Mississippi State Football

Former Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver De'Runnya Wilson died at the age of 25 in an apparent homicide.

As Tyler Horka of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger (h/t USA Today) noted, Sgt. Johnny Williams of the Birmingham Police Department explained in a police video that investigators "received information from a relative that the victim was unresponsive inside the home. Once arriving, our officers discovered information that led them to investigate this as a homicide."

Williams went on to say there are "limited details on the investigation."

Wilson, who also played basketball for Mississippi State during the 2013-14 campaign, laced it up for the Bulldogs from 2013 through 2015.

Mississippi State offered its condolences following the news:

He finished his career with 132 catches for 1,936 yards and 22 touchdowns, and Horka noted he and Dak Prescott connected for a school-record 19 touchdowns as a tandem.

The duo led the Bulldogs to the Orange Bowl during the 2014 campaign after ascending to No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll earlier in the season.

Wilson was also briefly a member of the Albany Empire in the Arena Football League after he finished his collegiate career.

Mike Leach's introductory press conference at Mississippi State on Friday was everything fans would expect from the outspoken head coach.

One of the most notable things Leach addressed with the media was his decision to take over the Bulldogs after spending the past eight seasons at Washington State. 

"You're always really conflicted. .. But then, the other side of it is, you're gonna be dead in 100 years anyway, so you want to try to have as many experiences as you can," he told reporters. 

Leach wrapped up his press conference with an attempt to ingratiate himself to fans in Starkville by ringing a cowbell:

The 58-year-old had a successful run at Washington State from 2012-19. He took over the program coming off eight straight losing seasons.

After a 12-25 start with the Cougars, Leach won at least eight games in four straight seasons from 2015-18. Their 11 wins during the 2018 campaign set a new school record and marked their first year with double-digit victories since 2003. 

Mississippi State will be hoping Leach's fast-paced offensive style can lead to more consistent success. Joe Moorhead's tenure as head coach of the Bulldogs came to an end in December after just two seasons amid a number of off-field issues with his players. 

This will be Leach's first stint as a head coach in the SEC. He previously worked in the conference at the University of Kentucky as an offensive coordinator on Hal Humme's staff from 1997-98. 

If you praised ex-Washington State football head coach Mike Leach's candidacy for the Mississippi State job on social media before the Bulldogs officially hired him Thursday, then you may have had a hand in him landing in Starkville.

Steven Godfrey of SB Nation's Banner Society reported the following Thursday:

The fans' affinity for Leach is understandable. How can you not love a coach who spent time during a press conference talking out who would win in a battle of Pac-12 mascots?

He's also available to give free wedding advice:

ESPN even provided a glimpse into Leach's best interview moments as WSU's head coach:

Leach has a 139-90 career record coaching Texas Tech and Washington State. He arrives in Starkville after eight seasons with WSU and replaces Joe Moorhead, who was relieved of his duties after two years.

Mississippi State's coaching search has come to an end.

Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen announced the Bulldogs have hired Mike Leach to be their next head football coach Thursday. The position was open because the SEC program fired Joe Moorhead after a mere two seasons at the helm. Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports first reported the news of Leach's hiring. 

On Friday, Brett McMurphy of Stadium reported Leach would get a four-year contract worth $5 million a year. 

McMurphy and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com added some perspective to the move:

The notion of Leach leaving Washington State is not entirely unexpected, as this comes after Newy Scruggs of NBC Sports in Dallas reported Tennessee and Leach were "working on a deal," in November 2017. However, he ultimately stayed with the Cougars and led them to an 11-2 record during the 2018 campaign and 6-7 mark in 2019.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported Leach was "really torn" about leaving Washington State but did so "because of the added resources, a much deeper local recruiting pool and because it was a shot to coach in the SEC."

Part of coaching in the SEC means going against rival Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, and the Rebels' new head coach even weighed in on the move:

Leach is coming off eight seasons as the head coach at Washington State, where he directed the Pac-12 program to a 55-47 record. There was notable improvement during his tenure considering he finished with a losing season in each of his first three years in the Pacific Northwest but made a bowl game in each of the last five years.

Leach is known for his aerial attack and explosive offense, and Mississippi State figures to throw the ball plenty in the coming seasons with him in charge. Washington State led the nation in passing attempts with 713 in 2017, 628 in 2018 and 710 in 2019, while the Bulldogs threw it 315 times this past season by comparison.

He was also the head coach at Texas Tech for 10 seasons before the Washington State job, although he was fired in 2009 after a suspension following an investigation of his treatment of a player who suffered a concussion.

Leach was a consistent winner in the Big 12 and posted an 84-43 record with nine bowl appearances. He would have coached in 10 were he not fired before the Alamo Bowl in his final season with the Red Raiders.

While Leach has never won the elusive national title, he will be in the thick of the College Football Playoff race if he finds a way to win the SEC with the Bulldogs. Doing so in a daunting SEC West that includes Alabama, LSU and Auburn, among others, will be a difficult task, but he will have the chance to unleash his high-powered aerial attack on a new conference.

There will need to be incremental improvement first seeing how the program is coming off a 6-7 effort and has won double-digit games just once in the last 20 seasons.

The immediate focus will be on beating Ole Miss and new head coach Lane Kiffin in the Egg Bowl and competing for bowl games as Leach builds up the program. He did just that at Washington State and will look to replicate the formula with the Bulldogs.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs interviewed former Auburn Tigers head coach Gene Chizik for their open head coaching position, according to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, but Chizik removed himself from consideration the following morning. 

"Wouldn't be surprised if Chizik returns to coaching," Feldman added, "just has to be an ideal fit."

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg and Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger also reported on Chizik's involvement in Mississippi State's ongoing coaching search:

Mississippi State fired head coach Joe Moorhead on Jan. 3. 

Moorhead spent two seasons leading the Bulldogs and posted a 14-12 record, including losses in last season's Outback Bowl and this season's Music City Bowl. Mississippi State finished 2019 at 6-7.

"It is clear the time has come to change the leadership of our football program," university president Mark Keenum said in a statement. "Coach Moorhead is a good man, and I have nothing but respect for him. I sincerely wish the very best for him and his wonderful family."

Chizik last served as a head coach in 2012. He led Auburn to three straight bowl victories from 2009-11, including the 2010 BCS Championship with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton. Chizik fizzled out in 2012 with a 3-9 record. Overall, he went 33-19 at Auburn. 

Chizik later spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator for the North Carolina Tarheels before stepping down in Feb. 2017.

"After a lot of prayer and discussions with my wife and children, I have made the difficult decision to step away from coaching to be with my family," Chizik explained in an accompanying statement.

He continued: "I have always told my players family should come before football, and it's time for me to follow my own advice. I look forward to watching my own son play the game I've dedicated my life and career to for the next two years, and I look forward to the simple joys of being a father and husband I've missed out on."

In a story from John Zenor of the Associated Press published in Aug. 2018, Chizik addressed his mindset toward a potential return to coaching: "I would never say never, but I will say that it's got to be a perfect fit for me. I'm in a place in my life where I can take exactly what I want. I don't have to concede anything to any job. I don't have to so I won't. Do I have 10 years coaching left in my if I want? Probably more if I wanted it. But I enjoy this life."

Chizik was fired by Auburn in Nov. 2012 and received a $7.5 million buyout paid over the course of 36 months.

Joe Moorhead's tenure as head coach at Mississippi State has reportedly come to an end after two seasons.  

Per Stadium's Brett McMurphy, the school decided to fire Moorhead for multiple reasons beyond its 6-7 record in 2019, including "a late-season swoon and discipline issues that plagued the program throughout the season."

One source told McMurphy that Moorhead was "lackluster" in his role as a head coach and the partnership with Mississippi State "clearly wasn't clicking."

The Bulldogs got off to a 3-1 start this season before dropping six of their final nine games, including a 38-28 defeat to Louisville in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30. 

The team was also plagued by multiple off-field issues that resulted in players being disciplined. Mississippi State had 10 players receive an eight-game suspension for academic fraud. The school was also penalized by having two scholarships taken away during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years. 

Six players were suspended for Mississippi State's Nov. 23 game against Abilene Christian for violating team rules. Starting quarterback Garrett Shrader sat out the Music City Bowl with a broken orbital bone that David H. Murray of 247Sports reported occurred during an altercation with a teammate following practice.

Moorhead went 14-12 and lost both of his bowl appearances in his two seasons with the Bulldogs. 

Mississippi State is exploring the idea of firing football head coach Joe Moorhead, per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports:

Moorhead has coached the Bulldogs to a 14-11 record since joining the program in 2018. He spent two years as Penn State's offensive coordinator before arriving in Starkville.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg provided more context on Mississippi State's decision:

The Bulldogs ended their season with a 6-7 record after a 38-28 loss to Louisville in the Music City Bowl. 

Mississippi State's season included a 1-5 midseason stretch that dropped the Bulldogs to a 3-5 mark. The Bulldogs did win three of their final four regular-season games including a 21-20 Egg Bowl win over Ole Miss.

However, Mississippi State allowed 31 unanswered points en route to its 10-point Music City Bowl defeat.

The Bulldogs played without freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader. Per Brad Logan of the Clarion-Ledger, he suffered a broken orbital bone after an alleged practice fight with linebacker Willie Gay.

Tyler Horka of the Clarion Ledger put the alleged incident in context of the team's season:

"The altercation links two of the biggest story lines of Mississippi State's season. Gay was one of 10 football players suspended for an unspecified violation of team rules. Gay has missed eight games this season because of the suspension. 

"Shrader, meanwhile, has been the center of attention for bouncing in and out of the starting lineup. Shrader has started four games in his true freshman season but has played in nine. He's relieved graduate senior Tommy Stevens multiple times as Stevens has been injury-prone throughout the year."

Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated noted that the team's plan was to keep Moorhead after the Egg Bowl win but that school brass has been in "deep discussion" since the Music City Bowl defeat.

Moorhead, 46, also coached at Division I-FCS Fordham from 2012-2015, leading the Rams to a 38-13 mark. He left for PSU in 2016.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs are reportedly down a quarterback for Monday's Music City Bowl against Louisville.

According to Brad Logan of the Clarion-Ledger and Hattiesburg American, signal-caller Garrett Shrader broke his orbital bone during an alleged altercation with linebacker Willie Gay. He will miss the contest as a result.

Logan noted Gay was suspended for academic fraud and ejected for fighting in the past.

Shrader arrived at Mississippi State as a 4-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and threw for 1,170 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions as a freshman this year. He also added 587 yards and six touchdowns on the ground as a dual-threat playmaker.

He ran for two touchdowns during the Bulldogs' victory over archrival Ole Miss to finish the regular season.

If there is a silver lining for Mississippi State, it is the fact Penn State transfer Tommy Stevens is an experienced backup option who has played plenty of snaps this year. He threw for 934 yards, nine touchdowns and five picks during the season while adding 310 yards and three scores on the ground.

He saw significant playing time in wins over Louisiana, Southern Mississippi, Arkansas and Abilene Christian.

Stevens will have a chance to put up solid numbers against a Louisville team that allowed 45 points in its regular-season finale against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Things got so bad for the Mississippi State Bulldogs during Saturday's game against the Auburn Tigers that even their mascot couldn't avoid taking a hit.

Bully, Mississippi State's English bulldog mascot, is OK after taking an accidental hit from Auburn running back JaTarvious Whitlow on the sidelines.

The play occurred in the first quarter when Whitlow was tripped up by Mississippi State safety C.J. Morgan after scoring a touchdown. Whitlow's momentum carried him well out of bounds, just in front of a fence where Bully was standing.

Bully took a helmet right to his stomach but appeared to stand right back up. He was unable to help the Bulldogs on the field, unfortunately, as Auburn rolled to a 56-23 win.

Mississippi State University's football and men's basketball teams incurred penalties Friday stemming from a tutoring scandal. 

The NCAA announced Mississippi State received three years of probation, a reduction of two football scholarships for both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years, and a reduction of one men's basketball scholarship for the 2020-21 academic year.

Mississippi State also has 45 days to submit a report to the NCAA detailing which football and men's basketball games involved ineligible players in order to determine a proper vacation of records.

It was determined a former Mississippi State student who was serving as a part-time athletics department tutor "completed multiple assignments, exams and, in some instances, nearly the entire course" for 10 football players and one men's basketball player.

Of the student-athletes involved in the scandal, it was determined eight football players and one men's basketball player competed while ineligible.

In addition to probation and a loss of scholarships, the teams received a reduction in official and unofficial recruiting visits. Also, the football team had its evaluation days reduced by two in fall 2019 and 10 in spring 2020, and men's basketball had its recruiting-person days reduced by six for spring 2020.

The tutor involved in the scandal was given a 10-year show-cause penalty by the NCAA, meaning any school that hires her must "restrict her from any athletically related duties unless it shows cause why the restrictions should not apply."

In Joe Moorhead's first season as Mississippi State's head football coach, the Bulldogs went 8-5 in 2018 and lost in the Outback Bowl. They are currently on a nine-year bowl streak.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi State men's basketball team under head coach Ben Howland went 23-11 last season and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009.