It was fun during the offseason to a point, but that’s just sort of like seeing the presents under the tree.”
Beyond the obvious transition from a run-pass-option attack to an air raid offense — one that saw Washington State quarterbacks attempt 710 passes last season compared to the 315 thrown by MSU signal callers — the biggest question mark remains at quarterback.
Speaking with reporters at his first media availability at MSU on Feb. 5, Leach said he hoped to use spring practices as an evaluation period before whittling the competition to two finalists. But with the spring session canceled, the quarterback competition is likely to run well into fall camp.
At present, the Bulldogs currently boast five scholarship quarterbacks heading into the summer. Vanderbilt import Allan Walters will also join the squad as a walk-on initially, though he is expected to sit this season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Following a year in which he completed 88 passes for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns, rising sophomore Garrett Shrader was expected to take the reins ahead of former coach Joe Moorhead’s firing. But with Moorhead now off to Oregon as the new offensive coordinator in Eugene and Stanford graduate transfer KJ Costello in the fold, Shrader will have his work cut out for him.
For one, Costello and Leach’s ties run deep. Leach previously recruited the California product out of Santa Margarita High School during his tenure at Washington State. He also coached four of Costello’s former Eagle teammates during his time in Pullman — including Cougar standouts River Cracraft and Kyle Sweet.
A veteran passer, Costello completed 495 of 791 passes for 6,151 yards and 49 touchdowns to 18 interceptions in 29 career games at Stanford. More importantly, his 62.6 completion percentage in parts of four years is over five points better than Shrader’s in one season of work.
“I thought he was tough, I thought he threw the ball well,” Leach said of his impressions of Costello in two career games against him. “It does kind of laser out of his hand and he’s a smart guy.”
Though Costello and Shrader are undoubtedly the front-runners for the starting gig, junior Keytaon Thompson and mid-year enrollee Will Rogers could also figure into the mix. Thompson redshirted last season after losing out on the starting job to Penn State graduate transfer Tommy Stevens, while Rogers — like Costello — was previously recruited by Leach at Washington State before he settled on MSU.
Now 21 days since MSU departed for spring break, it remains to be seen when Leach, his staff and the rest of the Bulldogs will return to Starkville. And while the first-year head coach continues to make use of his extended stay in the southernmost point in the United States, bike rides and books haven’t quelled his desire to get back on the field.
“All you have is full steam ahead,” Leach said of whether he’s concerned the season could be delayed. “Just stick in the present and that’s really all you have. I guess I’m worried, but I’m going to cross that bridge when I come to it. I’m optimistic we’ll get to the bottom of this and get rolling.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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