The 2010 defense for Mississippi State will have a number of new faces on a unit that finished 11th in the SEC last season, and one of those new faces said he thinks the defensive line will be the most talented in the NCAA.
“I feel as though we’re going to be the best d-line in the country,” junior defensive tackle James Carmon said. “No doubt about it. SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, whatever you want, name it. We’re going to be the best. It’s just us.”
Carmon, a 6′ 7,” 345 pound transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, said he cannot wait to play SEC football for the first time.
Many people have compared Carmon to former Alabama defensive tackle Terrence Cody, the 370 behemoth who Carmon replaced at MGCCC. Carmon said they could not be any more wrong.
“No. That’s not accurate at all,” he said. “I can move way better than him. I don’t think he’s on my level at all. As long as I get to know this program and know how the system’s going, I bet you I’ll be way better than him.”
The Bulldogs finished near the bottom of almost every defensive statistical category in the SEC last season, including 11th in points allowed (26.8 ppg), eighth in rushing yards allowed (146 ypg), 11th in passing yards allowed (220 ypg) and 11th in total sacks with 18, compared to 35 by Florida, who led the conference.
After defensive coordinator Carl Torbush left MSU for the same position with the Kansas Jayhawks, head coach Dan Mullen went out to find two men to help right the defensive ship. He hired Manny Diaz away from Middle Tennessee to become the new defensive coordinator, and he brought in Chris Wilson from the University of Oklahoma to be the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.
Diaz said improvement starts with the defensive line, and he wants to show everyone that last season’s numbers do not represent his new-look defense.
“We have to prove ourselves,” he said. “That’s the nature of who we are here at Mississippi State. There’s no one who’s gonna lay down just because our bus pulls up. We want to get an attitude, and it starts with our defensive line. They’ve got to be the tip of the sword to try and establish our identity.”
Senior center J.C. Brignone has lined up against some of the stingiest defensive lines in the nation in his time at MSU, including Alabama and the aforementioned “Mount” Cody. He also lined up against this new Dawg defensive line in every spring practice.
While he notes they are an inexperienced unit, he said they have nearly unlimited potential.
“For the youngest crew I’ve ever played against, these guys are one of the best groups I’ve played against,” Brignone said. “Fletcher Cox, man, you can quote me on this: he’ll be All-American before he leaves here. Josh Boyd is a heck of a player also, and now we got James Carmon, a guy that’s 3,000 pounds sitting right there in the middle, it’s tough to move.”
Wilson said he sees a wealth of talent on the line, as well, and said he hopes Carmon can emulate two players who are consensus top-five picks in this month’s NFL Draft.
“What we’re hoping for is a guy like James Carmon who can be a vertical guy,” Wilson said. “A Gerald McCoy-type, or Ndamukong Suh who can attack the line of scrimmage and play vertical. Like they say, styles make fights. That’s kind of how we look at big James.”
Wilson said the highest hurdle for his line will be learning the new system.
“They’re very talented guys,” he said. “The biggest thing for them is their learning curve. They’re just trying to learn a new style of play. We’re trying to have an attack front and be very multiple. It’s gonna take us time, but the guys are doing a really good job of buying in.”
Hopes are high with both the team and Bulldog fans for next season’s defensive line, but Diaz said there is still plenty left to do if they want to reach that point.
“Usually, when they’re all learning, you don’t see anybody step to the forefront until a bit later,” he said. “It comes in flashes. Fletcher Cox flashes with some plays. But no one, because we’re all freshmen mentally, is consistently, ‘wow, that guy’s good.’ We can’t say right now that we’ve got any dominating players in the spring.”