Blanton and Lewis ready to step in and lead Bulldog linebackers

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.

While most remember Tonic’s “Closing Time” featuring that phrase back when Joe Lee Dunn’s defense was terrorizing backfields in 1998, the saying is actually 2,000 years older than that. Roman philosopher Seneca spoke of the simple concept back in late BC and it rings true for all walks of life even today.

For Mississippi State, it’s the reality for the defensive side of the football. Linebacker is the center of that unit and it’s a group that is replacing two linebackers that led the SEC in tackles the last two seasons in Jett Johnson and Bookie Watson.

The two people that are being tasked to try and keep the train running in that room are juniors Stone Blanton and John Lewis. Both have hit the ground running to try and make sure the Bulldogs lose no momentum.

“Bookie and Jett were fantastic linebackers,” Blanton said. “We’ve got to do our job and do what we can for the defense. As long as the defense produces well, we’ll produce well.”

Madison County natives have different journey, same mindsets

Ironically, both Blanton and Lewis come from right down the road from each other, yet they each have their own journey to Starkville.

Blanton played his ball at Madison Ridgeland Academy and was a longtime MSU baseball commit before choosing to go to South Carolina for the last two seasons. Lewis was an All-State LB at Germantown just outside of Madison and he’s worked his way through the program to finally have his moment this year.

Despite this being the first time each player has been on the same team, they’ve meshed well early. The two carry themselves differently with Blanton being the admitted loud one and Lewis letting his hitting do the talking. It all works in the end.

“I’m always kind of fired up. I love being here, so I love to show that with energy and passion,” Blanton said. “(Lewis) is definitely the counterpart. He can get rowdy too, but he’s more of a calm and relaxed guy. You can’t have all screamers or all quiet people.”  

“Stone is loud every day,” Lewis said of Blanton. “If I need to count on somebody to come pick me up, it’s gonna be Stone.”

The leadership of the two linebackers is something that new coordinator Coleman Hutzler desperately needed. When Watson and Johnson left the room, they carried with them 715 tackles, 29.0 sacks and six interceptions.

There’s always the next men up, however. Blanton looks around the room and at practice and he sees opportunity instead of the lost production.

“I think our defense is young, but we still have a lot of experience in there. We have a lot of new guys coming in; a lot of talent,” Blanton said of the group. “The linebacker room is full of talent. We’ve got (Lewis), (JP Purvis), (Javae Gilmore), (Zakari Tillman), Nic Mitchell – all of those guys can absolutely ball. I’m super excited to play this season.”

Blanton brings needed SEC experience

One of the things that has made Blanton such an early favorite for leader on the defensive side of the ball is that State means something to him. Though he might have taken a detour to get back to Starkville, Blanton grew up a Bulldog.

After a standout career excelling at baseball and football at MRA, Blanton played in 24 games at South Carolina and started in 12 games last season as he was named defensive captain. He had 59 career tackles, five pass deflections, 2.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, one forced fumble and an interception returned for a touchdown during those two seasons.

Blanton felt the tug to come home to Mississippi in the offseason and MSU was the only choice in his mind. Walking on the field at Davis Wade Stadium made him remember just why he loved the place from the start.  

“This coaching staff, the players here, I felt like it was the perfect fit coming here,” Blanton said. “One of the most surreal parts of coming here was walking into that stadium and having the appreciation to be there and look up. I couldn’t be more thankful for this opportunity.”

As for Lewis, it’s been a different path to leading the defense.

Lewis has already been in the foxhole in maroon and white for the last few years. After making just three tackles in 16 games his first two years on campus, Lewis had 20 tackles off of the bench last year and learned a lot from Watson and Johnson.

All of that has been put into motion in the first few months of Jeff Lebby’s first year. From being selected as a representative at SEC media days to going through the first days of training camp, it’s been a different feel for Lewis.

“It’s been fun,” Lewis said. “We’ve been moving around with a lot of energy. We have a few things to work on, but that’s probably everybody.”

Less than a month awaits the Bulldogs before they take the field for the first time, Blanton and Lewis are sharpening their skills with the rest of the State team.  

MSU has a new energy about it and new faces haven’t changed the same goals that have lived inside the program for many years. It started in the summer with some hard work from the unit and is carrying over into the dog days of summer as State looks to come out on top with new leadership.

“We like to work hard, get after it, train and get ready for days like this where it’s extremely hot,” Blanton said. “You’ve got to fight through it. You’ve got to be tough; you’ve got to hit people when you’re tired. I think we did a lot of stuff to emulate that this summer to build that mental and physical toughness.”