Relationships at Mississippi State the difference for Sandra, Stonka Burnside

Wednesday afternoon, Sandra Burnside looked on as her son made a lifechanging decision and the last 18 years suddenly flashed through her mind.

From the day Braylon “Stonka” Burnside was born, Sandra promised she would be by his side every step of the way. If you’re watching Stonka play ball, you will see his mom in the stands. She’s the one with the brightest smile and even brighter hair – can’t miss her.  

It was understood early from college coaches that to win over Stonka, mom had to be won first. She was understanding and went through the process with an open mind, but there were a lot of boxes she had to check before signing off her good wishes for her son.

“I asked him years ago if this was something he wanted to do. I told him that I’ll do whatever I can to help him in the process every step of the way,” Sandra said of her son’s recruitment. “I feel like I’ve done my part to this point but it’s in his hands now. He’s about to go off to the next stage.”  

Hometown Hero

That next stage is putting on for his hometown of Starkville. Burnside announced his decision at Wednesday’s Under Armour All-American Game and will be playing ball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs next season.

That decision ended a couple of years’ worth of a wild process for the Burnside family. It was one that taught Sandra and her son a lot of patience but gratitude as well. While she is thrilled that her son is attending her Alma Mater and will be just right down the street, she was going to be happy with whatever decision her son would make.

“It’s been good. It’s been a challenge to get to where we made it this far. We had some ups and downs with me handling things on my own. I have a strong support system with my friends from church and college friends to help get him to visits and they’ve all played a part,” Sandra said. “All of the colleges had some good things to offer but I was looking at the relationships with the coaches and how much they reached out to me and then watching how they interacted with Stonka. All of that played a big part in it.

“When it comes down to visiting colleges, it’s all the same. When it all boils down, it’s that little bit that you have after you leave the visit. It’s not just about Stonka, it’s about your whole family and I was always looking for that.”

“Lebby changed the whole ball game”

MSU had that feel for the Burnsides back during the summer when Stonka originally committed. The talented four-star wide receiver chose the Bulldogs over Arkansas and Texas A&M as original finalists and was one of three four stars to commit on the same day joining PJ Woodland and JJ Harrell.

After being a commitment for most of the football season, Burnside opened things up as State struggled on offense and Zach Arnett’s future came into question. New coach Jeff Lebby retained wide receivers coach Chad Bumphis shortly after he was hired and that changed the game in the Bulldogs’ favor.

“After we committed, it seemed like everything was off. The team was struggling and, at that moment, it looked like we needed to take our hats back off and start searching,” Sandra said. “At that time, it just seemed like everything was going down for Mississippi State. I think that was a good decision to make until we could see exactly the program that would.

“Coach Lebby changed the whole ball game. I did my research on coach Lebby and he’s a good offensive coach. He was a guy that would get the ball in Stonka’s hands and coach Bump being on the staff was really the difference for us. Those relationships I talked about fit perfectly with State.”  

Stonka goes down in Starkville history as one of the top wide receivers to wear the black and gold. He hauled in 178 catches in three years with 2,952 yards and 34 touchdowns while having back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and leading the Jackets to consecutive state championship appearances with one of those being a title win.

Burnside is rated as the nation’s No. 314 player by the On3 Industry rankings and is No. 53 at his position while finishing 10^th in the state of Mississippi. The 6’0, 195-pound pass catcher is talented enough to play defense as well and starred at safety during his time in Starkville.

After being named an All-American, a member of team Mississippi in the MS/AL All-Star game and the Starkville Daily News Co-Offensive Player of the Year, the book is closed on Stonka’s high school career. His mom couldn’t have been more proud of the journey he’s already taken and is ready to see his future unfold at home.

“It means everything to me,” Sandra said of Stonka’s commitment. “All the work that we put in to get to this point was a success. With our prayers, hard work, traveling and going, it means everything. I can’t tell you how blessed we are to be in this situation so it’s a dream come true.”