Davon Booth still smiling ahead of final Bulldog run

It’s been several months since the initial news that Davon Booth would get one more season at Mississippi State, but it’s still something neither the running back or his coaches take for granted.

The Las Vegas native came to Starkville last season after playing ball for Utah State and found his way as the season progressed. Though it appeared that there was still meat on the bone he and the Bulldogs didn’t get a chance to enjoy, a second chance came along.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia petitioned for another year of eligibility and cited his time in junior college as a reason for it. After the courts agreed with him, players around college football that had a similar path suddenly were granted one extra season.

“All of that kind of happened really fast because it was happening somewhere else in college football,” State running backs coach Anthony Tucker said. “He and I were having conversations – because we have a relationship – with the steps he was taken next in his career. Then that kind of popped up and we had a conversation about it. I had no idea whether that was going to be possible or not. Then when it was a reality, it was an easy decision for him, and it was a really easy decision for us.”

Booth had no reservations to return to State

There were opportunities for Booth to go pro and there was an opportunity for him to enter the transfer portal. However, Booth never entertained anything other than spending his final season exactly where he had spent the previous year.

It’s hard for the quiet and unassuming Booth to wipe a smile off of his face regardless, but it’s stayed cemented there since January. The work to produce a monster senior campaign has followed.

“Since January, I’ve been working out and eating well. I’ve gotten bigger, faster and stronger and going into the season I feel like it’s going to be good for me,” Booth said. “I feel way more in shape. I’m still not used to the humidity here, but I’m more in shape.”

Booth rushed for over 800 yards and six touchdowns as the team’s leading rusher at Utah State in 2023, but he had a massive jump to make in the SEC last year. Having arrived in Starkville later in the process last season and missing out on the spring, it took some time to get acquainted.

The West Coast native got off to a slow start before rounding into form late in the year with the State offense. He rushed for over 100 yards in consecutive ball games against Tennessee and Missouri and would start in 10 of the 12 games during the season. Booth finished with 759 yards and five touchdowns and added 164 more yards through the air with four more scores.

It took time, but Booth found his way. Now he’s carrying that into 2025.

“Earlier in the season, my confidence wasn’t high,” Booth said of his 2024. “It was my first time in the SEC and I feel like I wasn’t worthy of being here. As it picked up, I felt like this was my spot.”

Having proven for certain that he absolutely belongs inside the best conference in America, the third-team All-SEC member is now trying to have an even bigger season this year.

A more productive year won’t come without a fight for his reps. Tucker and head coach Jeff Lebby added more talent to the room with transfer runner Fluff Bothwell, the return of Johnnie Daniels and Xavier Gayten and freshmen Kolin Wilson and Geron Johnson.

The roles of those backs will be determined during training camp, but Lebby said on Thursday that Booth has all the capabilities to run on every down for the Bulldogs. For a player that didn’t know if he’d be able to wear the maroon and white again, Booth won’t waste a single snap and he’s still working to improve daily.

“I just try to do whatever I can to help the team in. Whatever they need me to do, I’ll do it,” Booth said. “I’ve got to get better in my short yardage because I had some trouble last season. Getting low, staying low and diving for the extra two yards. That’s what I’ve been really working on this offseason.”