100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 15 Days - No. 15, So. S Kobi Albert
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 defensive back hoping for a breakthrough year after injury.
100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 15 Days – No. 15, So. S Kobi Albert
Expectations were relatively high last offseason when Albert arrived in Starkville from Kentucky.
A former high three-star recruit from Fairfield Prep in Alabama, Albert had shown some promise when he got on the field right away for Kentucky in 2022. Albert made three tackles and had a tackle for loss as he played in 10 ball games and had a bright future ahead of him in the Commonwealth before entering the transfer portal.
In recruiting, Albert was on the verge of four-star status as he picked up offers from Tennessee, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Michigan, State, Indiana, Georgia, Florida State, Arkansas, Auburn and a whole host of other schools. Albert was ranked as the No. 17 player in the state of Alabama and considered a top 20 athlete nationally.
During his senior season, Albert had 31 tackles with four interceptions and had 12 touchdowns total between his work on offense, defense and special teams. He had 30 catches at receiver as a junior with eight touchdowns, 29 tackles on defense and returned a kickoff for touchdown with 147 yards on five returns.
Having committed and signed with Kentucky on signing day of 2021, Albert got to work immediately and on to the field for the Wildcats. He was expected to do the same for State last year before going down with a knee injury shortly before the season.
Since that time, Albert has been putting in the work to get out on the field and help State. Albert missed the spring and is just getting back to 100% in practice so it might be a process, but co-defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler mentioned how excited he was to have him on the field in 2024.
