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Mississippi State

Stonka Burnside finding new home with a natural feel

3rupauk8_400x400by: Robbie Faulk08/18/25RobbieFaulkOn3
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Stonka Burnside (Photo by Mississippi State Athletics)

Prying an offensive playmaker away from that side of the ball might be one of the most difficult things a coaching staff could do, but Jeff Lebby hasn’t had a problem from Stonka Burnside.

While the former four-star pass catcher has proven he has what it takes to make plays on that side of the ball, there’s always been something inside of him that has been drawn to being on the other side. After his true freshman season concluded last year, Burnside talked to the coaching staff about opportunities at safety and he was intrigued.

Just a few years after Burnside had first made his impact on the high school level by playing safety, he had a new position in maroon and white. Chad Bumphis has been petitioning to work him back in at receiver and the results have been less than stellar.

“Not very good,” Burnside laughed about Bumphis’ pitch. “Switching from offense to defense was a great move for me. I can use my best ability to be a great player.”

Burnside possesses high ceiling on defensive side

The reality of it is that Burnside has all the makings of a star in the defensive backfield.

He first showed it when he was a freshman at Starkville High School and was a Starkville Daily News All-Area player in year one as a defensive standout. After picking off six passes in two seasons and being a regular on the stat sheet, he transitioned more to wide receiver, but colleges were aware of his work on defense.

“I recruited Stonka out of high school at another place and I told Stonka from day one he’s born to be on the defensive side of the ball,” Defensive Coordinator Coleman Hutzler said. “Even last year when he was playing wide out, he was running down on punt and making every tackle for us on special teams. He’s got a bright future and has done a great job of making the transition. It’s an unselfish thing for someone to do that. Look forward to a great camp from him to take another step forward for the defense.”

It was a logjam of receivers on the field last season and it made life difficult for Burnside in terms of playing time. Despite that, Cliff Odom found a spot for him on special teams and Burnside excelled at it.

On punt team, the freshman was often the first player down the field and he made quite a few highlight tackles on punt team before the season concluded. It was there that he really opened the eyes of his coaches and the fanbase on what he could do in a different role.

“Playing special teams was a quicker way to get on the field just to show the college level I’m a good player,” Burnside said. “I just play fast – see ball, go get ball. When I see somebody with the ball, in my mind I have to go hit them.”

Now that he has made the move to defense, Burnside is working to move up the depth chart, get on the field and refine his craft.

Just simply being talented doesn’t automatically hand a player like Burnside a starting position. Just about everyone else in the defensive secondary has been playing the position for multiple years in college and several are in year two under safeties coach Matt Barnes.

Burnside has been aware of the transition and has continued to get better daily. If that mindset continues, the sky is the limit on where he might go.  

“It’s a whole lot different switching from offense to defense. I’m learning how to play safety in college and the that’s been a little different, but I’m learning every day,” Burnside said. “Older guys above me such as (Brylan Lanier), Jahron Manning and (Hunter Washington), I’m learning from them every day and getting better at my craft.”

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