The countdown to this year’s college football season has begun in earnest with less than four 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 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.
No room is losing as much production as the linebackers, as the Bulldogs adjust to life without Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson and Jett Johnson — the Southeastern Conference’s leading tacklers each of the last two years.
No one player can replace either of those two standouts, but MSU did bring in a proven starter in South Carolina transfer Stone Blanton, and apart from him the Bulldogs will have to rely on internal improvements from players like John Lewis, Ty Cooper and JP Purvis, among others. Here is all you need to know about MSU’s linebackers heading into the 2024 campaign.
The Starters
Stone Blanton
6-foot-2, 230-pound junior from Jackson, Mississippi
A former Bulldog baseball commit, Blanton instead chose football and spent the last two years at South Carolina, playing in 12 games as a true freshman and starting all 12 last year. He finished with 52 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble in 2023, with 10 tackles in the season opener against North Carolina.
John Lewis
6-foot-3, 240-pound redshirt junior from Canton, Mississippi
Lewis joined the Bulldogs’ regular rotation last year, playing in every game with three starts. He blocked a punt in the season opener against Southeastern Louisiana that teammate Avery Sledge recovered for a touchdown, then had four tackles in his first collegiate start against Alabama. Lewis was the lone defensive representative for MSU at SEC Media Days this year.
Ty Cooper
6-foot-4, 245-pound redshirt junior from Louisville, Mississippi
Cooper played in eight games as a true freshman in 2021 but was limited to three games the following year before appearing in all 12 contests last season, starting the final two. He finished with four tackles and a quarterback hurry against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, setting him up for a much bigger role this fall.
Donterry Russell
6-foot-4, 225-pound redshirt sophomore from Jackson, Mississippi
After playing in three games and earning a redshirt in 2022, Russell made his 2023 debut with a bang against Alabama, registering a sack on the first drive of the game and finishing with 2.5 tackles for loss. The following week, he set a career high with seven tackles against Western Michigan. A good chunk of Russell’s snaps have come at defensive end, but his best fit is as an outside linebacker.
The Backups
Zakari Tillman
6-foot-2, 225-pound sophomore from Florence, Mississippi
Tillman played in 11 games last year as a true freshman, but 82 of his 99 snaps were on special teams. He recorded a total of five tackles following a solid two-way high school career. Tillman’s lone other major conference offer came from Indiana.
JP Purvis
6-foot-1, 245-pound redshirt senior from Pelahatchie, Mississippi
Purvis is entering his sixth year with the Bulldogs and is coming off his busiest season, playing in every game and starting six of them last fall. He finished 2023 with 39 tackles, tying a career high with seven against Arkansas and then topping that with eight against Southern Miss.
Nic Mitchell
6-foot-2, 230-pound redshirt junior from Jacksonville, Florida
Mitchell has appeared in every game for the last two seasons, primarily as a special teamer. His only other major conference offer out of high school was from Maryland.
Branden Jennings
6-foot-3, 240-pound junior from Jacksonville, Florida
Jennings, a consensus four-star recruit out of high school, played in eight games with three starts in 2021 as a true freshman at Maryland before sitting out the 2022 season following a transfer to UCF. He played last year at Hinds Community College, leading the team with 58 tackles (42 of them solo) and 6.5 tackles for loss. His lone sack of the year resulted in a fumble, which he recovered himself and returned for a touchdown.
The Rest
Marcus Ross
6-foot-2, 230-pound junior from New Hebron, Mississippi
Ross is coming off a huge year at East Mississippi Community College, with 77 tackles (seven for loss) and 3.5 sacks to help the Lions reach the national championship game. He had a career-best 12 tackles in the national semifinals, helping him earn the opportunity to make the jump to the SEC.
Javae Gilmore
6-foot-4, 235-pound redshirt sophomore from Amite, Louisiana
Gilmore played in every game last year, but exclusively on special teams. He chose MSU over LSU, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Kentucky and South Carolina, as well as Florida State and several other ACC programs.
Fred Clark
6-foot-2, 235-pound freshman from Kilmichael, Mississippi
Clark helped lead Winona High School to an undefeated season and state championship as a senior last fall, the school’s first-ever state title. He chose the Bulldogs over Ole Miss, Auburn, Georgia Tech and more.
Josaiah Knight
6-foot-3, 230-pound freshman from Tallahassee, Florida
Originally an Illinois signee, Knight played both linebacker and tight end in high school. He also had offers from Arkansas, Missouri and Vanderbilt, among others, after making 16 tackles for loss in his final prep season.
TB Hinton
6-foot-3, 235-pound redshirt freshman from Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hinton redshirted last season without making an appearance. His offer list included Michigan, Colorado and West Virginia.
Michael Robinson
6-foot-2, 235-pound redshirt junior from Vicksburg, Mississippi
Robinson has not appeared in a game for MSU in his three years with the program. He recovered six fumbles as a high school senior and made 78 tackles.
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