100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 5 Days - No. 5, LB John Lewis and WR Stonka Burnside
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.
As we hit game week for the Bulldogs, we are breaking down the final five numbers on the countdown.
Today, we look at two dynamic playmakers for both the offense and the defense.
100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 5 Days
No. 5, Jr. LB John Lewis
Life is changing fast for Lewis this year.
After three years of learning behind older players like Bookie Watson and Jett Johnson, Lewis is now being thrust into a leadership role for State. Lewis seems built for this position after learning under the two SEC leaders in tackles.
It’s a pretty big jump for Lewis after relatively limited production his first two seasons. Lewis played in four games and redshirted as a freshman in 2021 and played in 12 games in 2022 as he had just three tackles.
Last year, Lewis’ work took the next step as he would make 20 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss. Just like last season, Lewis appears bound for a big jump in production.
It wouldn’t surprise anyone that watched Lewis coming up at Germantown. As a senior, Lewis would explode by the middle of his senior season. He rose to the No. 237 player nationally and the No. 5 player in the state of Mississippi after he made 84 tackles, 13.0 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
This could be the year where he comes into his own.
No. 5, Fr. WR Stonka Burnside
Another former four-star wide receiver that comes from a Class 7A program is Burnside and he’s also got some high expectations in front of him.
The Bulldogs won out in a battle against Ole Miss for Burnside’s signature, and it took some hard work to get him on board.
Burnside had initially committed to the Bulldogs back last summer when Arnett was the head coach, but State’s struggling offense and the firing of the coach late in the season opened things back up. As the year progressed, it became more and more fundamental for the Bulldogs to land Burnside.
The Starkville standout has 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns on 75 catches as a junior when he led the Yellow Jackets to the Class 6A state championship. Last year, he caught 59 passes for 1,006 yards and 16 touchdowns as SHS went back to the state title for the second year in a row.
Shortly after Lebby was hired, his entire staff showed up for the state title game and the official visit followed just a few days later. It was on that visit that the Bulldogs locked up Burnside’s commitment, but he wouldn’t announce until he played in the Under Armour All-American game.
After Burnside took part in spring practice, the talented wide out is a major candidate for an impact in year one. It would be a surprise at this point if he redshirted this year as his coaches and teammates are expecting him to make some plays right away.
