With the 2012 football season and the recruiting period over, it is time to run down just where the teams in the Southeastern Conference are in preparing for the 2013 season.
Here is a thumbnail look at the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
2012 REVIEW: The 2012 season was a tale of two halves. In the first half of the season the Bulldogs went 7-0. The second half saw Mississippi State go 1-5 for an overall record of 8-5, which included a two-touchdown loss to Northwestern in the Gator Bowl.
It was an outstanding season for quarterback Tyler Russell, receivers Chad Bumphis, Arceto Clark and Chris Smith, running back LaDarius Perkins, defensive backs Darius Slay, Nickoe Whitley and Johnthan Banks and linebackers Cameron Lawrence and Bernardrick McKinney.
The second half skid cost Mississippi State a loss to Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. It was the Bulldogs’ first loss in four seasons to the Rebels.
SENIOR STARTERS LOST: Wideouts Arceto Clark, Chad Bumphis and Chris Smith, right guard Tobias Smith, tight end Marcus Green, fullback Sylvester Hemphill, holder Chris Cameron, punt returner/cornerback Johnthan Banks, defensive tackle Josh Boyd, linebacker Cameron Lawrence, strong safety Corey Broomfield and cornerback Darius Slay
KEY JUNIORS WHO DECLARED FOR NFL DRAFT: None
RECRUITING NEEDS: The Bulldogs signed six wideouts and a tight end in an effort to replace three key contributors in the passing game. Quarterbacks are always at a premium and Mississippi State signed two. The Bulldogs also added four defensive backs to a unit that needs a boost due to the senior losses.
COMMITMENTS: Rivals.com ranks the Bulldogs’ signing class at No. 25 in the country and No. 11 in the SEC. The top recruit heading to Starkville is defensive end Chris Jones, a 6-foot-5, 250-pounder from Houston, Mississippi. As a high school senior, Jones logged 155 tackles, including 40 for loss, and 13 sacks.
Scout.com ranks Mississippi State’s class as No. 25 in the nation and the 11th-best class in the conference, with one five-star recruit and two four-star players.
MaxPreps ranked Mississippi State with the 23rd top recruiting class in the nation and two of the Top 100 players — Jones and quarterback Cord Sandberg, a 6-3, 212-pounder from Bradenton, Florida.
COACH SPEAK: Dan Mullen: “As I reflect on this year, the program’s certainly going in the direction I want it to go in, which is the opportunity to continue to win football games and put yourself in the discussion as the season wears on to go and compete for conference championships. That’s our ultimate goal here. You see the challenge that this conference brings week in and week out is awesome. I love being in it, I love what it stands for, I love everything about it.”