The Mississippi State University football team opened up spring practice Tuesday at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex.
The team participated in a two-and-a-half hour practice with players in helmets and shorts. The practice centered on fundamentals and speed training.
“We work hard to come out here and play football, and I think we had a great offseason,” Mullen said in a news release. “A lot of guys have been training and working hard, and now they get to come out and apply it to the game of football. We have a great attitude on this team, great effort and the tempo of practice was good. No one had any pads on, so it was hard to see what was really going on. We have a lot of new faces that are going to have to learn to do and think things really fast.”
Manny Diaz ran the MSU defense through drills for the first time since the 2010 season when he was defensive coordinator. Diaz led Louisiana Tech’s defense to the second-best defense in total yards last season and led the county with 40 gained turnovers.
Sophomore Jamoral Graham is the first player this spring to see a switch in position from last year. Graham ran through the practice with the cornerbacks and changed from No. 81 to No. 9.
“He’s a competitor,” Mullen said. “He said, ‘Coach, I want to go wherever, and whatever I need to do to get on the field I can go do it.’ I think he has the skill set, and his quickness, athleticism and physicality will allow him to do either.”
The Bulldogs will fill three starting positions this upcoming fall on the offensive line. Jamaal Clayborn played the center position at the first practice of the year.
“The issue that we have there is our top three centers from last year graduated,” Mullen said. “We’re going to be experimenting there a bunch. It’s not just about the one. Looking at Jamaal, I think we experimented with that in bowl prep a little bit to give him some opportunities there and see if he was comfortable.”
MSU returns to practice at the Seal Complex Friday at 3:20 p.m., and practice is open to the public.