Three questions for Mississippi State football, Zach Arnett going into preseason practices

STARKVILLE — Less than a month remains until the smells emerging from grills fills the air outside Davis Wade Stadium while the ringing of cowbells echoes inside. Football season is nearing, but first comes the grind of preseason practices.
Mississippi State football returns to the practice fields on Friday as Zach Arnett’s first full season as head coach approaches. While the Bulldogs enter the season with certainty at key positions such as quarterback and linebacker, there are still plenty of questions surrounding MSU.
Here’s a look at three questions Mississippi State could answer before its Sept. 2 opener against Southeastern Louisiana.
How acclimated are players with Kevin Barbay’s offense?
The biggest offseason move for Mississippi State was a shift in offense. Following coach Mike Leach’s death, Arnett hired Kevin Barbay from Appalachian State to serve as offensive coordinator.
While Arnett says the offense won’t change too much, it’ll still be a transition from Leach’s Air Raid. Barbay made clear during the spring that wrinkles remained to iron out.
From scheme changes to new terminology, it was evident in the spring that Mississippi State had work to do. August will show how much quarterback Will Rogers was able to learn in the offseason and how deep Barbay can go into his playbook.
Which second-year player is ready to emerge?
There are plenty of redshirt sophomores ready to make a jump for Mississippi State, but let’s stick to true sophomores and redshirt freshmen here.
The obvious candidate to take a leap is wide receiver Zavion Thomas. He made a splash on special teams as a freshman with 13.47 yards per return (second in the SEC). Like teammate Lideatrick Griffin – who led the nation in yards per kick return – a breakout on offense feels due.
The defense hosts many redshirt freshmen expected to hold a bigger role. Miami transfer Khamauri Rogers could push for a starting cornerback spot. Khalid Moore should be a quality backup in a strong linebackers room. Trevion Williams and Kalvin Dinkins could provide depth on the defensive line.
Which freshmen can make immediate impact?
Had Isaac Smith been healthy in the spring after enrolling early, perhaps he could be pushing for a starting spot at safety. However, a strong August could put him back in the mix. Smith was the second-highest rated prospect in MSU’s 2023 recruiting class.
Just ahead of Smith in the rankings was wide receiver Creed Whittemore, who participated in spring practices and impressed. If Whittemore continues his upward trajectory, he could earn early playing time.