100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 25 Days - No. 25, Sr. RB Jeffery Pittman
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 running back vying for reps in the Bulldog offense.
100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 25 Days – No. 25, Sr. RB Jeffery Pittman
For many years, the junior college system has given players often overlooked in high schools inside the state a chance to bridge the gap.
Pittman is one of the players that fit that mold as the Taylorsville native turned in a great high school and junior college career, ultimately landing at State. At Taylorsville, Pittman helped the Tartars to consecutive state championships in Class 2A and earned MVP honors both seasons.
In 2020, he finished off his career with 1,412 yards and 21 scores, but the offers never came for Pittman. It led to him taking his talent to Hinds Community College and trying again after two seasons playing for the Eagles.
Almost immediately, Pittman was making his mark on that level. He rushed for over 120 yards per game in year one with 1,214 yards and 23 scores and had another touchdown receiving that first year on the way to South Division Offensive MVP as well as First-Team All-MACCC.
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Pittman didn’t have quite the same season in year two but did have 135 carries for 651 yards rushing and 10 scores while earning Second-Team All-MACCC honors. His two years earned him the No. 1 ranking among running backs nationally in JUCO and he was the No. 54 player overall.
Colorado, Louisiana Tech, Western Kentucky and others offered, but the offer from coach Mike Leach and MSU would lock him in and he committed just a couple of days after in November.
Though MSU’s offense was disjointed last season, Pittman had some good moments. His first big moment was a walk-off touchdown against Arizona in overtime as he caught a pass and ran 29 yards for the score to knock off the Wildcats. He finished the year with 54 carries for 268 yards and a touchdown rushing and another 13 catches for 91 yards and two scores.
The season that Pittman had last year carries him into his final year in college where he will be competing for reps in a stronger backfield. Davon Booth, Johnnie Daniels and Keyvonne Lee will be strong competition for Pittman this fall but he will try to win some reps out of the group.
