WATCH: Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby recaps first two days of spring practice

Mississippi State returned to the practice fields Thursday and held its second session of spring practice. Afterwards, first-year head coach Jeff Lebby met with the media to share his thoughts on the opening week of spring ball among other topics:

Q: Your thoughts on your team and the start of spring practice?
Lebby: Right now they are really dailed in and just getting better. They’ve taken it and ran with everything we’ve asked them to do. We are far from where we are going to be, obviously. But these guys’ attitudes, their mentality and how they are trying to attack it every day, I am pleased with that.

Q: How is the adjustment to high tempo going?
Lebby: I think our guys are feeling that right now, just how we are going to execute when we are tired. The first two practices there’s been plenty of that. I love the fact that they’ve responded in everything we’ve asked them to do and we will keep getting better.

Q: How are you handling the quarterback competition?
Lebby: Plan on it being established over spring. I feel good about that room and where we’re at. Those guys will continue to split reps and get a bunch of reps. But I do feel good about where we’re at.

Q: Thoughts on the young receivers?
Lebby: They’ve got a chance to be really good and I am fired up about them. Obviously, Mario (Craver) is incredibly fast and Stonka (Braylon Burnside) plays incredibly strong. Both guys are really natural. JJ (Harrell) is going to be back in action and doing some things for us. I feel good about where they’re at and they’ve got to continue to grow. They’ve never had this much output in their entire life. So getting a feel for that has been an adjustment for them.

Q: You had knowledge of quarterback Blake Shapen due to being in the Big 12. What stood out to you about Shapen when he got in the transfer portal?
Lebby: I watched him and said that’s my kind of guy. He is exactly what we’re looking for from a system standpoint. He can make every throw on the field and keep plays alive with his feet. He can do some things you can’t coach. I am fired up about him. He’s really done a good job for all the newness he’s had from an entire team standpoint to install. He’s taken it and ran with it and so has Chris (Parson) and some of these other guys.

Q: Learning another new offense, how has Chris Parson handled all of this?
Lebby: He has worked incredibly hard. Proud of his every-day awareness and that is getting better. His process is really, really good. He’s a guy that’s going to have a chance to be a great player for us because he processes so good. He’s in the building as much or more than anybody in our building. It is a testament to who he is.

Q: How do you expect the running back rotation to play out this spring?
Lebby: We will get even reps throughout the spring. We are going to get a great feel for those guys and know exactly what we’ve got and where we’re at and be able to adjust from there.

Q: Have any of the new transfers flashed so far?
Lebby: Yeah, we’ve had a bunch of guys and we have a bunch of transfers that are here right now. Offensively and defensively, we are counting on those guys being impact players.

Q: How is freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren handling things so far?
Lebby: It’s been an adjustment for him just like we were talking about with the young receivers. There’s a lot on their plate right now but Mike’s done a nice job just trying to work every day. He’s got to create consistency for himself so he can create consistency out there between the white lines. He’s going about it the right way. Great kid, got a great future and he’s natural.

Q: The defense is also learning a new system. How’s that adjustment been for that side of the ball?
Lebby: They’ve been really good, again just from the standpoint of responding and doing things they haven’t been used to doing. They’ve taken it, ran with it, want to get coached every single day. They are hungry for it and we’ve got some strong leaders and some strong players on that side of the ball that are going to give us a chance to play the way we want to play.

Q: How are the new coaches meshing so far?
Lebby: It’s been really good, offensively. Obviously, everybody on the offensive side of the ball has great system knwowledge outside of Bump (Chad Bumphis). So we hit the ground running and that part of it has been really, really nice. It’s not like we’re having to strip it all the way down for everybody in the room. There’s a ton of understanding, a ton of history and a ton of knowledge. So that lets you hit the ground running from a staff standpoint and gets you ahead with the players.

Q: Outside of the effort, has anything caught your attention the first two days of spring practice?
Lebby: I think there’s been really good energy. The energy from our guys, the willingness to practice incredibly hard has been what we want. We talk about effort, physicality, execution. There’s going to be no surprises in how we win football games. Those three things are going to be what we’re built on and that’s what people see on Saturdays.

Q: Just your thoughts of the SEC and being back in this league?
Lebby: The obvious part of it and it’s everything. That is what you want as a coach. That is what you want as a player. You want to do it at the highest level against the best people whether you are playing or coaching. You get to do that every single Saturday here and I am fired up about that.

Q: While you are having spring practices you also have recruits watching. I guess recruiting never stops?
Lebby: Recruiting does not stop and that is going to be the lifeblood of who we are. It is a huge part of who we are and what we’re doing. Our energy, our brand, we are trying to go tell our story in what we’re building and who we are going to be. We are going to create excitement and guys are going to want to come play here. That part has been good.

Q: Who can help step in and try to fill the shoes of Jett Johnson and Bookie Watson at linebacker?
Lebby: We’ve got a really strong rotation in there right now. JP (Purvis), Stone (Blanton), John Lewis, Zakari (Tillman), Nic (Mitchell), we’ve got some depth at the inside backers. Those guys have worked and done a nice job of leading. They’ve had a great winter and I am looking forward to the competition in that room.

Q: How is it to finally coach football now?
Lebby: It’s good. It’s all ball with recruiting and it’s exactly what I want, without a doubt. We’ve got everything settled from a staff standpoint. I am fired up about the people in our building every day and they are about the right things. Now we get to go coach and do what we like to do.