Davon Booth ready to make the most of unexpected extra season
Mississippi State got an extra gift under the tree around Christmas time this year in the form of a veteran running back returning.
Some unexpected, good news came the Bulldogs way when Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia opened the door for former junior college players to have at least one more year of eligibility. The long-term results of that are still in the air, but next year will have many players getting one last year of college ball.
Among the players that got to take advantage of that ruling was senior running back Davon Booth. After finishing the season strong last year, Booth was preparing for the NFL Draft when he got word from the State staff that he was going to have that option. He jumped on the opportunity.
“It was crazy. When I got the news, it was a no-brainer,” Booth said. “I love being at State, so I’m just glad to be back. I just said, ‘let’s do it.’”
With that addition, State immediately had one of the deepest running back room in the conference. The top two rushers return for the Bulldogs this year in Booth and Johnnie Daniels and they also added one of the top running backs in the transfer portal in Fluff Bothwell from South Alabama.
A lot still has to happen with the offense to be a complete group, but Anthony Tucker’s unit is impressive on paper. Count head coach Jeff Lebby in on believing as well.
“I feel really good about the room today,” Lebby said. “We’ve got to do a great job of keeping those guys healthy and giving them a bunch of reps, but we’ve completely flipped it in a calendar year. There’s incredible depth and I’m excited about that room. Great competition.”
Booth and Daniels two bright spots from tough 2024
In what was a trying year for the Bulldog football team, the running backs became a strength by the end of the season. It wasn’t much of a surprise that the unit began to produce as Lebby’s offense has bred good running backs over the years.
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It took some time but Booth round into form late in the year and finished with 759 yards and five touchdowns. Daniels averaged an identical 5.0 yards per carry and had 540 yards and four touchdowns. Add in the 111 carries, 832 yards and 13 touchdowns from Bothwell in his freshman year at South Alabama and it’s a crew ready to run.
“We have good chemistry. I love those guys and we hang out outside of football. I’m very confident in what they’re able to do and bring to the room,” Booth said. “The way Johnnie does things, I still have no idea and Fluff is very strong and powerful. He brings energy whether it’s in the weight room or in the field and sets the tone.”
How those carries get divvied will be decided in the fall, but the spring could separate some players as well.
Booth will be a player that should be heavy in the mix after what he did in Starkville last year. A former JUCO All-American at Cerritos College, Booth had over 800 yards at Utah State as a junior before transferring to State.
Arriving in the summer put Booth behind, but he would get his footing. Booth rushed for over 70 yards just once in the first six games before rushing for over 70 yards in five of the last six games. During that stretch, he also had two games of over 100 yards.
The talented runner will use that production to springboard into year two.
“Honestly, it was just sticking to the script,” Booth said. “I’ve got to trust my guys up front making the blocks. The rest does it by itself.”
