100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 7 Days - No. 7, LB Zakari Tillman and WR Markus Allen

Year two of the Jeff Lebby era has arrived and the Mississippi State coach is back to work.

After a disappointing first season, the coach and his staff are doing what they can to get things back on track in Starkville. The players on the field will be the difference for State this season if they are to make a return and we’re going to discuss every single one of them over the course of the next few months.

As we do every year, we’re counting down 100 days until State’s first game at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg on August 30. Over this period of time, we’ll breakdown every scholarship player on the roster, look back at great moments in MSU history and even talk about legends that have come before the current Bulldogs.

Today, we look at a growing leader on the defensive side and a new face at wide out.   

7 Days: No. 7, Jr. Linebacker Zakari Tillman        

A standout from Florence, Miss., Tillman is one of those Mississippi players that was vastly overlooked coming out of high school who could prove everyone wrong in the next couple of years.

In high school, the Rivals Industry Ranking had him as the No. 1,173^rd best player in the country, the No. 112^th linebacker and the No. 24 player in the state of Mississippi. It was even worse at On3 as he was tabbed No. 47 in the state of Mississippi for his class. Former defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Zach Arnett felt from the beginning that he had a star in the making and that could prove to be true.

The Bulldogs took his commitment without much fanfare as Tillman went about his business his senior season. Playing for Florence High, Tillman had 57 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and pass breakup. He would enroll at State and immediately impress.

Tillman’s transition to the SEC was seemingly flawless in terms of the weight room. He showed up on campus and fit right in with his teammates and it helped him get on the field in year one. Arnett and former defensive coordinator Matt Brock found a spot for Tillman to make an impact with special teams right away and he made five tackles while flashing when he was on the field.

Those flashes grew last season as Tillman got into the rotation defensively and played in all 12 games with one start. Tillman made 30 tackles and was the team-leader with 3.5 sacks while knocking down three passes, blocking a punt, intercepting a pass, forcing a fumble and recovering another.

Heading into his junior season, Tillman should be moving into a starting role this year or at least taking on a whole lot more of a workload. The 6’2, 235-pound defender is ready for his time.  

No. 7, Sr. Wide Receiver Markus Allen  

It’s been a long road for Allen over his college football journey and it has found it’s culminating inside the SEC for his senior season.

A young man from Dayton, Ohio, Allen has been at the pinnacle of college football in the Power 4, stepped down to junior college, and slowly made his way back to where he wanted to be. Allen grew up in a military family with his mother and father both serving. His dad, Eddie, was in the Navy during Allen’s lifetime and both instilled a strong work ethic into the wide receiver at a young age.

A standout for Northmont High School in football, track and basketball, Allen was All-State and had 1,066 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns his junior season. As a senior, he dealt with injuries that would keep him out of a few games but still racked up 884 yards and 15 touchdowns in just eight games.

Allen was part of the 2021 class and became a four-star recruit his senior season as the Composite rankings had him listed as the No. 60 wide receiver in the country and the No. 10 player in the state of Ohio. Being a native of Big Ten country, Allen picked up a lot of interest in the area with Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue and others coming through wanting his services on their team. In the end, it was Wisconsin that would be his pick.

In his two seasons at Wisconsin, Allen had 10 catches for 156 yards and a touchdowns. After that second season in 2022, however, Allen was in the transfer portal. He landed at Butler Community College in Kansas where the options coming out weren’t as strong as they were two years prior. Eastern Michigan, Akron, South Alabama and Youngstown State were the offers and he would decide to continue his career at Eastern Michigan last season.

Allen was a full-time starter for his team last season and had a breakthrough game against Buffalo where he hauled in nine passes for 187 yards. In 11 starts, he would catch 43 passes for 651 yards and three touchdowns and his stock was trending upward again as he would try one more transfer.

Chad Bumphis and the Bulldogs reeled him in to add size and depth to the wide receiver room this season. The 6’2, 215-pounder will be a player to watch on the outside to help move the chains and also finish drives inside the red zone. He has had a good training camp to this point and should be a factor when the season arrives next week.