100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 13 Days - No. 13, WR Sanfrisco Magee and CB Raydarious Jones

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 couple of players on each side of the ball.  

100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 13 Days

No. 13, Fr. WR  Sanfrisco Magee

One of the first orders of business for Lebby when he arrived in Starkville was to stockpile talent at wide receiver.

The coach and his wide receivers coach Chad Bumphis hit the transfer portal hard and put the full court press on high school receivers. While Stonka Burnside and JJ Harrell took the headlines for the high school class, Magee is a player that could be the hidden gem of the group.

Bumphis began recruiting Magee right when he arrived at State last spring. The 6’3, 200-pound athlete had the look of a potential standout in the SEC and he backed it up on the field. Louisville, Nebraska, UCF and Georgia Tech were a few of the challengers for the instate schools, but State and Ole Miss would be where it would center for him.

After the Bulldogs made their push to land Magee in the summer with Burnside and Harrell, he would suddenly get a rush from the Rebels and Lane Kiffin and he committed to Ole Miss last summer. It didn’t stop the Bulldogs from recruiting him hard as Bumphis and company kept the pressure on and he would ultimately decommit from the Rebels before Lebby was able to come in and close him out last December.

Magee was one of the most productive wide receivers in the entire state last year as he caught 48 passes for 1,229 yards and 15 touchdowns with over 100 yards receiving per game. It earned him first-team All-State for Class 4A and On3 ranked him the No. 21 player in Mississippi while coming in at No. 120 nationally among wide receivers.

Despite the three-star status, Magee has been turning some heads this summer. He’s been among the more impressive young receivers at practice and has already added 10 pounds in the last several months. Sources believe it’s not out of the question that the freshman makes an impact for the Bulldogs relatively early in his career, but his best days are ahead.

 No. 13, Sr. CB Raydarious Jones

Jones has been waiting to make his big impact on the college level for several years now and this is his last chance this season.

A product of Horn Lake High School and then LSU, Jones is coming into year three with the Bulldogs. He burst onto the scene as a defensive back prospect in the 2019 class and he led his Horn Lake squad to a state championship his senior year.

For the Eagles, Jones was one of the most dangerous players in the state at quarterback. He had 1,496 yards passing and 14 touchdowns and another 1,075 rushing yards with 13 touchdowns. Most of the SEC jumped on board with Jones’ talent but wanted him as a defensive back as Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, State, Ole Miss and Auburn all came through with offers.

It would come down to the instate schools, Auburn and LSU in the end and, on signing day, Jones would announce for the Tigers of LSU.

The four-star prospect played in seven games his first two years on campus in 2019 and 2020. As a sophomore in 2021, he had nine appearances for the Tigers and made nine tackles with a pass breakup and a 0.5 tackle for loss. After the season, he decided to enter the transfer portal.

Coming back home was the decision for Jones as he chose to return to Mississippi and play for the Bulldogs for 2022. He didn’t have a chance to hit the field in 2022 and played in just one game last year. It’s year six now for Jones and his final chance to have a big season so he has been attacking the offseason with the goal of making a difference for the Bulldogs this year.