Any reports from practice today?

[Dawgology]

I saw where media was invited

[HoopsDawg]

Only interesting thing to me is Sharp at center.

[Cowbell]

Only interesting thing to me is Sharp at center.

That is interesting - we have got have have better center play than what we had last year

[Jarius]

Sharp starting at center as mentioned, Polk at receiver apparently had the best day of anyone on the field at receiver, and Jordan Davis on the DL all stood out. Paul said the OL looked much better as a whole.

[Hambone]

Polk and Calvin catch anything remotely close to them. I only mentioned them by name because they weren’t on the team last year.

WR are going to be fun to watch this year.

[Jarius]

Polk and Calvin catch anything remotely close to them. I only mentioned them by name because they weren’t on the team last year.

WR are going to be fun to watch this year.

I was surprised to read that the offense “won” the team scrimmage as far as points go. Usually the defense is ahead of the offense at this point.

[confucius say]

Dollar bill and Cole smith at the two guards?

[Jarius]

Dollar bill and Cole smith at the two guards?

Cole is second team center right now. Kam Jones is now the starting LG with Dolla Bill starting at RG and Lashley starting at RT.

[BuckyIsAB****]

Cole is second team center right now. Kam Jones is now the starting LG with Dolla Bill starting at RG and Lashley starting at RT.

That is our best 5

[Leroy Jenkins]

Cole is second team center right now. Kam Jones is now the starting LG with Dolla Bill starting at RG and Lashley starting at RT.

This group fits the eye test the best, fingers crossed they mesh well.

[Homedawg]

I was surprised to read that the offense “won” the team scrimmage as far as points go. Usually the defense is ahead of the offense at this point.

Considering they aren't in pads, it doesn't mean a whole lot.

[99jc]

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football opened its 2021 preseason practices Friday and all eyes were on sophomore quarterback Will Rogers. Mostly because the Mississippi State quarterback competition didn't look much like a competition at all.

Rogers received almost all of the first-team reps Friday, continuing to build chemistry with a revamped receiver group that's significantly deeper than the one he threw to last fall. Rogers made a few good throws and a few bad decisions, as should be expected on the first day of practice, but coach Mike Leach was more impressed with the growth he's seen from the sophomore.

"I think leadership he's come a long, long ways as far as elevating the play of others," Leach said. "He's more consistent than he obviously was starting as a true freshman without a spring. There's plenty of progress to make."
Rogers has had time to make that progress this offseason. Rogers didn't have a spring in 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions and was thrust into a starting role because of an injury, not because he was necessarily deemed ready.
This year, Rogers had a full spring. And a more regular summer. And he's heading into fall as the man to beat.

It's important to note, however, that Rogers does have some competition. South Alabama transfer Chance Lovertich took all the second-team reps behind Rogers.

Leach summed up Lovertich's day by saying he looked shaky in individual drills, looked strong in 7-on-7 drills despite making a few turnover-worthy plays and showed his best stuff during team drills, although he was still a little inconsistent.
It didn't appear as if Lovertich challenged Rogers much for the starting job. Southern Miss transfer Jack Abraham didn't have the opportunity, not practicing after warmups for undisclosed reasons. Freshmen Sawyer Robertson and Daniel Greek and Sam Houston transfer Jack Kristofek were mostly resigned to drills with the third- and fourth-teams.

Perhaps the bigger takeaway had less to do with the quarterbacks and more to do with the players they were throwing to. Mississippi State's receiving corps had a depth it was missing last season. Returning contributors like Jaden Walley, Austin Williams and Malik Heath were flanked by transfers Makai Polk and Jamire Calvin, freshmen like Kosciusko's Antonio Harmon and even walk-ons like Tupelo's Trip Wilson, who made a couple of impressive plays during 7-on-7 drills.

"It helps," Leach said. "It pushes guys and it also gives us more resources so we don't get too thin. You always battle that. I think it's an improved group. We've got a long ways to go though."

Overall, Leach was pleased with the first day of practice. He said there was some anticipated sloppiness and rustiness, but he was impressed by the way his players competed.

Leach said he isn't going to rush to make too many depth chart decisions this early. Partially because he wants to see how competition will separate players. But more because he needs to get used to seeing what his players became over the summer.

"The thing is these guys change," Leach said. "They don't always stay the same. The good news is they usually improve. You've got to keep peeking in on them and see what they're doing and try to distribute the reps. The good news is it's a result of improvement. The bad news is you're constantly trying to evaluate and make the best decisions you can."

Some depth chart notes
There weren't many surprises on the depth chart.

From left to right the offensive line was Charles Cross, Kameron Jones, LaQuinston Sharp, Kwatrivous Johnson and Scott Lashley. Jo'quavious Marks was the first-team running back and the first-team receivers were Malik Heath, Austin Williams, Jaden Walley and Makai Polk.
A standout athlete
Polk, a transfer receiver from Cal, showed promise as a vertical threat. He made a couple of acrobatic catches and repped with the first team most of the day.
Leach spoke after practice about how he's excited about the depth Mississippi State added to its receiver room this offseason. Polk figures to be one of the key pieces the Bulldogs added and might be able to bring a new aspect to the vertical passing attack.

At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Polk plays long and appeared to thrive in single coverage down the sideline.

[Jarius]

Considering they aren't in pads, it doesn't mean a whole lot.

This is very true. Still surprised me since I believe our defense is a lot better than our offense. When the pads go on and you have to worry about getting decleated we will see if that trend continues.

[bulldawg28]

Considering they aren't in pads, it doesn't mean a whole lot.

I sort of agree but we're not talking newbies. They are proven with pads on.

[BuckyIsAB****]

I like Wilson a lot. He had to grow up for a year but I think he sees some PT this season. He was a damn good player in HS even if his offense couldnt throw it and caught the game winning pass from Will in the MS/AL game.

[Fader21]

I was surprised to read that the offense “won” the team scrimmage as far as points go. Usually the defense is ahead of the offense at this point.

That old adage might have been true 15 years ago and later, but with 7 on 7 and so many individual camps, and players just going out practicing on their own and the changes in offenses then it has changed how defense and offenses work.