Exciting year ahead for Seydou Traore, Mississippi State offense under Jeff Lebby

As a young boy growing up in London, England, telling Seydou Traore where his sports journey would take him might have gotten a strange look or two.

The 6’4, 225-pound athlete grew up in a culture where football carried a totally different meaning. Traore starred on the soccer field as a goalie, but he was interested in the other game as well. Opportunities to throw around the pigskin overseas were few and far between, so Traore moved to America before his senior year of high school to broaden his horizons.

Journeyman finding a home in Starkville

Playing for Clearwater Academy in Florida, it didn’t take long for people to realize that Traore could play. In his first year of organized football, Traore caught 26 passes for 433 yards and three touchdowns.

It earned him a scholarship at Arkansas State and, after a brief transfer to Colorado, he’s now in Starkville playing for Mississippi State. After sitting out all of last year, Traore is finally getting set to play in the best conference in America.

“It’s been ups and downs, obviously. I couldn’t play last year and I knew that I was good enough to play and be on the field,” Traore said. “It’s all in timing and I know that there’s a bigger plan. I just had to stay patient.”

It didn’t take Traore long to get acclimated to the game of football and his natural instincts have taken him there. The lengthy pass catcher played in 11 games for the Red Wolves during his first season at Arkansas State in 2021 and had 12 catches for 97 yards, but he made a huge jump as a sophomore.

Traore was the team leader in pass catching with 655 yards and four touchdowns. He led the Sun Belt tight ends in receptions and touchdowns and was second in the conference at his position for touchdowns. All of that led to first-team All-Sun Belt honors and an Honorable Mention All-American nod.

That also led to Traore having options he had never had before and he would enter the transfer portal looking for a new home. Deion Sanders and Colorado became a landing spot for Traore but he entered the transfer portal again after the spring. Bulldog receiving coach Chad Bumphis gave him a call and got him on campus, though he would have to sit out last season.

Following a year with a stagnant offense, Traore sees new life under Jeff Lebby and company for his position.

“Everything has been good. It’s been intense. I’ve been learning and it’s been fast. The tempo of the offense is fast. It’s play after play and we’re keeping the pressure on the defense. I’ve got to be in shape, but we’re doing a good job right now,” Traore said.

 “The tight end in this offense is definitely getting utilized more. Last year, there  wasn’t so many receptions and targets for tight ends. If you guys are watching practice, I’m fed the ball a whole lot.”

Early this spring, Traore is running with the first team.

Lebby has shown he will utilize the tight end and will get them the ball down the field for big plays as well. The green light now on Traore along with two transfers in Cameron and Justin Ball makes this group far more intriguing than a year ago when three players had to move positions at some point to give the Bulldogs depth there.

“We’ve got some great guys from the portal. We’ve got Justin and Cam – the two Ball brothers. We’re a great group. Everybody is helping out each other and competing for that spot. We’re all pushing each other get better,” Traore said of the tight end room.

My goal is to play every snap and be in the condition to do that. Having someone that can sub in for you after a lot of fast tempo plays is definitely useful.”

In a few short months, Lebby has brought a lot to this football program.

A team that had been struggling to find its identity after the loss of coach Mike Leach, Bulldog players are starting to feel some excitement coming back into the locker room. That excitement comes from the reputation that Lebby has built with his offense and it’s already showing on the practice field.

“Points. Points and efficient offenses,” Traore said of what Lebby is bringing to Starkville. “If you can move the ball and get closer to the redzone, you can put up more points. That’s what we’re going to do.”