100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 17 Days – No. 17, Sr. S Jordan Morant
Jeff Lebby’s era of Mississippi State football has arrived.
The Bulldogs are on their third coach in as many years as Mike Leach’s tragic passing opened the door for defensive coordinator Zach Arnett’s debut as head coach last year. That experiment failed before the year even ended for State and now it’s Lebby’s turn to take the wheel.
While there is always a risk in hiring first time head coaches, Lebby brings to Starkville an exciting offensive scheme that has been productive everywhere he’s been. The coach has also brought with him some swagger that has the fanbase ready to see what’s next.
Over the course of the next 100 days, we will take a look at Lebby’s roster and even some fun historical rewinds that will bring back memories for Dawg fans of all ages.
Today, we look at a veteran safety.
100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 17 Days – No. 17, Sr. S Jordan Morant
A New Jersey native has found a home in Mississippi the last couple of years as Morant enters year three in Starkville.
A former four-star recruit and one of the top safeties in the country out of high school, Morant initially signed with Michigan in the class of 2020. Most of the big names nationally came through with an offer as Alabama, Penn State, USC, Clemson, LSU, Texas A&M, Miami, Notre Dame, Tennessee and others made the call.
During his career at Bergen Catholic, Morant had 108 tackles with 4.0 tackles for loss and four interceptions over three seasons. The All-American was ranked as the No. 10 safety in the country and the No. 5 player in New Jersey while coming in as the No. 165 player overall.
Following a redshirt season in 2020, Morant played in eight games for Michigan in 2021 and made one tackle before hitting the transfer portal. The Bulldogs were a team that immediately jumped into the mix for him and he landed on Leach’s team in 2022.
Morant played in all 13 games as a sophomore and had 11 tackles at safety. He played in all 12 games last year with seven tackles and his first career TFL. As a senior this year, Morant will be in the mix for more playing time in a competitive defensive backfield.