100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 67 Days - No. 67, C Ethan Miner
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 transfer lineman that is a key to the unit this season.
100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 67 Days – No. 67, Sr. C Ethan Miner
The new staff had to go to work right away in the transfer portal to restructure the Bulldog offensive line after graduation took its toll.
Among the biggest positions to fill on the entire team was at center as State lost its snapper with the graduation of Cole Smith. Almost immediately, Miner emerged as the perfect fit for State.
A former North Texas lineman, Miner already had a great relationship with his former offensive line coach Jon Cooper who took over tight ends in Starkville. The addition of Cody Kennedy from Arkansas to run the line at State only cemented the Bulldogs’ chances and he would commit to them back in December.
Miner was State’s first addition out of the portal and started what would be a strong haul on the offensive side of the ball. He made quite a name for himself with the Mean Green as he was ranked as the highest graded center in the country a season ago.
On3 thought highly of Miner as the network ranked him as a four-star recruit out of the portal and the No. 4 inside lineman while coming in at No. 56 overall. The Connecticut native has been in the game for many years now. A former All-New England lineman out of high school, Miner landed in the South as he was recruited by Arkansas State back in the 2019 signing class.
After redshirting his first year on campus, Miner would play in nine games and start in one as a redshirt freshman in 2020. He started in all 11 games his sophomore season and moved from center to left guard during that season. In 2022, he was the team’s center for all 12 games before he decided to transfer out to North Texas for his senior campaign last year.
Miner was the second-highest graded offensive lineman in the American Conference last year according to Pro Football Focus with a grade of 81.5. He was the No. 5 pass-blocking center in the country and the No. 3 center overall by the publication.
With 35-consecutive starts under his belt over the course of the last three seasons, Miner is State’s unquestioned starter at the position heading into 2024. If healthy, he’s set to have a big final year in college and help the Bulldog offense to new heights under Lebby.
