Chad Bumphis has familiar feeling of excitement heading into year one with coach Jeff Lebby

There is a small list of people that have coached at Mississippi State and had the maroon and white mean as much as it does for Chad Bumphis.

One of the great Bulldog wide receivers, Bumphis is now coaching State’s wide outs and he has helped build a talented room for 2024. The second-year assistant was also one of the first hires made by new coach Jeff Lebby as he was putting together a staff that will compete in the SEC year in and year out.

Ahead of year one under Lebby, Bumphis took several minutes to talk to the media about his wide receiver group, their roles in the new offense and more.

Question: When Lebby got here, y’all went straight to work recruiting the portal and high school receivers. What was the priority with the receivers?

CB: “Replace the production that left the building. You lose Tulu (Griffin), Zavion (Thomas), (Justin Robinson) – you lose a lot of production. We had to find guys that can do what they do at a similar or higher level and I think that we did a good job of that. We’ve got some young guys that are going to surprise a lot of people.”

Q: What has Kelly Akharaiyi brought to the room?

CB: “It’s a level of maturity between him, (Kevin Coleman) and even (Jordan Mosely). I think I said it last year when I got here, but J-Mo has completely become a pro. As someone last year that was figuring it out to now you have those three guys leading the room and it makes my job so much easier. They lead the room and make sure guys are where they’re supposed to be and I think that’s why we’re going to have success because we’re doing it the right way.”

Q: What have you seen from Stonka Burnside so far?

CB: “Stonka is a football player. He’s a dang good football player. No matter where you put him, he’s going to make an impact. He might be outside, inside, on special teams – shoot he could be at safety. He’s just a football player. As you’ve seen him, his body’s changed and he’s lost some of that baby fat. He looks like a grown man now. Every day you see him he’s getting more mature. Him and J-Mo are hip-to-hip. (The freshmen) have good guys to learn from so we’re in a good spot.”

Q: This program hasn’t had a wide receiver drafted since 1995. What is your confidence level that this group could end that streak?

CB: “Really confident. If we do what we’re supposed to do, that should change here really soon. I actually text coach Leb on draft day that this is the last year we won’t have a receiver drafted. I take that personal and I think it will change here very soon.”

Q: It’s almost a fresh start with the wide receivers. How do you get those guys to make that transition to the new offense?

CB: “It starts with the leadership in the room. You have guys that have been off the last few days and J-Mo, Stonka, (Mario) Craver and a couple of other guys that were in town were here running routes with the quarterbacks. That’s not something that we told them to do, that’s something that leaders of the team put together. They have us going in the right direction. Obviously, coach Leb comes in and the standard is the standard, but when the leaders of the room buy into it it’s so much easier for the young guys to buy in.”

Q: What’s a rotation look like for this group in Lebby’s offense? Do you like to have a pretty deep group you’re moving in and out?

CB: “I’d like to just because we’re going to get a lot of snaps in and you want those guys as fresh as you can have them. But also, we’ve got a lot of guys that can play. If guys deserve to get on the field, I’m going to make sure that I get them out there.”

Q: You were on a wide receiver group that had a lot of young guys playing in year one. How much do you take from that that you can show to your room of young receivers?

CB: “A lot, just because no matter how that year turned out there’s no way I should have played as a freshman. But it was by necessity, we had to. I think we played all of our freshman receivers. Now we’re in a spot where we might not have to. Some of those guys that are ready, we won’t hold them back.

“I give everybody this story every year: Nickoe Whitley redshirted as a freshman. His redshirt freshman year, he bypassed a guy that played as a freshman. When you’re redshirting, if you’re going up against the first offense or first defense and didn’t come out of that situation better than you didn’t handle your business. I think it’s just a matter making sure those guys are ready before we put them on the field.”

Q: How big was the spring for those freshmen?

CB: “Huge. The speed of playing at the college level and also this offense is different. The terminology is different, the splits are a little different, so the more reps you can get in it the better off you are. You have (Sanfrisco Magee) and Ricky (Johnson) who came in this summer and they’ve done a great job of just being in the building and understanding they missed some time. The time they were on zoom, the other freshmen were here in the building so they’ve done a good job of trying to get up to speed.”

Q: JJ Harrell was injured some in the spring but what are your expectations for him?

CB: “Really, really proud of him and how he carries himself. JJ came in as a grown man. Obviously he had a couple of injuries where he couldn’t go full-speed all springs but it’s the way he carries himself. He lives in the training room and I would be willing to bet he’s down there right now. He’s going to do everything that he can to get back because it’s important to him. He wants to be good, so he’s going to work to be good.”

Q: You were a part of a big change in the program with Dan Mullen. Do you feel some of the same vibes with Lebby?

CB: “Absolutely. It feels very, very similar. Young, energetic, offensive-minded head coach. It feels exactly like it did when I was a player. Then you walk into the building and it doesn’t feel like work. Everybody is bought in. He stands up in this room and he has everybody’s attention. We believe in him.

“The greatest predictor of the future is the past. Everything that he’s done everywhere that he’s been successful. He has a formula that works. It’s our job to buy into it. He’s done a great job so far.”

Q: You guys are going to run the ball a lot, too. What’s their understanding of blocking for the run game?

CB: “We’re going to be complete receivers. Everybody wants to play on Sunday, be a complete receiver. Help your teammates score without the ball. We’re excited about it.”

Q: You’re one of the few guys left from the last staff. What did it mean for you to stay here?

CB: “Obviously, I love the University. It’s a dream job and I wanted to be here, but obviously I left a great situation in Salt Lake (Utah). For him to see that I have some value here and keep me on is huge for me. I can’t thank him enough.”

Q: Are your guys locked into positions or can they move inside and out?

CB: “No, we have combo guys. You’ll see some guys that will play inside/outside. We have some guys that are specifically inside or outside, but you also have a list of combo guys that you can move around.”

Q: It seems like Creed Whittemore gets lost in the shuffle when people are talking about the wide receivers but coaches and players hype him up. What are you seeing from him to make that jump this year?

CB: “He’s gotten better in every area. Creed came in very mature. He came in never playing wide receiver – he played quarterback but never wide receiver. So every rep that he gets as a wide receiver, he’s getting better. He came in very mature coming from a football family and he’s only taking steps forward.

“That conversation will change. There are other names that people have been talking about, but don’t forget about Creed. Creed can really play and he’ll be successful. He’s one of those combo guys that you can move inside or outside, he can return punts. I tell Creed all the time that he’s one of God’s favorites. He’s chosen.”