Mississippi State defensive line coach David Turner: 'Obviously, we've got to be better'

Last season Mississippi State ranked last in the SEC when it concerned sacks and tackles for loss. A lot of that was due to the lack of pass rush by the defensive linemen and then injuries curtailed any kind of depth the Bulldogs had last year in the trenches.

This offseason assistant David Turner and company brought in several new faces from the transfer portal. The depth has definitely improved and now the Bulldogs need to see the same from the production. On Tuesday Turner talked with the media about his interior defensive linemen:

Q: Jamil Burroughs hasn’t played in two years. What have you seen from him so far?
Turner: Well, he’s got a lot of talent. He’s got to get himself in shape. He has spurts where he plays really well and spurts where he doesn’t. I think a big part of it is he’s got to get himself conditioned and then get in playing shape. Hopefully he will continue to get better and develop and get his skills set back. We are counting on him to help us and to have a good fall.

Q: Not just Burroughs but you brought in a lot of new transfers. How has that changed the depth situation?
Turner: Well it’s no comparison from a depth standpoint. We got numbers inside and guys are competing for playing time. I think it makes a better room when guys understand every day I got to perform and do my job. So from a depth standpoint it has really helped those guys. Hopefully, we can keep them healthy and continue to develop that depth. Just trying to mix and match and figure out who can play what and who can do what. We will get all of that sorted out in fall camp.

Q: What do you think some of the issues were last year in run stopping?
Turner: Well, obviously we got to be better. I think part of it was personnel. We got to coach better. We got to put them in better position. There are a number of factors that go into it and you can’t just point to one factor. We just got to be better. That’s the bottom line. We helped ourselves in terms of personnel this offseason with everything we are doing and trying to figure out what’s best, what we can do and what we can’t do. Plug guys in and figure out what they can do, can’t do, and put them in better position.

Q: How’s it been working alongside Vincent Dancy?
Turner: It’s been great. The game now in terms of ends and tackles is so different with what the ends have to do and what the inside guys have to do. So it has helped us tremendously to have a guy just focus on the ends and the jacks. I can just zero in on those inside guys. He’s helped us bounce some ideas and in some drills. I think the guys benefit from it more than anything.

Q: How is Kalvin Dinkins from a health standpoint?
Turner: Well he is still trying to get healthy. He has been cleared. We got to be careful with what we ask him to do and not overload him and get too excited because he is back. Just try to get him through fall camp, get him to the first game and go from there.

Q: What stands out about the recent guys you brought in when it comes to continuing DLine U?
Turner: That’s a good question. I don’t know if the guys fully understand what went into ‘DLine U’. The work ethic, how we approach our job. Every day I try to preach something but I don’t want to live in the past. But those guys need to understand a lot of great players came here before them and there is a responsibility to getting it back where it was. All that is developed by two things: how you play and the talent. So we have to play better in order to get recognition up front. The more you win everybody gets recognition. There’s never been bad players on good teams. Everything on defense starts up front and we have to be much better up front and much better on the interior and on the edges, and kind of going from there.

Q: What goes into developing a room with so many new guys that haven’t played together before?
Turner: You have to establish work ethic, No. 1. How we go about things. Hopefully you get guys that are motivated and want to do well and want to perform well. This NIL has changed the game so guys in the past were trying to get the league. Now guys get money. We kind of joke around and tell them their check is at the door. You got to come in and work every day and grind. There are no shortcuts. There is no easy way. We can’t cut corners and it is one way of doing things up front and guys have to embrace that.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish in training camp before the season starts?
Turner: Well, obviously we got to get better. It’s always about fundamentals and doing the little things better and knowing what to do and how to do it and execute it. Then playing with effort. It is a combination of all those things.