Sulaiman Kpaka enjoying life in the SEC ahead of final season

A jolt of energy has come for Sulaiman Kpaka in his final season of eligibility.

Starkville has brought a familiar feeling to the surface for the Texas big man as he’s returned to the south to play for Mississippi State. Beyond the dread of the summer heat, Kpaka relishes the southern cooking that has returned to his life. He also is getting the pleasure of remembering why he was drawn to coach David Turner several years ago.

When Kpaka was being recruited out of Grand Prairie, Turner was one of the coaches that he spent time building a relationship with in the class of 2019. Turner was coaching UTSA’s defensive line at the time and the two had built a strong bond before Kpaka chose Purdue.

Fast forward six years later and Kpaka is learning under coach Turner every day. It’s already made an impact on his life just a few short months into his senior season.

“Coach Turner wouldn’t reach out so much to talk about football, but more to get to know us as players,” Kpaka said of his coach’s recruiting method. “That’s really important to me going into my last year knowing that he was always there before. He always treated me like a normal person at the end of the day and is helping me develop not only as a football player, but as a young man.

“As a coach, he’s tough. But that’s something I need going into my last year. I knew for a fact that he would help me develop – his track record speaks for itself. I try to become the best version of myself every single day and he’s helping me do that.”

Turner found what he was looking for in Kpaka, Bingley-Jones

Kpaka wasn’t the only transfer portal defensive lineman that Turner had a relationship with dating back to his high school days. Fellow defensive tackle Kedrick Bingley-Jones also built those relationships with Turner when the coach was with Dan Mullen at Florida.

While neither got the notoriety as some others in the transfer portal, Turner was looking for the best fit for his line. He wanted two players that would be able to perform on the field but also be assets to the locker room and the community and he felt he found that.

“You’ve got to be careful in the portal. I look at it a little bit different. I want to get good guys that aren’t going to create a big problem in terms of attitude, in terms of work ethic, in terms of expectations,” Turner said. “I was honest with those guys. I told them that we have a need, but the only thing that I’m guaranteeing you is an opportunity and if you do what I think you’re capable of doing, you’ll play and play a lot. Those guys, in terms of size and in terms of experience, I thought it was what we needed at the time.”

Versatility up front, State offense bringing out the best of Bulldog line

The big 6’3, 300-pound linemen has been in Starkville since the spring and is well-acquainted with the Bulldog program to this point. One of the biggest changes he’s encountered has been the athletic and physical nature of the offensive linemen in the SEC compared to what he faced in the Big 10.

Each day, that transition has gotten easier and easier for Kpaka and working against Jeff Lebby’s up tempo offense has made him a better player. Turner has him physically and mentally prepared to handle both defensive tackle and nose tackle. The offensive line is also preparing him to take on the rest of the league.

“That entire first group is good. It’s all good work and we’re going out there competing to be the best versions of ourselves at the end of the day,” Kpaka said of going against the offense. “The tempo is like nothing that we’ve seen but we’re going to keep getting better every single day.”

It’s already been a journey full of learning for Kpaka but he hasn’t stopped that process.

After spending three years at Purdue learning from older players and appearing in just two games, he worked himself into the rotation his last two years. Kpaka played in 24 games the last two seasons with the Boilermakers and made 29 tackles with 4.0 TFL and 2.5 sacks.

Expectations rise for Kpaka, Bingley-Jones and the rest of the Bulldog defensive line this year as they compete in the toughest time for the toughest league in America. While their own expectations are high, the rest of the country doesn’t share those sentiments on the State line.

Kpaka isn’t worried about the outside noise and is ready to prove himself with his teammates.

“Just like every single year, people have their opinions,” Kpaka said. “I’ll say that it’s a whole new group and we haven’t really proven much, but come week one we’re going to prove a lot of people wrong and turn a lot of heads.”