The countdown to this year’s college football season has begun in earnest with less than five weeks until Mississippi State opens the season on Aug. 31 against Eastern Kentucky at Davis Wade Stadium. The Bulldogs, under first-year head coach Jeff Lebby, opened fall camp on Thursday.

As camp progresses, The Dispatch will be taking a look at each position group on MSU’s roster, noting who could be the potential starters, backups and impact players to look out for on the gridiron.

The Bulldogs are replacing their entire starting offensive line, but brought in four transfers who all have plenty of experience, and several reserves from last year are ready for bigger roles this fall. Here is all you need to know about MSU’s offensive line heading into the 2024 campaign.

The Starters

Makylan Pounders

6-foot-5, 310-pound redshirt junior from Byhalia, Mississippi

Pounders was committed to the Bulldogs out of high school before flipping to Ole Miss just before the early signing period. But the Rebels rescinded his scholarship offer at the last minute, so Pounders pivoted to Memphis. Now, after three years with the Tigers, Pounders is back in Starkville.

He started 10 games last season, helping Memphis rank seventh in the nation in scoring offense with nearly 40 points per game. Pounders is likely MSU’s starting left tackle.

Albert Reese IV

6-foot-7, 330-pound redshirt junior from Edmonton, Alberta

Reese has seen plenty of action despite not having been a starter with the Bulldogs. He played in three games as a true freshman, keeping his redshirt status intact, and has appeared in every game over the last two years, playing 79 snaps on offense in 2023. He did not allow a sack and yielded just two quarterback hurries, and started at left guard in MSU’s spring game.

Ethan Miner

6-foot-2, 305-pound senior from West Hartford, Connecticut

Miner played his first three collegiate seasons at Arkansas State, appearing in 32 games with 24 starts for the Red Wolves. He then moved on to North Texas, starting 12 games at center for the Mean Green, and figures to be the Bulldogs’ starting center as well. Pro Football Focus graded Miner as the third-best center in the country last year, and for what it’s worth, he is MSU’s highest-rated player (89) in the new EA Sports College Football 25 video game.

Marlon Martinez

6-foot-5, 320-pound senior from Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Martinez has more Southeastern Conference experience than anyone else in the group, having played in 45 games over the last four years at LSU. Although he started just four of those games, he played 157 offensive snaps in 2022 and 75 last year, when the Tigers had the top scoring offense and total offense in college football. Martinez was the starting right guard in the spring.

Leon Bell

6-foot-8, 325-pound redshirt junior from Alvin, Texas

Bell played two years at Kilgore Community College, becoming the No. 2 junior college prospect in Texas and the No. 8 junior college offensive lineman. He appeared in four games last year, his first with the Bulldogs, playing all 27 of his snaps at right tackle. That’s where he started in the spring game as well.

The Backups

Jacoby Jackson

6-foot-6, 320-pound redshirt junior from Arlington, Texas

Jackson joined MSU after three years at Texas Tech, where he started six games in 2022 and eight in 2023. He played 515 of his 598 snaps last year at left guard, not allowing a sack and committing just three penalties.

Canon Boone

6-foot-4, 315-pound redshirt junior from Kemah, Texas

Boone saw his first significant playing time last year, appearing in eight games without allowing a sack or committing a penalty in 45 snaps.

Malik Ellis

6-foot-5, 285-pound sophomore from Laurel, Mississippi

Due to the Bulldogs’ lack of depth at tight end last year, Ellis was a tight end as a freshman, playing in 11 games with four starts. He is still on the smaller side for an offensive lineman but is back to playing a more natural spot now, switching back ahead of the spring.

Jimothy Lewis

6-foot-6, 310-pound freshman from Ridgeland, Mississippi

A four-star recruit out of IMG Academy, Lewis is among the top players in MSU’s freshman class this year. He helped Madison-Ridgeland Academy win MAIS Class 6A championships in 2020 and 2021 and chose the Bulldogs over the likes of Alabama and Ole Miss.

Grant Jackson

6-foot-6, 325-pound redshirt senior from Brookhaven, Mississippi

Jackson has appeared in 37 games for MSU over the past three years, though almost entirely on special teams. In 2021 he played primarily on punt protection, in 2022 he was mainly on the punt block units, and last year he was on the field mostly for field goal and extra point attempts.

The Rest

Luke Work

6-foot-6, 305-pound freshman from Somerville, Tennessee

Work’s other major conference offers came from Missouri and Purdue. He is likely to be a depth piece as a freshman, perhaps seeing the field on special teams.

Wesley Davis

6-foot-4, 300-pound redshirt sophomore from Collierville, Tennessee

Davis has not appeared in a game in his two years with the Bulldogs. A preferred walk-on, he also played basketball in high school.

TJ Lockhart

6-foot-5, 380-pound freshman from Kilmichael, Mississippi

By far the heaviest player on MSU’s roster, Lockhart was a top-25 recruit in Mississippi last year for the class of 2024. He won a state championship as a high school senior at Winona, the first title in the school’s history.

Alex Lopez

6-foot-6, 275-pound freshman from Cleveland, Mississippi

Lopez is a walk-on who had FBS offers from Alabama-Birmingham and Troy. He was ranked No. 31 in Mississippi for the 2024 recruiting class.

Karsten Upchurch

6-foot-5, 290-pound junior from Starkville, Mississippi

Upchurch played at Starkville High School and spent the last two years at East Mississippi Community College, becoming the nation’s No. 11 junior college offensive lineman. He was a two-year starter for the Lions, who reached the national championship game last fall.

Bailey Henderson

6-foot-3, 275-pound redshirt junior from Southaven, Mississippi

Henderson spent the last three years at Bethel University, a Division III program in Minnesota, where he played in just two games.

Amari Smith

6-foot-7, 325-pound redshirt freshman from Brookhaven, Mississippi

Smith redshirted last year as a true freshman without appearing in any games. He was the No. 7 prospect in Mississippi for his class, choosing MSU over Ole Miss.

Jakson LaHue

6-foot-5, 320-pound redshirt sophomore from Azle, Texas

LaHue has not played in any games during his two years with the Bulldogs. He had offers out of high school from Virginia, Virginia Tech and four Ivy League schools.