100-Day Bulldog Countdown: 67 Days, Former No. 67 Charles Cross

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 back at a Bulldog great on the offensive line.

67 Days: Former No. 67 Charles Cross           

Back in 2018, MSU landed Cross after spending several months pushing for that commitment. That proved to be incredibly beneficial for the program a few years later and his impact will likely be felt beyond just his play on the field.

Cross stepped across the stage last year in Las Vegas as the No. 9 overall as the Seattle Seahawks made him a millionaire. He lived up to his expectations in year one and there’s a giant future ahead of him if he stays on the right path.

Expectations have been sky high for Cross dating back to his high school days but it was all about potential. He had work to do to reach almost exactly where he was projected out of high school.

When he was at Laurel, Cross was considered the No. 8 player in the entire country and the second best offensive tackle. He was the number one player in the state of Mississippi for the class of 2019.

Getting Cross to come to Starkville was going to be a battle for former offensive line coach Marcus Johnson. For starters, State had a lot of competition. Cross had offers from MSU, Ole Miss, USC, Florida State, Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, Indiana, LSU and many others.

The Seminoles stood out to Cross early in the process as he made two trips to Tallahassee in just a matter of two weeks. That second trip was to commit to FSU and he was a Seminole before the end of the summer.

Despite that commitment, Cross was in Starkville for most home games. The Bulldogs continuously got him on campus and stayed in the game with him and all signs were turning to him becoming a Bulldog. He decommitted from the Seminoles just before the Thanksgiving showdown between MSU and Ole Miss and the recruitment was on.

Over the course of a couple of weeks, Cross took visits to USC, Ole Miss and then MSU. He wouldn’t leave that MSU visit without committing to former coach Joe Moorhead.

Cross was an excellent student as well, so an early enrollment was in the cards. That allowed him to put on some good weight on his rangy 6’5, 270-pound frame. Over the next three years, he would put on at least 40 pounds and his body caught up with his extremely talented skill set.

Despite being a highly ranked player, Cross still redshirted his first year on campus. He played in three games in 2019 which allowed him to take that redshirt season. In 2020, he became MSU’s starting left tackle and started in 10 of the 11 ball games played.

That 2020 debut saw Cross become a Freshman All-SEC player and it set the stage for a big 2021. Cross started in all 12 games as a sophomore and was the top pass protecting lineman in the league with a grade of 84.9 and second-best run blocker at 87.2 by Pro Football Focus.

Allowing just two sacks in 919 pass blocking snaps was a glaring sign that he was destined for big things. He was named first team All-SEC and All-American and was a two-time SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week. Cross also earned the Kent Hull Trophy winner for the top offensive lineman in the state of Mississippi.

Cross was already a highly rated tackle prospect for the draft but he improved his draft stock by going to the NFL combine and performing at Pro Day.

When he arrived in Seattle it was to compete for a starting spot right away. Cross earned a starting spot at left tackle and played every single offensive snap during his Rookie season. That totaled 1,091 snaps on the year with just seven sacks allowed as he played and started all 17 games. On top of his production as a blocker, he had just seven penalties all year as well.

Cross has followed that up with consecutive years locking down the left tackle spot for the Seahawks. The talented blocker had a injury that kept him out of three games during his second year but he started in all 14 games he played. Getting back in the saddle and fully healthy last season, Cross started 17 more games at left tackle and has now been the Seahawks’ starting LT for 48 games.

It’s a great start to the career of Cross as he’s looking to spend a long time in the NFL. He’s got every attribute needed to put together a great career.