STARKVILLE — The Australian influence on college football has been well-documented in recent years.
Mississippi State football has it’s own down-under import this year in Keelan Crimmins, a 22-year old freshman from Melbourne who was ranked the No. 7 punter in the nation for the 2023 recruiting class.
“He played Australian rules football for three years for some leagues there,” special teams coordinator Eric Mele said. “They’re all playing with their feet versus some sports like baseball, so he can run around, starting with the post route, and just punt it up to them, hit them in stride.”
Crimmins is one of two punters competing for the starting job this season in an increasingly competitive special teams room.
The Bulldogs have five kickers in fall camp, as well as a number of kick and punt returners headlined by Zavion Thomas and Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin.
“A lot more depth, a lot more competition,” Mele said. “You don’t make your kick or you don’t execute, there’s someone else ready to earn that rep. It’s been good to have that in camp.”
A number of expected impact starters for 2023 got their first game action on special teams as underclassmen, including the aforementioned wide receivers Thomas and Griffin and defensive backs Marcus Banks and Jordan Morant.
“Their fastest way on the field is special teams, but that’s part of my job to get those guys ready for their respective side of the ball, using some of those skills to transition,” Mele said.
Last season, Mississippi State kickers converted 70% of their field goals and 92% of their extra point attempts while Bulldog punters netted 41 yards per kick.
It also doesn’t hurt having two returning All-Americans in Thomas and Griffin contributing on special teams, where Bulldog returners averaged nearly 28 yards per kick return and more than 13 yards per punt return.
“We have to block better up front for those guys, and those guys have to make really good decisions,” Mele said.
Goede headlines new-look tight end room as Bulldogs adopt new offensive schemes
Tight ends were essentially non-existent under former Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense, which favored three- and four-wide receiver sets along with lots of screens and draws. Under new head coach Zach Arnett and new offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay, however, tight ends are back.
A lot has been made of the re-introduction of the position into the offense, but for those in MSU’s tight ends room, it’s a welcomed change.
“I think me and [Geor’quarius] Spivey both want to establish the tight end room here forever for this program,” graduate student Ryland Goede said. “I think the best thing we think about in that tight end room is that we’re leading, but we’re all learning together.”
Goede transferred to Mississippi State from Georgia, the back-to-back national champions, and despite dealing with injuries that limited him to just 19 games over the last four seasons in Athens, he has felt good in fall camp.
“It’s been an interesting four years for me, but this has been my first camp where I’ve gotten through and been healthy,” Goede said. “This is honestly a big learning moment for me, just getting into the groove, but I feel great.”
Spivey, another graduate transfer, is a familiar face who spent his first three seasons with the Bulldogs, playing in 27 games, before transferring to TCU in 2021. As a Horned Frog in 2022, he recorded 11 catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. Now, he’s back in Starkville for his final year of eligibility.
Culture will be key for the tight end group, and Goode and Spivey should provide veteran presence and stability.
“Coming from a tight end room that’s well-established at Georgia, I realized that creating rooms like that is key and vital to this team,” Goede said.
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