STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University football coach Dan Mullen still doesn’t know how he’ll approach the new kickoff rule to college football games this season.
Mullen, who directly coaches the special teams units at MSU, will have to adapt to a new rule voted into effect starting this season where the ball will be teed off five yards up at the 35-yard-line but a touchback will result in the offense getting the ball at the 25-yard-line instead of the previous marking of the 20.
The issue for Mullen and the MSU program is they used a scholarship to recruit and sign a in-state kicker, Devon Bell, specifically for his strong leg in order to possibly earn more kickoffs in the 2012 season.
Bell, who was rated as a three-star kicker out of Warren Central High School, was chosen as a first-team selection by the Mississippi Association of Coaches after having 28 of 32 kickoffs reach the end zone in his senior season.
“It’s a huge deal and shoot, we finally get a guy (like) Devon Bell that can kick it out of the end zone so now he should be able to kick into the stands,” Mullen said jokingly when talking to reporters Monday morning. “I think a lot of decisions will have to be made like do you want to kick it out the end zone and give it to them at the 25 or do you want to try, with less field to cover, to pin the opponent inside the 20. I don’t know if anybody will have the decisions on that until the season gets going.”
Mullen said Monday he hasn’t made a decision on the field goal kicking responsibilities yet between Bell and freshman Evan Sobiesk from Oak Grove as the Bulldogs have not done live kicking simulations yet in front of a line trying to block the attempt.
Sobiesk, who was a preferred walk-on after working with former MSU kicker Brian Hazelwood at the 2011 Big Dawg Camp, was an All-State selection for the final two seasons and hit 13 of 17 field goals in his senior campaign.
Jackson Academy OL Jamal Clayborn becomes 16th verbal commitment for MSU
Jackson Academy offensive lineman Jamal Clayborn became another verbal commitment to MSU’s 2013 recruiting class.
The 315-pound offensive guard prospect made his decision on a Jackson-area sports radio show Monday afternoon as he picked MSU over the University of Southern Mississippi.
“It came down to Mississippi State and Southern Miss, ” Clayborn told local radio. “It was an honor to talk to guys like Coach Saban and
Coach Miles, but I felt like I needed to help my home state. I picked Mississippi State because I feel like (MSU offensive line coach John) Hevesy can turn me into an NFL lineman.”
According to 247sports.com, Clayborn is the 16th best prospect in the state of Mississippi and he’ll add to the Bulldogs 2013 class that already has gotten verbal pledges from eight of the Magnolia state’s best dozen prospects according to most internet recruiting services.
Clayborn was a participant at MSU’s Big Dawg Camp in June and reportedly had been given a scholarship offer by the Bulldogs coaching staff as far back as April.
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