100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 23 Days - No. 23, DE Trevion Williams and RB Seth Davis

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 two extremely talented players on each side of the ball.   

23 Days: No. 23, Jr. Defensive End Trevion Williams        

For the last few seasons, Williams has been a name at the top of the list for a breakout year but that has yet to fully come to fruition.

The former four-star defensive lineman is entering year four with the Bulldogs and played in just six games his first two seasons on campus. After making two tackles and playing in three games his first year, he redshirted for Mike Leach’s team. He got three games in again in 2023 under Zach Arnett’s leadership before going down with an injury and he had six tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Last year, Williams had his best season but the Bulldogs struggled on the defensive side of the ball. In a year where State had just 10.0 sacks as a defense, Williams managed to get to the quarterback just once but had 33 tackles and 2.0 TFL.

The 6’4, 295-pounder from Crystal Springs came to State as one of the top defensive linemen in the country. He was ranked as the No. 5 player in the state of Mississippi for the 2022 class and was the No. 187 player nationally by the Industry Rankings.

Some of the top schools in the country were after Williams after his junior season and State went from the heavy favorite to playing catch up. Florida State got his attention on a visit and he would commit to the Seminoles during that summer trip to Tallahassee. The Bulldogs never stayed out of the fight, however.

The Bulldogs continuously got Williams on campus and ultimately got him to decommit during the season. With State being almost exclusively in his plans week in and week out, all signs pointed to State being the choice and he would sign with the Bulldogs on signing day.

While Williams hasn’t yet fully reached his potential, the body and ability is ever present. Williams has been one of the more steady and impressive players in the spring and training camp to this point and has moved across the line to defensive end this year in what could see the line play more four-down.

Williams is a much-needed presence up front as State looks to go from the worst defense in the league to a group that is competing each week.

No. 23, So. Running Back Seth Davis

Former State coach Mike Leach and his staff really looked to have landed a star in the making back in 2022 when Davis signed with the Bulldogs.

Davis put up video game numbers at Katy High School in Texas during the 2020-22 seasons as he rushed for 6,785 yards over the course of his high school career and notched 80 touchdowns along the way. As a sophomore, Davis helped his team to a Class 6A State Championship along with future college teammates Hunter Washington and Malick Sylla.

In recruiting, the offers started pouring in when Davis was putting up those monster numbers. State was joined with offers from Florida, Ole Miss, Utah, Missouri, Maryland, Vanderbilt and others and Davis would initially commit to Duke during the spring.

The Bulldogs came heavy after Davis and former assistant coach Jason Washington made a move with him. By the summer, he had flipped his commitment to State and he was solid the rest of the way.

After Davis rushed for over 2,500 yards on 10.7 yards per rush his senior year and carried the ball into the endzone 34 times, it was time to take on the SEC. Davis’ track speed and athleticism got him some early playing time for Zach Arnett’s squad in 2023 playing in Kevin Barbay’s offense.

He would play in all 12 games and carry the ball 59 times for 356 yards and a touchdown as he looked the part of a future problem for opposing defenses. In the Battle for the Golden Egg against rival Ole Miss, however, things would change for Davis.

The freshman caught a pass in the flat and was left out to dry as a hit from the Rebel defense took out his legs and had him leaving the game. The result was a devastating knee injury that cost him all of last year and had him in a no contact jersey during the spring of this year.

During that time frame, Davis has been working attentively to get back into action for State. The coaching staff hasn’t rushed him back and are being careful with him, but Davis has been full-go in training camp. Getting carries over the talent in the room currently might be a challenge this season, but Davis will have his shot to work his way on to the field.

If Davis makes it back and contributes in a major way during his State career, it will be 100% based on the hard work that he’s put in during his rehab. The talented back is clawing his way back up the ladder and hoping that he will get back close to where he was pre-injury. It’s a daily battle for Davis, but he’s taking a step forward each morning.