100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 3 Days - No. 3, WR Kevin Coleman and S Brylan Lanier
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.
We are mere days away from game day for State and the start of the Lebby era and we’re finishing out this 100-day countdown this week.
Today, we look at two newcomers that bring a dynamic attitude to their game.
100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 3 Days
No. 3, Jr. WR Kevin Coleman
One of the highest ceilings on the team involves the transfer receiver Coleman.
Coleman was one of the top players in the country coming out of high school and he shocked the college football world when he picked Jackson State and Deion Sanders over almost every big name in the country. The Missouri native was ranked the No. 54 player in the country and the No. 6 wide receiver while landing at No. 1 in the state of Missouri.
Over his incredible career at St. Mary’s High School, Coleman had 3,968 receiving yards on 179 receptions with 56 touchdowns and added 37 rushes for 435 yards and six TDs. He had 87 tackles and 14 interceptions on defense and had 16 touchdowns either in kick or punt returning. ‘
Not surprisingly, Coleman was a standout immediately at JSU. He became the conference’s Freshman of the Year when he had 32 catches for 475 yards and three touchdowns in 2022, but he would take off when Sanders left for Colorado. Coleman transferred to Louisville last year and started in 11 games while hauling in 26 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns.
After entering the portal for a second time, Coleman linked up with Chad Bumphis and Lebby and is set to explode in the Bulldog offense this season. The talented 5’11, 180-pound pass catcher is a dynamic playmaker in the slot and is slated to start for State on Saturday against Eastern Kentucky.
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No. 3, Jr. S Brylan Lanier
A new life has been given to Lanier as he enters year one in Starkville.
A native of Tuscaloosa, Lanier played his ball at Paul Bryant High School before getting a chance with the hometown Crimson Tide. Lanier was a three-star recruit that initially signed with Georgia State before the Tide got him to stay home.
Following a redshirt season, Lanier hit the transfer portal and would land at Indiana in 2022. He played in 11 of the team’s 12 games that season and had 13 tackles with 1.0 sack. After just one year, he was back in the portal yet again and he would land in Mississippi at EMCC.
In Scooba, Lanier began to make a move in the junior college ranks. He had 60 tackles with 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an INT on the way to leading the team to the MACCC state title and a runner up finish in the national championship.
Lanier didn’t get the benefit of the doubt by the evaluators ranking players, but teams like Georgia, NC State, and the Bulldogs didn’t pay attention to those rankings. State would ultimately get Lanier signed and he joined several teammates in Starkville for this season.
After a spring and training camp of work, Lanier has pushed himself to the top of the depth chart at the Star position. Lanier will be one of the Bulldogs more dynamic defenders in the backend and get a lot of work as the starter this Saturday.
