It is very rare to find a college football player who can move around to any position and succeed. On Mississippi State’s roster, Gerri Green is a player who can dominate at many positions on the defensive side of the ball.
A redshirt sophomore, Green was a standout high school player and will get the opportunity to play both the Viper position and inside linebacker for Mississippi State this fall. Green, who is from Greenville, Mississippi, is six foot four inches and listed at 248 pounds.
He played at Greenville Weston High School and was ranked as a four-star recruit by both 24/7Sports.com and Scout.com. He had 98 tackles his senior year of high school, 11.5 of which were for loss. He had a breakout freshman year, earning a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team. He had 49 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. His teammate and senior linebacker Richie Brown had praise for Green.
“Gerri is doing awesome,” Brown said. “He is really athletic, fast and strong, so I think he is going to be really good.”
Green will see some time in the Viper position in defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon’s new defense. The Viper is a combination of defensive end and outside linebacker. In 4-3 sets, it will be a lot more similar to defensive end, where in 3-4 sets it functions more like a linebacker. Green also has said he will still spend time at inside linebacker, which is the position he played last season.
“Wherever they tell me to go I am going,” Green said. “It is better for me to know both because me knowing outside at the Viper and inside helps because it lets me know the defense better, so I can know both jobs.”
Green is a playmaker.With two interceptions last year, he has showed his athleticism at the linebacker spot. He had four pass breakups last season. His two interceptions came against Missouri and in the Belk Bowl versus North Carolina State. In his first and only career start, Green intercepted NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissett on the first play from scrimmage.
Sirmon, who is also the linebackers coach, talked about his sophomore linebacker.
“He is another guy that we need to do a great job of finding the best fit for him to help us,” Sirmon said. “As far as the type of guy you want on the field playing, he really exemplifies what this program is about.”
Green and the rest of the MSU defense are a little over a week out from the season opener. The first game will be against South Alabama on Sept. 3 and will be an 11 a.m. start. After that MSU will play South Carolina on Sept. 10 and will start at 6 p.m. Cowbell Yell will be the Thursday before the season opener on Sept. 1 at 9 p.m.
