100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 9 Days - No. 9 DE De'Monte Russell and WR Ricky Johnson

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 the opposite ends of their careers.

100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 9 Days

No. 9, Sr. DE De’Monte Russell

Russell is one of the final players that have ties to Dan Mullen and his staff and he’s been a part of the last six head coaches in some form or fashion.

A member of the class of 2019, the Bulldog coaches began recruiting Russell before Joe Moorhead come on to the scene as he played his ball for Provine in Jackson. Russell was considered one of the nation’s top pass rushers in high school as he was rated as the No. 183 player in the country, the No. 10 weakside defensive end and the No. 11 player in the state in what was a stacked class in Mississippi.

Injuries hampered some of his progress as a high school senior, as it has his college career, but he still would shine through. During his three years at Provine, he tallied 131 tackles with 37.0 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. Even with an injury as a senior, Russell would tack on 52 tackles, 12.0 TFL and 5.5 sacks.

The production and the agility at his position brought offers from a large chunk of the SEC and beyond. Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss and State made up his offer sheet in the conference with Florida State and Oregon also being in the mix.

The Bulldogs were the heavy favorite and landed his commitment in the spring, but he still took visits. One of those visits was an official to Ole Miss late in the process, but Russell never switched things up.

Russell encountered a major setback during his true freshman year in Starkville, however. After playing in four games during that season and drawing a redshirt, Russell was involved in a dangerous car wreck with fellow freshman JP Purvis and other young men and both were injured.

That injury lingered into his second year on campus and Russell would not play in a game in 2020. Russell made his return in 2021 with a 13-tackle season in 11 games including a career-high 2.5 TFL. He had 16 tackles the next season with his first career sack and added a career-high 24 tackles with 2.0 TFL and 1.0 sack last season.

The season last year was the first where Russell looked like he was truly getting the most out of his talent after dealing with a few serious setbacks. Now, Russell is hoping this year will be his best.

The Jackson native is in year six with the program and has the opportunity to play one final season with his brother, linebacker Donterry Russell. The eldest has been one of the team’s biggest leaders and is one of the few returning players on the defense.

No. 9, Fr. WR Ricky Johnson   

Chad Bumphis pulled off a big recruiting win last December when the coach snuck in the Houston County (Ga.) wide receiver for an official visit.

Johnson had committed to Stanford back in the summer before his senior year after taking a trip up to California but the reality of being far from home began to set in for him. The Georgia native would end up visiting Starkville in December and less than a week after his visit, he was signed.

After catching 53 passes for 840 yards for 11 touchdowns as a junior, Johnson caught 65 passes for 1,213 yards and 16 touchdowns as he had the second most yards in Houston County history. He finished in Class 6A by compiling over 2,523 yards in his career as he had the third-most yards in school history.

Johnson signed with the Bulldogs as the nation’s 168^th ranked wide receiver and the No. 136 player in the state of Georgia. The 6’2, 185-pounder will likely redshirt this season but he’s part of a wide receiver class that could do some special things in Starkville as he joins four stars Stonka Burnside, Mario Craver and JJ Harrell as well as rising standout Sanfrisco Magee.