Good morning! It’s showtime! Coach Lebby and Bulldog football welcomed its newest members to the team following a successful National Signing Day. State football brought on 28 new Dawgs to the team and will get right to work in the new era of Bulldog football.

What else did we throw into today’s Brew?

🏈 National Signing Day
🏀 Women’s Basketball recap
🐶 And much, much more!

📝 NATIONAL SIGNING DAY

🔼 It’s #SHOWTIME. Mississippi State football was busy on National Signing Day, adding 28 new recruits to the Bulldog family in the explosive 2024 class.

📝 Braden Jennings, a consensus 4-star linebacker and ESPN Freshman All-American out of Jacksonville, FL, is headed to Starkville after a solid season where he led his team in tackles, solo tackles and tackles for loss.

📝 The No. 1 ranked JUCO running back in the nation, Johnnie Daniels, is a Bulldog. Out of Crystal Springs, MS, Daniels rushed for 1,253 yards and scored 15 touchdowns and was named MACCC South Offensive Player of the Year.

📝 Mississippi State 5A Defensive Player of the Year, defensive lineman Terrance Hibbler, is now officially a Bulldog. The 4-star recruit finished his final high school season with 92 tackles and 21 sacks.

📝 Quarterback Michael Van Buren will wear the Maroon and White after guiding St. Frances Academy to the 2022 national championship game. The 4-star recruit plans to graduate early and enroll at State in January 2024.

Check out the full list of Bulldogs who officially made Starkville their home for 2024

🎥 BULLDOG BREAKDOWN

Bulldog Breakdown with Tony Dukes and Luke Carns. In this first episode of Bulldog Breakdown, assistant coach Tony Dukes and grad assistant Luke Carns join Joey Petersen to break down the nail-biting 63-62 victory over the Bruins from earlier this season.

🎥 COURTSIDE CONVERSATIONS

Courtside Conversations: Jessika Carter. Join Jessica Carter courtside as she talks about her new blonde hair, the addition of Lauren Park-Lane and how her time in the weight room has improved her game.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Heat Check. Thanks to a program-record-setting night from Lauren Park-Lane, the Bulldogs improved to 12-2 on the season after defeating Colorado State 82-75. Park-Lane finished the night with 33 points including 10 three-pointers, a new program record. It was the 13th time in her career she finished with 30+ points in a game and the first this season.

Also finishing in double-digits was Jessika Carter who had 14 points and eight rebounds. Erynn Barnum crashed the boards, collecting a team-high 13 rebounds while Jerkaila Jordan filled the stat sheet with eight points, six assists and four rebounds.

🔼 Media Sesh. Before the Bulldogs head to New Jersey to play in the Gotham Classic against Rutgers, head coach Chris Jans stopped by to meet with the media to preview the matchup.

Here’s a bit of a preview of Coach Jans’ answer on how coaching freshman Josh Hubbard has been:

🗣️ "Yeah, he's a joy to coach. He's a dream that way. He's all about the right stuff. He's got a great approach, mindset and work ethic. You can coach him hard, and he looks you directly in the eye and takes coaching. He tries to get it on the floor. We're so fortunate that he's with us. He's already made a big impact on the court and even off the court."

🎥 Watch the full media session prior to the Bulldogs’ game against Rutgers

🔼 Spring Is Coming. Bulldog women’s tennis is looking to ride a successful fall season into their newly released 2024 spring schedule. First-year head coach Chris Hooshyar will help lead his team on a 27-match slate that will include 17 matches in Starkville.

State will begin the season with seven straight home matches starting on Jan. 13 against Middle Tennessee State and Jacksonville State. The Bulldogs will begin SEC play on March 13 against in-state rival Ole Miss and will close out the regular season against Missouri on April 14.

📆 See the full Bulldog women’s tennis 2024 schedule

🔼 Growing Dawgs. Head coach Jeff Lebby announced that he has finalized the program’s strength and conditioning staff as the team heads into the offseason. As previously stated, Shaud Williams will be the head strength and conditioning coach after serving the past six seasons as the top assistant at Oregon. Under Williams will be assistants Erich Anthony, Jarwarski Beckum, Christian Buchanan and David Underwood.

📚️ Read more about each coach and their previous experience as they begin their time in Starkville

🔼 More Than An Athlete. Standout goalkeeper Maddy Anderson piled on another accolade after being named to the prestigious 2023 Academic All-America Second Team. Anderson becomes one of only six student-athletes on the Academic All-America Team who have earned repeat selections.

📚️ Read more about Anderson and her achievement

🤔 BULLDOG TRIVIA

From ‘Sip To State. State football is embarking on its next era of football. Coach Lebby has made it a point that Mississippi’s best players come to State, and so far, many from the Magnolia State are starting to call Starkville their home.

Our question today: do you know how many recruits from Mississippi signed with State on National Signing Day?

Think you know the answer? Scroll down to the bottom to find out!

🎁 FOR THE DAWGS ON THE NICE LIST

Our friends at The Lodge by Alumni Hall know that being a Bulldog means more than just the diploma on your wall—it’s a part of who you are. And they have everything you need to make this holiday season extra special!

From now until December 24th, use promo code BULLYCLAUS to get 20% OFF your order, in-store and online! Click here to find the perfect gift for a Dawg Fan in your life.

📬 STICK WITH US

Did someone send you the Bulldog Brew? Well, the first thing you should do is thank them. The next thing you should do is subscribe here and get it in your inbox every weekday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

📆 LOOKING AHEAD

Saturday 12/23

🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Rutgers @ 11:00am in Newark, NJ | Tickets | Watch | Listen | Tournament Info

🐶 Click here to see the full Mississippi State Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 11!

The Bulldogs added 11 new players to its football program from the state of Mississippi!

🐶 Have a great Thursday, y'all!