Utah State transfer Davon Booth eager to showcase talent at Mississippi State and the SEC
Last week former Utah State transfer running back Davon Booth found his new home to finish out his college career and committed to Mississippi State. Since entering the transfer portal in April, the Las Vegas, Nevada, native was pursued by the Bulldogs, who had a major need to fill at the running back position.
Booth noted that he quickly built a bond with State running backs coach Anthony Tucker and then made his decision after concluding his official visit to State last week. The former juco transfer rushed for 805 yards and six touchdowns last season on 120 carries at Utah State.
“Coach Tucker was always calling me when I got in the portal,” Booth said. “But it started getting realistic once I decided to check them out on my visit. Then I started doing research on the school and everything. Then I saw it was a good school and a good place for me.”
And regarding his visit, it didn’t take Booth long to feel comfortable in Starkville and enjoyed his time in town.
“It was a good visit,” Booth recalled. “I felt genuine love from the whole staff there and I really like the area. It is a good college town.”
During his transfer recruiting process, Booth naturally had several conversations with State head coach Jeff Lebby. He noted of those conversations and appreciated the honesty that Lebby shared with him.
“I was mostly around Coach Tucker and Coach Courtney (Williams),” added Booth. “I was around those two a lot. My talks with Coach Lebby were good, too. Everything he was telling me was the truth. He wasn’t trying to sugarcoat things and he was telling me some real stuff. I like what he was talking about.”
During his time in Starkville, Booth also gained more insight from a players’ perspective. That included another transfer on State’s 2024 roster in former Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen.
“I was around the quarterback, Blake Shapen, during my visit,” Booth remarked. “He’s a good dude. He was keeping it real with me and he wasn’t sugarcoating anything, either. He was telling me the pros and cons, and we talked about the offense. He said the offense is similar to what we ran at Utah State with the hurry-up offense. I am familiar with that and I like that I am comfortable with that offense.”
Which should make for an easy transition to the SEC and Lebby’s offensive system, added Booth.
“I think that transition will be very, very helpful,” mentioned the 5-foot-10 and 205-pound Booth. “I have to get used to it but it won’t take long to pick up on Mississippi State’s offense.”
In just a few more weeks, Booth will return to Starkville to begin summer workouts with his new Bulldog teammates. And these days, he can take a deep sigh of relief about his future without any more stress about that future.
“It was a big relief,” said Booth. “I was stressing out with phone calls early in the morning and late at night. So I was happy to get it done.”
