Latest / The Jake Wimberly Podcast / David Murray Interview

Transcript

David Murray Interview · The Jake Wimberly Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Okay, we're back. I'm ready. It's more The Afternoon Drive
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: with Jake Riverlake.
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: Where he's live and local.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: On Jackson Sports Authority.
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: ESPN 105.9 The Zone and online at thezone1059. com.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Brought to you by friends at Janny King. They are
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: the king of clean. Go to jannykingcleans.com. Let them help
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: you keep your place of worship or church, medical office buildings, daycares,
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: and more clean with Janny King. David Murray on your radio.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Gene's page, 247sports. com. Talking Mississippi State football. Bulldogs getting close
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: to game week. David, welcome in, sir.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: How are you? Jake, man, good to hear from y'all
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: on this Monday afternoon. We're inside the official two-week countdown
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: mark for... football season starting up. I think a week
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: from Thursday, Missouri's playing, and it's here. Ready or not,
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: it is here. No, it is.
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: It is absolutely here. David, I'll go first.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: Injuries.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: Any injury news to talk about or not for Mississippi State?
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: Are not is probably a better way to put it.
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: We spoke with Jeff Levy following the Saturday scrimmage. and
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: that's the last contact we've had anybody from Bulldog Football.
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: We'll actually get to talk to some players tomorrow. Whereas
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: after the first scrimmage, he was complimenting the team for
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: surviving the conditions and all. He didn't make any health
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: statements yesterday. Now, you can read into that whatever you
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: want to or not, but it did not seem to
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: be an area of concern for Levy in his post-scrimmage. And...
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: A number of M Club members were able to attend.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: We've seen some various posts and stuff, and they don't
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: seem to report any injuries during it as well. So
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: as far as health goes, the Bulldogs should be in
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: great shape. I know I've been looking around the SEC
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: programs for what's happening there, and some places are having
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: some pretty interesting injuries already in the season. So fingers
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: crossed the Bulldogs should be in good shape to begin
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: the year if nobody goes the wrong way the next
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: 10 days.
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: Devin, I did see something come across the wire. Correct
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: me if I'm wrong. It was Aiden Williams. Is he
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: still a little banged up?
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: He is, but he's had trouble staying fully healthy ever
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: since he got here. But he remains in that top
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: six receiver rotation that Jeff Lee was talking about. In fact,
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: we asked about it, and he still listed Aiden. I
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: didn't mention that he is a little slowed down right now,
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: but he went ahead and left him in his top
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: six and then added three more younger guys– obviously Cameron
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: Capehart and Zion Crumpton and others. So it looks like
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: the receiver core is going to be at least nine
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: deep at this point. And I'm talking true wide receivers,
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: not just tight ends and running backs as well. So
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: I think they can handle that situation. Now, Williams is
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: one of the more physical receivers. It's not a big
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: imposing group by a stretch, but we're going to find
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: out in the season really gets going. All the speed
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: everybody's talked about, including the defensive players, praising the speed
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: on the offensive side and the receivers. We're going to
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: find out if that's real or not once they see
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: an opponent on the field.
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: David Murray talking Mississippi State football. And, of course, get
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: them at jeanspage247sports. com. David, any notes on the offensive line
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: as we get closer to kickoff?
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: I think the first five is pretty well settled at
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: this point with Myles McVay and Jakeem Shumpert at the
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: opposite tackle positions, DJ Chester and LJ Prudhomme. at the
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: guard positions and Ken Boone, of course, as your center.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: So notice, of course, that three of those transfers, one's
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: a redshirt junior college guy and one's a true senior
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: out there. So it's another case, as is so typical
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: of the last several years, where Mississippi State's offensive starting
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: line going into the year is going to be pretty
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: much dominated by transfers again, which is the reason why
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: they keep going back and forth to the portal, because
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: that's just what you've got to do. You know, we
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: can argue about the merits of trying to be a
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: development program in certain positions, and historically, offensive line required
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: the most development. I'm just not sure that the development
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: paradigm works quite as well now with the free transfer
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: availability and guys just looking for playing time as well.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: But they rolled the dice again on the portal, and now,
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: of course, I think with Phil Voholt, a second year
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: in the offense, having better bodies to work with, and
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: the return of Mason Miller. I do not want to
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: underrate that. Getting Coach Miller back to work specifically with
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: the offensive line as well, I think that's going to
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: do really good things for the front line. And as
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: we've said maybe a time or 20 since 2026, everything
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: about this season hinges on Mississippi State's offensive line to
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: give Kamario Taylor and a really talented bunch of running
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: backs and receivers the chances to do what they're capable
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: of doing.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: David, any other scrimmage notes or news that you want
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: to pass along that may be interesting news for Mississippi
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: State people and then not Mississippi State people?
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: Well, by all indications, the aggressive approach they've turned loose
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: on defense. And I go back to spring ball when
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: one of the players just came out and said, well,
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: we don't really have assignments or gaps anymore. Well, that
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: was overstating the case. They do have traditional integrity ideas
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: in their positions to begin with. But aggression has taken
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: the fore, and I think that's showing up really well
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: on the defensive side. First off, it plays their mentality.
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: Whatever else has happened in recruiting in recent years, they've
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: brought in a bunch of defensive guys who really like
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: to play in attack mode rather than a kind of sit-back,
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: stand-and-take-it mode like they were in the past two seasons.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: So Zach Arnett's approach is playing. But I think they
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: have better bodies, too. If Will Whitson remains healthy... That's
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: a big stout guy with mobility on one end, got
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: Amari Williams coming off the other end. I think the
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: pass rush game, it may not show in sacks specifically,
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: but I think it's going to show in hurries. I
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: think it's going to throw in quicker decisions made by
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: the offense to get rid of the ball and thus
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: more opportunities for getting off the field or getting turnovers
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: as well. I just think this defensive mindset is playing
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: well with this particular group of players. and the fact
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: that now you've got more healthy bodies in the front line.
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: I still want to see if Calvin Dinkins is up
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: to full speed going into the season, maybe some concerns
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: about his point. But he's not a guy that's struggled
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: to stay healthy his whole career. But I like the
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: additions they have. I think Trevion Williams is back at
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: home playing interior now. I think he's going to really
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: blossom here. One of those body-by-gods that you look at
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: and think, oh, when is it all going to click?
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: I think it's the year it clicks for Bam Bam. And,
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: you know, goodness knows I like what I hear about
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: the secondary, not just Kelly Jones and Jet Jefferson. But
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: you see how the safeties, Isaac Smith now playing more
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: of a true safety like he used to with Arnett.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: You've got the transfers coming in. I just think this
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: defense as a whole is going to be able to
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: let it rip and take their chances. And, frankly, in
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: today's college game, I think that's how you have to
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: play it.
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: No, I would agree with you. I mean, if you've
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: got the guys on the back end that you feel
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: comfortable in and entrust them in the, you know, you know,
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: coverage in the third level of a defensive setup, then,
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: you know, you got your guys up front. And, you know,
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: for Mississippi State, they desperately need that pass rush to be,
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: you know, it was better last year, but to have
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: that even move forward, you know, in 2026.
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: Well, the pass rush, it was better statistically, but it
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: wasn't there when you had to have it. That's something
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: that can't be defined statistically, but much like special teams.
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: On paper, special teams were outstanding last year. but they
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: would have this one breakdown every week or so that
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: ended up being pivotal in games. That's what I'm talking
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: about more. It's not just something that shows on a
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: stat sheet. It's something that shows inconsistency and can you
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: count on them in these clutch situations or just in
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: a situation that you don't want to become clutch by
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: just taking care of routine business. I think they're going
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: to be better at that this year.
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: Make sure to get him on X. Check him out
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: at jeanspage247sports. com. Mississippi State etching towards or easing towards that
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: week one. David, when we talk next week, it will
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: be game week, sir.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: And as always, it'll be a week until the opening
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: of dove season. We always have to get that in.
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: And a reminder, everybody, go shoot your birds in the morning,
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: then turn on out to Scott Field in the evening
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: and do your tailgating as well. You can take care
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: of both in Mississippi this time of year.
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: There is, no doubt, no doubt. Everybody needs to make
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: sure they do that. David, appreciate you as always. Have
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: a good week.
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: Jake, Ben, good to hear from you.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much. David Murray on your radio brought to
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: you by the MHSAA. Officially become official today. Go to M-I-S-S-H-S-A-A.com, 601-924-6400.
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: If you want to be an official with the Mississippi
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: High School Activities Association, back in a moment.