100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 12 Days - No. 12, Jr. S Tyler Woodard
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 newcomer on defense who will make an impression this season.
100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 12 Days – No. 12, Jr. S Tyler Woodard
Woodard’s road to Starkville has been a long one, but the junior defensive back is finally about to make his debut at State.
Fans can go back to the 2022 class when Woodard first came on to the scene for the Bulldogs. Arnett and the defensive staff recruited Woodard to play in the defensive backfield during that recruiting class and he committed dating back to the spring of his junior season.
Woodard had actually began grabbing impressive offers when he was a freshman in high school as Baylor, Tennessee, LSU and Arkansas got in the game. Alabama, Florida State, Oregon and South Carolina followed his sophomore season and Ole Miss came through as a junior.
As his senior year would wind down, Woodard’s situation for college became more muddy and he wouldn’t be a part of the Bulldog class. Instead, the Memphis native would land in junior college at East Mississippi Community College.
Woodard started making his impact right away as a freshman in Scooba as he had 20 tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception in 10 games. After being a middle-of-the-pack, three-star prospect at Freedom Prep Academy, Woodard pushed the boundaries of a four-star during his time at EMCC.
Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama and Louisville all came after him last year, but the familiar faces of the Bulldog staff comforted Woodard. He would commit to State during the summer and kept that commitment as he then focused on his sophomore season.
It was a heck of a sophomore campaign for Woodard. He managed 56 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and five pass breakups with an interception, helping the Lions to a National Championship appearance.
Now in Starkville for good, Woodard has been working for a starting spot at safety. Whether he starts or not will soon be settled for game one, but his playing time will still be rather extensive this year based on reports from camp so far.
