100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 8 Days - No. 8 WR Creed Whittemore and DT Sulaiman Kpaka

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 two players on each side that will make a major impact this year.

100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 8 Days

No. 8, So. WR Creed Whittemore  

While Whittemore has carried himself well over his first two seasons, one could understand his frustrations – if he had them – after last year.

Whittemore had an impressive college debut with a 33-yard touchdown catch and a 53-yard score on the ground to open the season against Southeastern Louisiana. Those plays would ultimately be the bulk of his production for the year, however, as the Bulldog offense struggled to get him on the field and get him the ball last year.

The Gainesville, Fla. native finished with 11 catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns and rushed four times for 60 yards and a score as a true freshman playing in 12 games. There was a lot that he learned from last year’s work, but Whittemore stands to be a much bigger part of Lebby’s offense this year.

Despite the traffic at wide receiver in 2024, Whittemore will get on the field and have his chances this season. He had a good spring and training camp has followed that up with more positive work. Coach Chad Bumphis said early in summer work that Whittemore was going to be a difference maker this year for the Bulldogs and they plan to utilize him in special teams as well.

Another thing for fans to remember is that Whittemore is at the early stages of his career as a wide receiver. In high school, Whittemore was Buchholz’s starting quarterback, and a good one.

Whittemore’s dad, Mark, played wide receiver for UCF and his mom, Missy, was an All-SEC volleyball player for Florida. His brothers played wide out for Troy and Florida, so the family business has been college athletics for a long time.

Playing for his dad in high school, Whittemore wowed on Friday nights and he had 6,000+ yards and 75 total touchdowns over his three years at quarterback. Hometown Florida jumped on Whittemore and offered him along with Miami, Penn State, Texas A&M, Michigan, UCF, Louisville and many others.

He committed to the Gators during the summer of his senior season, but Whittemore suddenly built a strong bond with the Bulldog staff under Leach. During the season, Whittemore made the move and committed to State and he would stick with that commitment even through the death of the coach and the change of offense.

Whittemore has stuck with the Bulldogs yet again this year and is excited for the new journey under Leach.  

No. 8, Sr. DT Sulaiman Kpaka

Defensive line coach David Turner set out to get a couple of veteran big men in the transfer portal during the offseason and one of them that fit the mold was Kpaka.

The Purdue defender had a previous relationship with Turner when the coach was leading the defensive front at UTSA and the then 6’3, 250-pounder was playing ball at Grand Prairie in Texas. A three-star recruit, Kpaka would choose to play his college ball for the Boilermakers and he was off.

After playing in just two games his first three years, Kpaka finally got his chance to start making a difference his junior season. He played in 12 games in 2022 and started in two of them as he made 19 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and a 0.5 sack. Last year he had 10 tackles with 2.5 TFL and 2.0 sacks before entering the transfer portal.

Now in Starkville, Kpaka has some experience in the Power 5 under his belt and looks to be a good depth piece for the Bulldogs as he enters his final year of college ball. Now at 300 pounds, Kpaka has been working at nose tackle and defensive tackle for the Bulldogs in the offseason and is prepared to play both.