Kendrick Market

[BeastMan]

The safety conversation in another thread yesterday made me think about Market and how he's come along. I remember going to a bunch of practices last spring and thinking he was a career special teams player. He was behind guys like Nickoe Whitley, Jay Hughes, and Dee Arrington (specifically the last 2). I just didn't see him beating out Dee or Jay at SS. Fast forward to the season opener and both those guys go down for the year. Market looked good in his opportunity and it will be extremely hard for someone to take it away. He's not a guy that wows you physically (5'10 188), he just makes plays. I remember Mullen saying he was the best football player in ms HS football when MSU signed him and he caught a ton of grief. It doesn't look so crazy now. Market is one tough, gritty football player.

[jumbo]

it's also great because everyone said we only signed him to get to Brassell. Well, look how that turned out.

[Political Hack]

Market > Brassell.

You have to have spots in your scholarship allotment for football players. combine stars don't win games. football players do. AJ can probably be viewed in a similar light. We tend to sign a lot of these guys and it's one of the things that I think helps elevate our program and allows us to compete with the star gazers.

Dak, AJ, Clausell, Day, Market, Hughes, BMac, P Smith, and more...

[Esmerelda Villalobos]

Pat pat and sanders. We get skinner.

It always works out like this for us vs them. It makes me think it has to be environment. Has to be

[Thick]

A lot of our success is based on player evaluation and development. Part of the evaluation process is the character and work ethic of these prospects, plus potential. The word character under Croom meant "the kid has a good head on his shoulders and won't cause trouble". Under Mullen, it also carries that meaning, but it also goes a little deeper too. We are signing kids that believe in the program and want to be at MSU. They want to contribute in any way possible, on the field and in the classroom.

We complain about Mullen's decisions, but we have also seen the man grow as a HC. He's surrounded himself with good assistants, the talent level from top to bottom is the best it's ever been, and continues to get better. He's definitely communicated the importance of keeping good coordinators to the AD.

[engie]

He's definitely communicated the importance of keeping good coordinators to the AD.
This was a place that I had concerns -- that my mind has been eased for the most part.

Wish we would have announced other raises(I know they said they were coming, but never heard the figures). I'm seeing writing on the wall for someone to steal Tony Hughes from us next year and leave what is likely to be our best recruiting class in my recollection ripe for the pickings. It has shades of 2011 written all over it if we lose him. He's lead recruiter for basically all elite talents we are chasing(and expecting to get) in MS in this cycle. So, pay the man now -- and don't let the seeds of doubt be planted. JMO.

[Johnson85]

I remember Mullen saying he was the best football player in ms HS football when MSU signed him and he caught a ton of grief. It doesn't look so crazy now.

Not that 5'10, 188 is tiny, but if you can play SEC defense at that size it's very likely you were one of the best if not the best defensive football players in the state in high school as far as fundamentals and play-making.

There are a lot of very good high school players every year whose size or athleticism makes it questionable how their game will translate to the SEC. It's vital that State do a good job evaluating these guys. Can't win in the SEC with a team full of them, but I'm not sure state will ever get to the point that they can compete in the SEC without rounding out their class with these type guys.

I'm sure lots of people questioned how Keven Prentiss and Ashley Cooper (is that name right? the dog safety they called mighty mouse) would play in the SEC at their size although their athleticism may have made it a little easier to make the call on them.

[msstate7]

Not that 5'10, 188 is tiny, but if you can play SEC defense at that size it's very likely you were one of the best if not the best defensive football players in the state in high school as far as fundamentals and play-making.

There are a lot of very good high school players every year whose size or athleticism makes it questionable how their game will translate to the SEC. It's vital that State do a good job evaluating these guys. Can't win in the SEC with a team full of them, but I'm not sure state will ever get to the point that they can compete in the SEC without rounding out their class with these type guys.

I'm sure lots of people questioned how Keven Prentiss and Ashley Cooper (is that name right? the dog safety they called mighty mouse) would play in the SEC at their size although their athleticism may have made it a little easier to make the call on them.

Ashley cooper is probably my favorite defensive player we've ever had

[Covercorner2]

Ashley Cooper is my favorite player of all time, too, but "Mighty Mouse" was Tim Nelson I believe.

[War Machine Dawg]

Ashley Cooper is my favorite player of all time, too, but "Mighty Mouse" was Tim Nelson I believe.

Correct.

[War Machine Dawg]

Market is one hell of a football player. Like you said, he won't necessarily "wow" you with his "measurables." But the dude is shredded and just flat makes plays. He's got an extremely high football IQ and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Very reminiscent of Cam Lawrence and Corey Broomfield in that respect, to name two recent players. Anyone who said we were just taking Market to get Snoop was an idiot chewing sour grapes. Market was the undisputed leader of SP's title team his senior year and made big play after big play on both sides of the ball. I kept telling all of you to keep an eye on him to move up the depth chart. All he needed was an opportunity, and he got it and made the most of it. Couldn't be happier for the guy. Speaking as someone who's lived it, you have no idea how hard it is to grow up a State fan in Batesville. I truly believe it's harder to be a State fan there than in Oxford.

[elitedawgs]

Ashley Cooper is my favorite player of all time, too, but "Mighty Mouse" was Tim Nelson I believe.


Tim Nelson had a big time nose for the football, serious playmaker.

[hacker]

We complain about Mullen's decisions, but we have also seen the man grow as a HC. He's surrounded himself with good assistants, the talent level from top to bottom is the best it's ever been, and continues to get better. He's definitely communicated the importance of keeping good coordinators to the AD.

Good post. I think a lot of people forget that coaches learn and get better just like players do. Mullen is quickly growing into the best all around football coach we've had. We will find out this year if he can take us to the next level.

[Johnson85]

Ashley Cooper is my favorite player of all time, too, but "Mighty Mouse" was Tim Nelson I believe.

That's right. Was Cooper the other dog safety across from him? Or am I completely whiffing on who he was.

[War Machine Dawg]

That's right. Was Cooper the other dog safety across from him? Or am I completely whiffing on who he was.

They played together one year as the Dog safeties in 1998, I think. Then Cooper and Pig were the Dog safeties in '99, when Josh Morgan took over as FS.

[esplanade91]

Market and Calhoun have a knack for squaring up and punishing people. Coincidentally they're guys we got because we whiffed on current Ole Miss players and are now just as good or better than those guys.

I'd love to have a natural talent like Connor though, I'm not going to lie to you. The few times I watched UM this year he was great. BUT I don't think there's much drop off between him and Market in productivity. Connor is just a lot more fun to watch. And that's what it really comes down to... UM is obsessed with that type of player when a guy like Market is there every year for the picking. They would rather put their efforts into getting the #1 safety from East Bumblefudge, Indiana. Eventually it's going to catch up with them and they'll be left without either.

ETA: I know they were in two different classes.

[dawgs]

This was a place that I had concerns -- that my mind has been eased for the most part.

Wish we would have announced other raises(I know they said they were coming, but never heard the figures). I'm seeing writing on the wall for someone to steal Tony Hughes from us next year and leave what is likely to be our best recruiting class in my recollection ripe for the pickings. It has shades of 2011 written all over it if we lose him. He's lead recruiter for basically all elite talents we are chasing(and expecting to get) in MS in this cycle. So, pay the man now -- and don't let the seeds of doubt be planted. JMO.

that's not the msu way though. we prefer to keep things quiet and not make a big splash, and we'll pay the man when he's earned it and not before. we can't win the battle of perception for the life of us.

[esplanade91]

I imagine the assistant head coaching title came with a hefty raise.

He's an ex military, lifelong Mississippi resident and I doubt he'd want to leave a place where we gave him the keys to the front door of a state of the art practice facility and simply said "go recruit Mississippi." The only way I think he leaves is if his alma mater fires yet another coach and gives him a shit ton of money to be worth the risk of being out of a job in 3 years.


He's got to be making more than Collins, right?

[NCDawg]

Market saved our season last year with that shoe string tackle of the Kentucky guy as the game was winding down. If he doesn't make that tackle, we probably lose, and the rest of the season would probably go down the drain.

[Johnson85]

He's got to be making more than Collins, right?

No inside info, but I would expect the DC to get paid more than anybody else on staff.

[Johnson85]

Market and Calhoun have a knack for squaring up and punishing people. Coincidentally they're guys we got because we whiffed on current Ole Miss players and are now just as good or better than those guys.



I'm pretty sure we offered Market early. I was thinking he and Brasswell 'committed' at roughly the same time.

[Coach34]

I imagine the assistant head coaching title came with a hefty raise.

He's an ex military, lifelong Mississippi resident and I doubt he'd want to leave a place where we gave him the keys to the front door of a state of the art practice facility and simply said "go recruit Mississippi." The only way I think he leaves is if his alma mater fires yet another coach and gives him a shit ton of money to be worth the risk of being out of a job in 3 years.


He's got to be making more than Collins, right?

No- he doesnt make more than Collins, but he is being paid decently. He has been shown his importance to the staff and to State. I'd be shocked if he left

[NCDawg]

Ashley Cooper is my favorite player of all time, too, but "Mighty Mouse" was Tim Nelson I believe.

I think Nelson and Cooper were both JC players, along with Love, Bean, JJ Johnson, Kevin Cooper, Randy Thomas, Shivers, and quite a few other guys on that '98 team. Sherrill's successful recruiting of those JC guys was the only reason we won the championship. It later bit him in the butt, though, because he lost out on the good JC players (remember the 4 Arizona Western JC players-none of whom contributed).

[smootness]

This was a place that I had concerns -- that my mind has been eased for the most part.

Wish we would have announced other raises(I know they said they were coming, but never heard the figures). I'm seeing writing on the wall for someone to steal Tony Hughes from us next year and leave what is likely to be our best recruiting class in my recollection ripe for the pickings. It has shades of 2011 written all over it if we lose him. He's lead recruiter for basically all elite talents we are chasing(and expecting to get) in MS in this cycle. So, pay the man now -- and don't let the seeds of doubt be planted. JMO.

No way do we make him lead recruiter for everyone if we fear he could leave anytime soon. He wasn't made the lead recruiter across the board inside the state like this until recently, which tells me that we both realized that was the best way to go to get the in-state talent and that we have an understanding that he isn't going anywhere.

We're not dumb. We won't let him out the door before signing day next year.