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 on Aug. 1 and practiced in full pads for the first time Wednesday.
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 have a rare returning starter at safety in Corey Ellington, but it’s a young room outside of him. Isaac Smith played in every game as a freshman, Hunter Washington saw his role diminish over the course of last season, and Jordan Morant and Chris Keys are battling for starting spots as well. Here is all you need to know about MSU’s safeties heading into the 2024 campaign.
The Starters
Corey Ellington
6-foot-3, 200-pound senior from Lexington, Mississippi
Ellington became a regular contributor as a true freshman in 2021 and played in all 12 games with seven starts last year. He finished with 66 tackles, closing the year with 12 tackles and a sack in the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss, and comes into his senior year as the Bulldogs’ most experienced defensive back.
Isaac Smith
6-foot, 205-pound sophomore from Fulton, Mississippi
Smith, a four-star recruit out of high school and the No. 4 player in Mississippi for his class, played in all 12 games as a freshman and had 15 tackles, with three each against LSU, South Carolina and Southern Miss. He had offers from eight other Southeastern Conference schools, including Georgia, Ole Miss and LSU.
Brylan Lanier
6-foot-1, 190-pound junior from Tuscaloosa, Alabama
It’s been a roundabout journey for Lanier, who redshirted as a true freshman in 2021 in his hometown at Alabama. He played in 11 games the following year at Indiana, making four tackles in his collegiate debut against Illinois, then played last year at East Mississippi Community College, where he became one of the nation’s top junior college defensive backs. He committed to MSU on New Year’s Day.
The Backups
Tyler Woodard
6-foot-2, 200-pound junior from Memphis, Tennessee
Woodard comes to Starkville after two years at East Mississippi Community College, helping the Lions reach the national championship game last season. He made 56 tackles and an interception a year ago along with 3.5 tackles for loss and five pass breakups. Woodard had offers out of EMCC from Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas, among others.
Kobi Albert
5-foot-11, 180-pound redshirt sophomore from Fairfield, Alabama
Albert played in 10 games as a freshman at Kentucky in 2022, with three solo tackles including one for a loss. He did not see the field last year after transferring to the Bulldogs, and had an offer from MSU out of high school.
Jordan Morant
6-foot, 210-pound redshirt senior from Parsippany, New Jersey
Morant spent his first two years at Michigan, playing mostly on special teams as a redshirt freshman with the Wolverines in 2021. He has appeared in all 25 games in his two seasons as a Bulldog, making his first start last year at South Carolina.
Hunter Washington
5-foot-11, 190-pound redshirt junior from Katy, Texas
Washington played one game as a true freshman in 2021 at Florida State, then made nine appearances the following year in his first season at MSU. He started the first four games in 2023 but was placed in some unfavorable situations and struggled before missing the final five games of the year with an injury.
Chris Keys Jr.
6-foot, 190-pound redshirt senior from Collins, Mississippi
Keys spent three years at Indiana, working his way up to a regular role in 2022, when he played in 10 games with two starts. In his first year back in his home state with the Bulldogs, he played in 11 games and made 10 tackles, with four stops and a pass breakup against Arizona early in the season.
The Rest
Cyrus Reyes
6-foot-1, 200-pound freshman from Katy, Texas
Reyes made 91 tackles as a high school senior, 60 of them solo, to go along with three interceptions. MSU was his lone major conference offer.
Vic Sutton
6-foot-3, 215-pound redshirt freshman from Madison, Mississippi
A former quarterback, Sutton did not see any action as a true freshman last season. He walked on with the Bulldogs, choosing MSU over offers from Arkansas, Maryland and Virginia Tech.
Tanner Johnson
6-foot, 185-pound redshirt sophomore from Kyle, Texas
A two-way player in high school, Johnson has played in just one game in two years with the Bulldogs, making his collegiate debut last season against Southern Miss.
Jatavious Johnson
6-foot-2, 190-pound freshman from Hooks, Texas
Johnson played both ways in high school, making 80 tackles on defense with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries as a senior. He also caught 43 passes for 849 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
