Hail State! A Mississippi State Story (CFB 25)

[BuckRaven]

Hello Everyone, welcome to this dynasty! I’m really excited to do this, I’ve read OS for over a decade but never posted myself. As a massive College Football fan I’ve loved the return of the video game series. Sure the game isn’t perfect but I think they did a tremendous job with dynasty mode. I’ve had a few dynasties already, played some epic games (a comeback 53-51 3OT win over Tennessee in the CFP Semifinal was probably my favorite).

I wanted to challenge myself for this dynasty. Mississippi State is a team that faced tragedy with the death of Mike Leach a few years ago and is getting decimated in the NIL/Transfer Portal era. They don’t have the resources that other SEC teams have. They’re a team that has had a few pop years in the 2010s (9-4/10-3 seasons). Mississippi State has a surprising amount of NFL players, 22 in total (Fletcher Cox, Dak Prescott, Darius Slay, Jeffrey Simmons, Chris Jones, Montez Sweat to name a few).

I have a lot of big plans for this dynasty, I’ll be incorporating different wrinkles and take some creative freedom in my storylines that extend beyond the game. Really hope you guys enjoy reading and look forward to bringing the Maroon and White to prominence.

DISCLAIMER: All of the images and names used in this are meant for entertainment purposes to bolster this fictional world. They are in no way meant to represent/misrepresent events in real life.

[BuckRaven]

Mississippi State Bulldogs

2024 Season

Spoiler

Record: 7-5
Bowl Game: Not Invited
Offensive Coordinator: Ralph Patterson Defensive Coordinator: Bobby Horn
Captains: Blake Shapen, Ethan Miner, DeMonte Russell, Corey Ellington
Team Offensive Player of the Year: WR Kelly Akharaiyi
Team Defensive Player of the Year: LB John Lewis

2025 Season

Spoiler

Record: 9-4
Bowl Game: Citrus Bowl: Oregon L 30-27 (OT)
Offensive Coordinator: Ralph Patterson Defensive Coordinator: Bobby Horn
Captains: Makylan Pounders, Trevion Williams, Javae Gilmore
Team Offensive Player of the Year: C Jacoby Jackson
Team Defensive Player of the Year: LB TB Hinton

[BuckRaven]

Mississippi State Dynasty Hall of Fame

Reserved for players that made a tremendous impact on the Mississippi State Football Culture

[BuckRaven]

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Breaking News: Mississippi State OC Ty Holden promoted to Head Coach

By: Dan Johnson

37 Year old Ty Holden was named Head Coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Zach Arnett lasted just 10 games in 2023 going 4-6. He wasn’t the right fit for the program so the Bulldogs cut their losses quickly. This move comes as a calculated risk as Holden has never been a Head Coach before. As a former backup QB for Mississippi State, he has familiarity with the culture and is considered to be a rising star in the coaching ranks.

Coaching Career:
Present: Mississippi State HC
2023-2024: Mississippi State QBs Coach/CO-OC
2020-2022: TCU (QBs Coach)
2017-2019: Coastal Carolina (QBs Coach)
2015-2016: Texas Tech (Offensive Analyst)
2013-2014: Duncanville HS (QBs/WRs)

Holden began his coaching career in 2013 with Texas High School powerhouse Duncanville. He coached QBs and WRs there primarily before being hired by Texas Tech as an analyst in 2015. There he helped coach future NFL Superstar QB Patrick Mahomes. Holden moved onto Coastal Carolina where he helped them lay the groundwork after their transition to the FBS. Although they went 3-9, 5-7, and 5-7, their spread offense would eventually become amongst the best of the Group of 5. Gary Patterson and Jerry Kill of TCU brought Holden on to help coach Max Duggan and would help TCU upset Michigan in the 2022 College Football Playoffs before falling to UGA 65-7 in the 2022 National Championship game. This caught Mike Leach’s attention who brought on the Bulldog alum to help coach Will Rogers. Holden is described as an energetic, players coach who will hopefully elevate the Mississippi State offense. This will be a challenging rebuild as MSST went 5-7 last season and lost 25 players to the transfer portal.

During his opening press conference, Holden said, “This job is a dream come true. I love Mississippi State, I bleed Maroon and White. I want us to take us back to glory, Beat Ole Miss and recruit great kids into our program.” Mississippi State AD Zac Selmon was enthusiastic about the promotion and understood several teams in the Group of 5 have reached out to Holden about becoming their Head Coach. Reading in between the lines, the quick trigger pull on Arnett may have be in part to prevent Holden from leaving. Also notable, Arnett took an analyst position at rival Ole Miss (probably wasn't too happy about losing his job). It's unclear how much of a leash Holden will have. Hopefully Selmon understands this isn't going to be a quick fix. I really like this hire though, Holden is an alum, he's young and successful at every stop. He was Mike Leach's last hire before his tragic passing. We wish you the best Coach Holden, Hail State!

[BuckRaven]

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Mississippi State 2024 Season Preview

By: Dan Johnson

The Ty Holden Era has begun in Starkville! We will be breaking down your Mississippi State Bulldogs schedule, take a look at a position by position breakdown and do a record projection.

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2024 Schedule:
August 31: Eastern Kentucky
September 6 (Friday): @Arizona State
September 14: Toledo
September 21: Florida
September 28: @#3 Texas
October 5: BYE
October 12: @#1 Georgia
October 19: #24 Texas A&M
October 26: Arkansas
November 2: UMass
November 9: @#15 Tennessee
November 23: #10 Missouri
November 30: @#5 Ole Miss

Position by Position Analysis:

Quarterback:
Starter: Sr Blake Shapen (80) Backups: Fr Chris Parson (76), Fr. Michael Van Buren (74), Fr Vic Sutton (70)

Blake Shapen transferred over from Baylor and will be a stopgap for Coach Holden. He was a 2 year starter for them and has accumulated roughly 5900 passing yards. He won’t set the world on fire but is experienced and has good command. The Bulldogs have 3 freshman Quarterbacks with potential. Parson started a few games in 2023 and will serve as the backup

Running Backs:
Starters: SR Davon Booth (82) OR SR Keyvone Lee (80) Key Backups: SR Jeffrey Pittman (79), SO Seth Davis (76)

The Bulldogs are expected to use a Running Back by committee approach. Utah State transfer Davon Booth is shifty, former Penn State RB Keyvone Lee will be the bruiser at 6’0 225. Jeffrey Pittman will definitely see touches as the #3 back. Watch out for 5’7 185 Seth Davis as well. The Scatback has impressed coaches with his speed and catching ability out of the backfield

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:
Starters: SR WR Kelly Akhariyi (84), JR WR Kevin Coleman (78), JR WR Coby McCollum (76), JR TE Seydou Traore (77) Key Backups: SO WR Creed Whittemore (76), JR WR Jordan Mosley (75) SR TE Justin Ball (72) SO TE Cameron Ball (70)

UTEP transfer Kelly Akhariyi might be the best weapon on this offense, Coach Holden was raving about his talent in the offseason. Kevin Coleman is a speedster, while Coby McCollum (6’4 210) is a crafty route runner and has a good frame. Expect Creed Whittemore and Jordan Mosley to see some time as well. The Tight End room consists of receiving TEs. While they are not the best in line blockers, Seydoue Traore and the Ball Brothers (not those ones) will hope to be a security blanket for Shapen.

Offensive Line:
Starters: Jr. LT Makylan Pounders (77) Jr. LG Jacoby Jackson (78) Sr. C Ethan Miner (89) So RG Jackson LaHue (75) Jr RT Albert Reese IV (73) Key Backups: Sr G Marlon Martinez (75) Jr C/G Canon Boone (73), Sr G Grant Jackson (73)

This Offensive Line is anchored by future NFL draft pick Ethan Miner. The rest of the OL is pretty suspect and will likely struggle considerably in the SEC. The Tackles are especially concerning and they might consider swinging out Jacoby Jackson out wide. One minor positive is that Mississippi State will return 4 starters next year.

Offensive Review: By SEC standards, this offense is at/near the bottom. They aren’t great in the trenches. They will rely on their quick short/medium Veer and Shoot offense and get their playmakers into space. Offensive Coordinator Ralph Patterson has coached at Purdue & Maryland and has some pedigree but is inexperienced in big time College Football.

Defensive Line:
Starters: Sr DE De’Monte Russell (80), SO DE Trevion Williams (78), Jr DT Eric Taylor (80) Key Backups: So DT Kalvin Dinkins (77), SR DT Sulaiman Kpaka (77), Jr DE Deonte Anderson (77), Jr DE Kedrick Bingley-Jones (76)

The Mississippi State DL is one of the strengths of this team. Their 2 deep is pretty solid at each position. Senior captain De’Monte Russell headlines this unit that will specialize in stopping the run

Linebackers:
Starters: Sr OLB John Lewis (78), Jr MLB Stone Blanton (78), So MLB Javae Gilmore (79), Sr OLB JP Purvis (77)
Key Backups: Jr LB Branden Jennings (72), Jr LB Ty Cooper (72)
The linebacking corps starters are nothing spectacular but should be serviceable without any glaring holes. The depth is a little suspect. Javae Gilmore is an exciting young cover LB who should see extensive playing time and John Lewis is probably the best pass rusher on this team.

Secondary:
Starters: So CB Brice Pollock (79), So CB Khamauri Rogers (78), Jr FS Hunter Washington (78), Sr S Corey Ellington (77)
Key Backups: Jr CB Brylan Lanier (77), Jr CB Deago Brumfield (76), Jr S Chris Keys Jr. (77), So SS Isaac Smith (78), Sr. S Jordan Morant (77)

Much like the defensive line, the two deep of the secondary is solid. Brice Pollack and Khamauri Rogers are both young and have high upside. Coach Holden thinks Rogers is a future #1 CB and potential draft pick. The safeties aren’t particularly rangy so the corners will have to hold up in pass coverage. Coach Holden expects to rotate a lot at Safety to figure out the best combo.

Special Teams:
Starters: SR K Nick Barr-Mira (74), SR P Zachary Haynes (72), KR/PR Creed Whittemore
Barr-Mira and Haynes are both serviceable and won’t be liabilities. Barr-Mira has decent range and should make most kicks under 45. Whittemore is an exciting return option.

Defense/Special Teams Review:
This defense will likely struggle against most of the high end talent in the SEC. They do not have many top end athletes but should be decent against the run. Pass D will be a concern without a star pass rusher, young CBs and Safeties who are more comfortable in the box. DC Bobby Horn comes over from Louisiana-Monroe and will retain the 3-4 Defense year 1. However, don’t be surprised if you see a lot of different looks. This unit doesn’t have a high upside but is stronger than the offense

The Verdict: (4-8) Not gonna lie, this will be a tough first year in the Ty Holden area. With the SEC becoming more challenging, it will be tough to compete against the likes of Texas, UGA, Ole Miss, Florida, Texas A&M etc. If Holden can go 3-1 in the Non-Conference games and pull off an upset in the SEC, that will be a solid first year. The Bulldogs will likely be underdogs in all 8 of their SEC games so a bowl game year 1 is probably out of reach.

[BuckRaven]

Writers Note: I will not do an in depth season preview for Year 1. We know who the top teams, Heisman Hopefuls are etc. I will include an SEC Power Rankings to showcase the overalls and go over some of the big storylines in the conference

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Curtis High, SEC Writer

2024 SEC Preview

The SEC has undoubtably been the dominant conference in the 21st century. 14 out of the 23 champions total and 7 out of 10 in the 4 team playoff era have resided in SEC. Adding Big 12 powers Texas and Oklahoma was a shocking and colossal move signaling more conference upheaval in the 12 team playoff era. Bama and Georgia have dominated the playoff era while LSU put together one of the best rosters and seasons of all time in 2019. This new era will give some of the second-tier teams such as Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M with a better opportunity to make the playoffs. Will the SEC be able to continue their dominance or will the increased competition cannibalize the talented teams?


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Preseason Power Rankings:

1. Georgia (91 OFF, 91 DEF) - One of Kirby Smarts more talented teams look to return to College Football Playoff
2. Texas (87 OFF, 89 DEF) - Steve Sarkisian has improved this team every year, can they be an alpha in the SEC?
3. Bama (90 OFF, 89 DEF) - Post Saban era begins, lot of talent left over for Kalen DeBoer
4. Ole Miss (86 OFF, 85 DEF) - Portal King Lane Kiffin added a lot of talent, will they put it together this year?
5. Mizzou (85 OFF, 85 DEF) - After 11-2, can Mizzou remain consistent?
6. LSU (87 OFF, 86 DEF) - How will Tigers replace Daniels, Brian Thomas Jr. & Malik Nabers?
7. Tennessee (86 OFF, 86 DEF) - Is Nico the QB Josh Heupel is waiting for and will the Vols D take the next step?
8. Texas A&M (90 OFF, 87 DEF) - Always a good team recruiting wise, but can Mike Elko transition Aggies to a consistent contender?
9. Oklahoma (86 OFF, 89 DEF) - Will Brent Venables defense dominate in the SEC?
10. Florida (86 OFF, 87 DEF) - Can Billy Napier take the Gators to a bowl game?
11. South Carolina (85 OFF, 86 DEF) - Shane Beamer seems to thrive as an underdog, can this stingy South Carolina team turn heads?
12. Auburn (82 OFF, 86 DEF) - The beginning of the Hugh Freeze era was promising but Tigers need to make a bowl game
13. Kentucky (84 OFF, 85 DEF) - Can the always scrappy Wildcats beat more talented SEC teams?
14. Arkansas (84 OFF, 85 DEF) - Sam Pittman’s seat is getting warm, can Razorbacks compete with the second tier of SEC teams?
15. Mississippi State (81 OFF, 82 DEF) - Will the Bulldogs be able to win an SEC game under new sheriff Ty Holden
16. Vanderbilt (81 OFF, 82 DEF) - See above, Clark Lea's second season will be challenging

[redsox907]

Good luck with this man! Doing my own coaching chise Mississippi State was a team I'd hoped to eventually getting a head coaching offer for to bring them from the basement to the penthouse. SEC is brutal but you should be able to get some of the "lesser" recruits that slip through the bigger guys boards, that alone should give you some talent to contend with

[BuckRaven]

Quote: Originally Posted by redsox907

Good luck with this man! Doing my own coaching chise Mississippi State was a team I'd hoped to eventually getting a head coaching offer for to bring them from the basement to the penthouse. SEC is brutal but you should be able to get some of the "lesser" recruits that slip through the bigger guys boards, that alone should give you some talent to contend with

I haven't coached in the SEC yet but it will be a gauntlet every year. It will definitely take some time to rebuild this team and it's crazy how many in state guys I can't even recruit. But I agree, getting gems is always my focus when recruiting. I've had 3 star guys get into the 90s so hoping we get some of those.