SEC football: 3 Mississippi State true freshmen who could get serious playing time

STARKVILLE – Recruiting rankings are a decent barometer to measure the future of a college football program, but the number by each school's name really doesn't mean anything if players don't produce.

It's the numbers the players put up in games that truly matter. 

Mississippi State welcomed a crop of true freshmen to campus over the last few months. Those guys, in addition to the ones who enrolled early for spring ball, are going through their first preseason training camp this month. 

Three of them could make serious contributions for Mississippi State this season and validate the No. 24 overall recruiting ranking the Bulldogs earned this year per 247Sports. 

Running back Lee Witherspoon

Junior college transfer Kareem Walker has yet to arrive in Starkville. Head coach Joe Moorhead has repeatedly said that Walker, who is attempting to transfer from Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, is working through some administrative issues before he can officially become a Bulldog. 

That has left a void at third-string running back. Witherspoon has filled it, according to Moorhead. Witherspoon, who averaged 19.2 yards per carry at North Jackson High School in Alabama, has been taking third-team reps ahead of sophomore Robert Rivers. 

"You can see why he averaged almost 20 yards a touch," Moorhead said. "I think the first few days (of training camp) the speed and physicality of SEC football was a bit of a surprise to him. But he broke off a long one (on Aug. 7) and is picking up pass protection."

Moorhead said Witherspoon's biggest learning curve will come with picking up those blocks. Witherspoon didn't play running back in high school until his senior year. 

"I mean the guy can take a handoff and make a read and run the ball," Moorhead said. "But to be able to diagnose blitzes and pressures and protect physically in this league will be his biggest adjustment."

Witherspoon broke the Alabama single-season rushing touchdown record last year with 53. He had 59 total touchdowns, which is also a state record. He ranked first in the state in 2018 with 2,846 rushing yards. 

Witherspoon is listed at 5-foot-10 and just over 200 pounds. With bruising runners Kylin Hill and Nick Gibson ahead of him on the depth chart, he won't be asked to run between the tackles often. He is, though, a viable option to come in as a change-of-pace back when Hill and Gibson need a breather. 

Cornerback Martin Emerson 

The starters at corner are set in stone with senior Maurice Smitherman and junior Cameron Dantzler, who is on the preseason watch list for the Bednarik Award.

Sophomore Tyler Williams, who played in nine games during his redshirt freshman season, is defensive coordinator Bob Shoop's third option at the position. 

Behind Williams, the depth chart gets murky. 

Redshirt junior Korey Charles has the most experience of any backup other than Williams, but he only played 31 snaps at corner last season. That leaves an opening for the other reserves to step up and play.

Emerson, who came to Mississippi State from Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Florida, has impressed Shoop during training camp. 

"I can make the case that he's been a standout at times," Shoop said. "He's done a really good job."

Defensive back Jarrian Jones 

According to 247Sports, Jarrian Jones, a four-star player from Northwest Rankin High School, was the fourth-best player Mississippi State landed in its 2019 recruiting class. 

Jones came to State as a do-it-all type guy. He had 82 catches for 1,772 yards, which put him at 21.6 yards per reception, and caught 26 touchdowns. He only played receiver during his junior and senior seasons. 

During his career, Jones had five interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns. Jones has been working with the safeties during training camp, and Shoop said he's done a nice job. 

"(He) has had a great camp to date," Shoop said. 

Though Jones' offensive statistics at Northwest Rankin were eye-popping, the Bulldog coaching staff recruited Jones as a defensive player. If Jones does ever get reps at receiver in maroon and white, it likely won't be this season. There is a talented crop of players already competing for playing time at wideout. 

Shoop did mention Jones as someone who has earned the right to see the field. Shoop also name dropped freshmen safeties Collin Duncan and J.P. Purvis as well as freshman corner Dylan Lawrence as players who "could have a role."

The relatively new redshirt rule makes for an intriguing situation for all those players. Freshmen can now play in a maximum of four games without burning a year of eligibility. Shoop said he wouldn't mind getting Jones and the others some action early on. 

"It gives us an opportunity to maybe, early in the season and the non-conference schedule, to fit those guys in at special teams, get their feet wet, get them comfortable with college football and move on from there," Shoop said.

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Contact Tyler Horka at thorka@gannett.com. Follow @tbhorka on Twitter. To read more of Tyler's work, subscribe to the Clarion Ledger today!