With the advent of SEC Media Days upon us, Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby, quarterback Blake Shapen, offensive lineman Albert Reese IV, and linebacker John Lewis will be representing the Bulldogs at the 2024 edition of SEC Media Days, which will be held July 15 to 18th in Dallas, TX.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 5-7 finish to the 2023 season and will debut a new, first-time head coach in Lebby, in addition to a slew of new starters while trying to replace departed mainstay quarterback Will Rogers, who transferred to Washington.
Coach Lebby and the rest of the Mississippi State delegation will speak to the media on Wednesday. Here are three of the biggest questions facing the program as they meet with reporters at SEC Media Days.
Three Most Significant Questions for Jeff Lebby at SEC Media Days
1) Who Will Protect Incoming Quarterback Transfer Blake Shapen?
The Bulldogs struggled across the board offensively last season, averaging a paltry 21.8 points per game and 329 yards per game.
The addition of Lebby will allow Mississippi State to return to a spread style offense, and transfer quarterback Blake Shapen brings previous starting experience from his time at Baylor in addition to a notable resume. Shapen will need help up front though as injuries prevented him from finishing the season in 2023.
MORE: 2024 Mississippi State Bulldogs Depth Chart
There are no returning starters on the offensive line for 2024, so the Bulldogs will look to both inside the program and the transfer portal to replace production in the trenches. Reese IV has previous playing experience from within the program, and the addition of players like Ethan Miner, Makylan Pounders, Marlon Martinez, and Jacoby Jackson bring size through the portal.
There will be a need to establish a hierarchy early as the group only brings 67 previous starts of experience. Still, new offensive line coach Cody Reese has a big, powerful group that will look to continue the trend of being a top-five team in sacks allowed from 2023.
2) How Will Lebby Approach his First Head Coaching Role at any Level?
Lebby comes to Mississippi State with a deep background in coaching on the offensive side of the football, with stops at Baylor, UCF, and Ole Miss on his resume before spending two seasons at Oklahoma as the offensive coordinator. This will be his first-ever opportunity as a head coach.
While Lebby has previous experience in the SEC and worked with other current head coaches like Lane Kiffin and Josh Heupel, he has never been a head coach at any level, not even during his stint in the high school ranks at Victoria Memorial.
With the passing of legendary head coach Mike Leach in 2022, Zach Arnett was named the head coach for the first time and then relieved of his duties after ten games. Lebby will be tasked with resetting a program that is still struggling to find an identity in his first-ever head coaching stint.
Leach left the program in relatively good standing in 2022, as they finished 9-4. However, with a dip down to 5-7 under Arnett in 2023 and only 10 returning starters on both sides of the ball, there is plenty of work to be done in rebuilding the program, a tall task for a first-time head coach.
3) Can the Defense Stand Up Against One of the Most Difficult Schedules in the SEC?
The scheduling gods did no favors for the Bulldogs, as they have one of the more difficult schedules in the conference. Mississippi State faces SEC foes Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, and rival Mississippi all on the road while getting Florida, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Missouri at home.
The switch to a 4-3 defense should allow improvement from the 27 sacks garnered in 2023, but facing five of the top six teams in offensive production last year will test the mettle of a group that brings back only four starters from last year’s squad.
2024 SEC Media Days Schedule: Coach Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State Head Coach
- Date: Wednesday, July 17
- Time: 11:35 a.m. ET
- How To Watch: SEC Network
Lebby takes over a program that is still searching for stability following the passing of head coach Leach in 2022. He brings an impressive offensive resume with him as the former offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and transfer quarterback Blake Shapen from Baylor.
Several offensive additions via the portal should allow the Bulldogs to improve their offensive production from last season.
A difficult schedule and a change to a 4-3 defensive scheme will be big-time hurdles for Mississippi State as they look to improve on the 5-7 record from 2023.
Winning six games and returning to a bowl game would be a major positive development in a program that looks to be rebuilding in the first year with Lebby at the helm.
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