STARKVILLE — The Mississippi summer heat is still visible just above the turf field at the Leo Seal Jr. complex, but college football is just 30 days away from returning to Starkville.
In that heat stood first-year Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby, barking about footwork to his quarterbacks as he and his team prepared for what they hope is the start of a new era of Bulldogs football.
“We want to see guys who are very intentional and getting better,” Lebby said after the first day of preparation for the new season. “Taking to the coaching, finding ways to get coached, a ‘Coach me, coach,’ attitude every rep, and finding ways to strain.”
Lebby took over a team that finished 5-7 with the worst offense in the Southeastern Conference in 2023 and made an immediate impression in recruiting the 2024 high school class and transfer portal. Now he has a group with a lot of new faces, but with a productive spring practice period under their belts, most of them are quickly getting up to speed.
“Our guys have retained in a really good way because they’ve worked at it,” he said. “It’s not like they haven’t picked up the playbook since we got off the field in the spring game. They’ve put in the time and we’re so much further ahead than we were when we ended the spring, and now it’s about getting the young guys and the new guys up to speed and getting them working.”
One of those newcomers is Blake Shapen, who Lebby spent most of practice with, alongside the other quarterbacks. That’s the part of the game where Lebby has made his mark, coaching some electrifying offenses at UCF, Ole Miss and Oklahoma. Shapen fits the profile and system experience Lebby was looking for, and now he has a shot at making an impression in Starkville.
“He’s all about walking the walk every day,” Lebby said of his QB1. “Our football team won’t if he won’t, so he’s in the building all day every day, spending time trying to get better, trying to get his teammates to get better, and that’s what we’ve got to have from him.”
In retooling an offense that offered very little last season, Lebby also needed some weapons. Several arrived through the portal, and one is already garnering some national award hype after impressing elsewhere.
Kevin Coleman, an exciting transfer from Louisville, was named to the watchlist for the 2024 Paul Hornung Award, given annually to honor the most versatile player in college football.
Coleman played in 14 games for the Cardinals and totaled 26 receptions for 362 yards and two touchdowns while rushing the ball 26 times for 117 yards. He was part of the Louisville team that finished 10-4 and played in the ACC Championship game against Florida State.
Lebby was asked about Coleman and had a straightforward response about what he saw in him.
“I saw a guy that had the ability to have great production inside our offense,” Lebby said. “When I called around and asked about him they said all the right things from mentality, toughness, leadership, who he was as a human, and he’s been that, so that’s a guy I’m excited about.”
But the time for talk and hype is almost over and Lebby stressed the importance of haste in getting ready for opening night against Eastern Kentucky at Davis Wade Stadium on Aug. 31. He kept using the word “strain” in his press conference, emphasizing the importance of toughness and competitiveness. Football is a game that demands endurance physically and mentally, and for the Bulldogs to make their mark on the SEC again they have to fight through much worse than the Mississippi summer heat.
“We said it in the team meeting this morning, the best they’ll feel for the rest of the season was this morning,” Lebby said. “Those days are over. That’s part of this game. It’s a violent game, it’s a physical game, it’s hard and it’s supposed to be, but we’ve got to do a great job taking care of our bodies and when we’re out there strain it.”
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