Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Preview 2026: This Should Be Fun

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Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Preview 2026: This Should Be Fun

Pete Fiutak · College Football News

Fri, May 22, 2026 ·

8 min read

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Mississippi State could desperately use a little bit of SEC luck.

It's no fun going 2-22 in three years of conference play, but that's life now in the SEC.

The late Mike Leach won nine games in his final season. It was one of ten times in 121 years of MSU football that any coach came up with nine wins or more.

It also helped that the first seven wins were against teams that won seven games or fewer - with an East Tennessee State thrown in there.

Nov 28, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Mississippi Rebels in the first half at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.

© Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Other than a shocker over Arizona State, there wasn't another game last year that didn't go like it was supposed to.

Four wins against teams Mississippi State was supposed to beat, eight losses against teams it should've lost to.

- 2026 Mississippi State Schedule Analysis

This season, the program needs a combination of a higher-octane offense that overcomes other issues, and an SEC schedule that turns out to be far, far nicer than it appears to be on paper.

Mississippi State Quick Hits

Head Coach:Jeff Lebby (3rd year, 7-18)
Best Case / Worst Case:First winning season since 2022/Third five-win season in four years
Key Player:Kamario Taylor, QB Soph.
2025 Record:5-8
Biggest Question:Can the defense hold up against the run?

Mississippi State Key 2025 Stats

Penalties: Opponents 110 for 919 yards, Miss State 94 for 800 yards
Time of Possession: Miss State 32:11, Opponents 27:47
Two-Point Conversions: Opponents 3-for-3, Miss State 1-for-3

Offense

It's working.

Jeff Lebby was hired a few years ago because of his ability to make offenses go, and last year it started to kick in.

It wasn't always consistent, and there's still room to grow, but there were times - like in the loss to Texas and in the clutch against Arizona State - when it was possible to see the vision.

It took two years, but now the thing should take off to a whole other level.

What's Working

Kamario Taylor is about to be a national thing.It's tough for a quarterback to stand out in an SEC with Arch, and Trinidad, and LaNorris, and John Mateer, Gunner Stockton, Marcel Reed, and star after star.

Taylor might end up putting up the best numbers out of all of them.

The 6-4, 230-pounder needs to be more accurate, but he's got all the tools, can run well, and is the type of player you build an entire team around.

Keep pressing.The Bulldogs won't be good enough to win too many, if any, low-scoring dogfights.

The offense has to put up more than 35 points per game - more on this in a moment - and it has the passing game to do it with Taylor, and a good-looking receiving corps.

Leading receiver Anthony Evans III is back, and Missouri transfer Marquis Johnson should be a dangerous deep threat.

Don't forget the Fluff.The 5-10, 230-pound Fluff Bothwell has a much tougher game than his name would suggest, but it's possible to crank up big rushing yards in this attack.

Bothwell is a little bit of a receiver, but he's a potential 1,000-yard rusher who'll flirt with double-digit touchdowns.

What Needs Work

The offensive line needs to come together,and it has to be better. The Bulldogs were among the worst in the nation in pass protection, and the ground game was way too inconsistent.

Canon Boone is back at center, and tackles Blake Steen and Jakheem Shumpert-Perkins appear to be keepers, but the overall depth is lacking.

There has to be more of a scoring punch.It's not fair to the offense, and there's too much pressure, but it's the reality. The defense will be better, but it's not good enough - the O has to put up more points.

Mississippi State is 0-12 under Lebby when allowing 35 points or more.

At least pay some attention to the tempo.Yes, when the offense is working, it goes 90 miles per hour and keeps defenses on their toes.

But the attack needs to be better at keeping things moving and grinding down once in a while when the defense is getting gassed.

It's not a coincidence that the Bulldog defense allowed 72 points in the first quarter last season and 133 in the fourth.

Player to Watch

Anthony Evans III, WR Sr.Taylor and Bothwell are the stars of the attack, but Evans is a solid midrange pass catcher who makes everything easier. He might be the team's most explosive receiver, but he'll make five grabs a game.

Defense

The one season of the Zach Arnett head coaching era wasn't great, but the 2023 defense was sixth in the SEC. As the defensive coordinator, the Bulldogs were fifth in 2021 and 2022.

Arnett was out, Lebby - a more offensive-minded coach - took over, and ...

The 2024 defense was the worst in the SEC by close to 80 yards per game, and last year, it was saved from being at the bottom of the league by an Arkansas defense that didn't stop a thing.

Arnett is back as the defensive coordinator, and things will be better.

What's Working

Again, Arnett.He really is good at this coaching defense thing, cutting his teeth as a rising star assistant at San Diego State before doing big things with Mississippi State. He knows how to solidify the run defense, and the pressure should start coming.

The linebacking corps is in place to improve.The Bulldogs have more parts to find, but the outside linebacking combination of Tyler Lockhard and Zakari Tillman is good, and Jalen Smith should be one of the team's leading tacklers in the middle.

Just don't get gouged.Mississippi State doesn't have to be the 2000 Baltimore Ravens on D, it just has to be not awful.

Last year, the team went 5-1 - with that one loss the overtime thriller against Texas - when it gave up fewer than 435 yards, and was 0-7 when it allowed more.

What Needs Work

The pass rush.Arnett's defense attack can bring pressure, but it has to find the guys. There's potential, but there isn't a sure-thing killer who can get to the quarterback.

The 2022 Bulldogs had their mail delivered to opposing backfields. Last year's defense didn't do much of anything behind the line - it came up with 30 fewer tackles for loss than that 2022 version.

Stop the run.Yes, there's a theme here - the defensive line has to be night-and-day stronger.

Missouri and Georgia ripped off yards in mega-chunks against the Bulldog defense that, overall, allowed close to five yards per carry. The transfer portal should help, but a rotation has to be found.

The safeties - a few big ones have to be replaced.Isaac Smith is sort of a safety, but he's really a linebacker. Losing leading tackler Jahron Manning and ball-hawker Brylan Lanier hurts.

Transfers Jardin Gilbert (LSU) and Quentin Taylor (Oklahoma) have to be fantastic right away.

Player to Watch

Zakari Tillman, LB Sr.
The defense needs more playmakers, and Tillman should be a key one.

He's a 6-2, 235-pound veteran who should have an expanded role. He made 77 stops over the last two seasons, but he's got the quickness and burst to start getting into the backfield more.

Keys to the Season

Be far more consistently dangerous on offense, and make a few improvements on defense.

Yeah, duh, that's what everyone tries to do. But that really is the case, at its most basic, with this Mississippi State team.

It's not going to be good enough to get to the SEC Championship, but, really, crank up an offense that needs to make defenses worry, and just hold serve once in a while on defense.

Player Who Needs To Shine

Dealyn Evans, DT Sr.
And throw in the 6-4, 315-pound Jaray Bledsoe in there, too, because nothing gets better without the run defense improving by leaps and bounds.

Evans is a 6-5, 310-pound former Texas A&M Aggie who has to start stuffing everything up on the inside.

Biggest Concern

Overall depthTo keep throwing out there as a reminder, it's about winning in the SEC. The Bulldogs have good schemes going into this year, and a strong starting 22, but the overall depth is a massive question mark. A slew of big injuries would be a killer.

Biggest Game

Missouri, September 26
It might be a season-saving moment.

Not to dismiss the Mississippi State chances before the fun starts, but going to Minnesota and South Carolina in back-to-back weeks will be challenging. After the home date against Missouri is ... Alabama, at LSU, Oklahoma, at Texas.

Basically, beat the Tigers, or else.

Transfer Portal

It was a good session in the transfer portal for Lebby and his staff, but there's one minor issue - okay, it's sort of a big one.

Did they land enough SEC gamechangers?

They filled holes, built depth, and won enough battles for talent to be excited for this haul - it really is a good class of transfers, talent-wise - but there's more projection than proof among the top key signings.

Best Signing

Amaree Williams, EDGE (Florida State)
The Bulldogs desperately need it to all kick in for the 6-4, 240-pound pass rusher. He appeared to be a big receiver when he came to Florida State, but he's a potential dream of an edge rusher.

Now he has to produce, after making ten tackles and 1.5 sacks last year.

Biggest Loss

Luke Work, OT (Missouri)For an offensive line that's all but starting over, it would've been nice to have a versatile blocker like Work in the mix. He's actually more of a guard than a tackle, but Mizzou will try him out at both spots.

Other Names to Know

Marquis Johnson, WR (Missouri)
Jardin Gilbert, S (LSU)
Jayson Jenkins, EDGE (Florida State)

CFN Season Prediction

Mississippi State will be far more competitive.

Last year's team shocked Arizona State. It pushed Tennessee, had Florida in big trouble, and it's still not quite clear how it blew the Texas game.

In Year Three under Lebby, expect the Bulldogs to start winning more close battles on offensive efficiency alone. But they still play in the SEC.

CFN Prediction: 4-8

This is why you don't schedule tough teams in non-conference play. A program like Mississippi State has to get every win it can find, and going to Minnesota isn't a sure thing like ULM and Tennessee Tech are.

Where are the SEC wins going to come from? There will be a few, but they'll be upsets.

Vanderbilt. That might be the only game the Bulldogs are favored in, but any other projected wins at this point are a guess. It's not because Mississippi State won't be better, it's because it's in the SEC.

At LSU, at Texas, at Ole Miss , Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, at South Carolina ...

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