Mississippi State defensive ends coach Vincent Dancy made his unit’s job clear from the first day he set foot inside the Leo Seal football complex: “We have to get after the quarterback.” 

Dancy, who also coaches outside linebackers and spent the past two seasons working with Deion Sanders at Colorado after a five-year stint as Mississippi Valley’s head coach, knows the key to a strong defense starts up front.

“We have to generate pressure on the QB for those guys on the back end of the field to create turnovers,” he continued. “That’s who we will be up front. We will be aggressive, we will be a bunch of guys that’s chasing that ball every down, every play, or else you won’t play.”

The Bulldogs ranked 126th in defensive pass efficiency last year and 125th in total defense out of 133 FBS teams. MSU was bad everywhere defensively, but winning battles in the trenches could be key for a team trying to turn the ship around in 2025. It’s certainly where the coaching staff identified the biggest need. 

Mississippi State brought in 10 players to fill out a barren defensive line and edge-rush depth chart, emphasizing experience with six senior and graduate transfers. That depth could be a difference maker for the team as it looks to rediscover an identity up front. 

“I think it starts up front,” co-defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler said on Tuesday. “In this league, and in the game of football in general, you’ve got to be able to win up front. We say it all the time, ‘Big people beat up little people,’ and it starts with your D-line. We were able to add a ton of depth and a ton of great pieces on the interior, as well as edge players and pass rushers.”

Hutzler and fellow defensive coordinator Matt Barnes also brought in some help on staff, with Dancy joining David Turner in coaching the defensive line. Barnes credited the staff for putting together a stronger unit. But, having the guys is one thing; how they play together is another.  

Building chemistry is part of the job, with players going in and out each year, and the defensive staff has put an emphasis on the intangibles for getting the group to gel as soon as possible. 

“You have to establish a work ethic, number one,” Turner said of bringing a room along. “How we go about things, and hopefully, you get guys who are motivated and want to perform well. This day of NIL has changed the game, so guys in the past were trying to get to the league, guys now getting money, and we joke around, check your ego and your checks at the door. You’ve got to come in and work every day and grind. There is no shortcut, no easy way, we can’t cut corners. There’s one way of doing things up front, and guys have to embrace that.” 

At SEC Media Days in Atlanta two weeks ago, defensive captain Issac Smith stressed the importance of player accountability after a historically bad year for the program, remarking that, “Coaches can’t go out there and play for us.” . 

Smith is one of a few returning players from the 2024 defensive unit. While reinforcements were brought in, the emphasis on accountability as well as football ability is a source of confidence for the new staff, and something that they hope can make the defense a strength again. 

“It’s been cool to watch the players really take charge of that,” Barnes said of the player leadership. “I mean, every coach would tell you, probably across any sport, that the best teams in team sports anyway, are the ones that are player-led and not fed by the coaching staff… Those guys taking the reins on that is a huge deal. When your best players are your best leaders, good things should happen.”