100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 30 Days - No. 30, Marcus Ross and Xavier Gayten

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 newcomers with promising futures ahead of them.

100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 30 Days

 No. 30, Jr. LB Marcus Ross       

While the transfer portal has threatened recruiting of junior college players, MSU remains a believer in the system.

JUCO schools inside the state of Mississippi have produced some great players for the Bulldogs over the years and the staffs that come and go still want to utilize them. That was the case again with Arnett and Lebby’s staffs in the 2024 signing class.

Ross was one of several players that the Bulldogs took out of JUCO and he joins a few teammates from East Mississippi Community College on the State defense this year. The second-team All-MACCC, Ross had a tremendous season last year for the Lions.

As EMCC made its way to the national championship game, Ross had 77 tackles on the year with 7.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. It was a breakthrough season for the defender who appears to be blooming at the right time.

A three-star recruit and JUCO’s No. 6 linebacker in the 2024 class, Ross was even more under the radar as a high schooler. He comes from the talent-rich community of Bassfield and played his football for Jefferson Davis County.

After two years at EMCC, Ross looks ready to help the Bulldogs in year one this season. The 6’2, 230-pounder has already put on several pounds of good weight and will be cutting his teeth with Coleman Hutzler at linebacker.

 No. 30, Jr. RB Xavier Gayten

When Gayten committed to the Bulldogs all the way back to June of last year, MSU people knew they had a good player even if the rankings or offer sheet didn’t say it.

State, Ole Miss and Southern Miss were the only major schools that came through with offers for Gayten and he went about his business the rest of his senior season. By the time he was preparing for graduation, On3 felt like he was one of the best athletes in the country.

At 6’0, 190 pounds, Gayten is a good enough athlete that the question still persists whether he could play offense or defense. That was a strong question back during his recruitment when the Bulldog coaching staff felt his best position might be on defense, but he would quickly prove to be a major factor at running back.

A track star at Brookhaven, Gayten ran the 100m in 10.95, and it certainly showed on the football field. In three years, Gayten rushed for an incredible 5,216 yards and 54 touchdowns with 7.8 yards per carry. His best season was stamped last year when the First-Team All-State runner had 218 carries, 2,055 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior and had five games of 200 or more yards.

On3 went against the grain after that film came through and handed Gayten a four-star ranking as the No. 250 player in the class overall. He was ranked as the No. 8 athlete and the No. 6 player in the state of Mississippi. 247Sports, rivals.com and ESPN all had Gayten 21 or 22.

His impact is likely not coming this year as several older running backs are ahead of Gayten on the depth chart, but the skill set tracks for a big career in Starkville.