Mississippi State got its first preseason scrimmage out of the way on Aug. 16, and Jeff Lebby walked away with a mostly upbeat read on where his team stands.
The Bulldogs worked inside Davis Wade Stadium in a closed session, then Lebby met the media and made it clear the biggest takeaway was health. Mississippi State came through the day without any major issues, and Lebby also liked the tone of the work.
"No. 1, we're healthy coming off the field, which is huge," Lebby said. "No. 2, the energy, physicality and the back-and-forth competitiveness was really good."
He added that the starters logged 47 snaps and the second team got 40.
Quarterback Kamario Taylor, who is set for his first season as Mississippi State’s starter, drew a positive review from Lebby as well. The coach said Taylor made good decisions and protected the football, even if a couple of plays were left on the table.
"He did some really good things today," Lebby said. "He's going to want probably two throws back that he had a chance to really make some huge plays, but I thought he made some really good decisions. He took really good care of the football.
"I love live situations because they're not live for him, and so it continues to make him play the game from the pocket, which is critical for us and for his development."
Up front, the offensive line remains one of the major storylines for the Bulldogs after struggles the last two seasons under Lebby. With only center Canon Boone back in 2026, the group is almost entirely new, and Lebby said Saturday brought both encouraging stretches and some uneven ones.
"Had some really good moments and had some moments that weren't," Lebby said. "We're going to watch it tonight and have a lot better idea of where we ended up.
There is really good strain and there's really good physicality, but we got to create more consistency. But where we are today compared to a year ago today, it's not close."
Lebby had already said on Aug. 11 that he feels good about Mississippi State’s top seven offensive linemen, while still wanting more from the next two.
The backup quarterback race also got a little clearer, or at least tighter at the top. AJ Swann and Jaden Rashada had looked like the early names to watch, but Lebby’s comments after the scrimmage suggested former Jackson Prep quarterback Parker Puckett, who goes by Billy, has moved into the mix ahead of Rashada.
"There's a ton of competition there," Lebby said. "AJ, Billy and then Jaden, all three of those guys really.
AJ and Billy have gotten the bulk of the two reps here over the last three days and there's just great competition. I like what both of them are doing.
They just got to continue to create predictable outcomes."
Puckett was Mississippi State’s scout team quarterback last season as a freshman and came in as an unranked recruit by the 247Sports Composite.
The one notable setback from the day came on the defensive line, where Colin Coates will miss the season with a torn muscle. Coates had already missed all of last season because of a separate injury after transferring from Charlotte, and he was not projected to crack Mississippi State’s two-deep rotation.
Mississippi State is set for its next scrimmage on Aug. 22.