Auburn transfer DE Wilky Denaud discusses Mississippi State decision
In December, freshman defensive end Wilky Denaud opted to enter the transfer portal and leave Auburn’s program after redshirting in 2023. However, the Fort Pierce, Fla., native announced on Monday that he will remain in the SEC.
The 6-foot-4 and 265-pound Denaud made his decision to transfer to Mississippi State and did so just a few days after officially visiting the Bulldogs. Denaud, who has four years of eligibility remaining, is the third transfer defensive linemen for the Bulldogs this offseason, joining Kedrick Bingley-Jones of North Carolina and Sulaiman Kpaka of Purdue.
“I was just ready to get it over with and get locked in,” Denaud remarked. “I want to get locked in so I can enroll, learn the playbook and learning everything. I was ready to get back to doing what I like to do and that is training. When you are in the portal, you don’t know where you will be training or end up. But now I know and I am relieved to get back to doing what I love to do.”
As noted, Denaud got a good look at Mississippi State’s new staff a few days ago with his official visit. That trip was more about reuniting with defensive line coach David Turner, who recruited Denaud during his prep days.
“I had visited up there when Coach (Mike) Leach was there,” recalled Denaud. “So my visit was really about getting a refresher on their campus and their program. To me, the biggest thing was Coach Turner. When he was at Florida, he gave me my first offer in high school and that was a great experience for me.
“So it was about getting re-connected with Coach Turner. I saw that nothing had changed with his thoughts about me and I saw that relationship was still good.”
And during that visit and his recent talks with Turner, Denaud is encouraged about his future on the Mississippi State defensive line and beyond.
“Coach Turner talked about my size and how I line up with other guys he has coached in years past,” Denaud noted. “He showed me how Fletcher Cox and Chris Jones were at Mississippi State and also Zach Carter at Florida. He showed me what he did with them in college and how they took those skills to the NFL and how they used that to be special in the NFL.”
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While Denaud will remain in the same conference, he explained that it wasn’t the biggest factor behind his Maroon and White decision.
“I wouldn’t say staying in the SEC was the main factor,” mentioned Denaud. “But it definitely favors me in a way because I can come in there and being in the SEC, it gives me a leg up on most guys transferring from other leagues. I would say it benefits me in that room.”
And knowing what to expect in the SEC also allows Denaud to face a small adjustment at Mississippi State.
“Already playing in the SEC, I’d say it won’t be a big adjustment for me,” Denaud added. “I know how the game goes and I know how the workouts go. I already know the size of the guys I will be going against in the SEC so it will not be a major eye-opener for me. My experience at Auburn helped prepare me to come back and play in the SEC.”
Denaud will return to Starkville next week to begins his first semester at Mississippi State along with several other offseason additions to the 2024 roster.
