Good morning! Educators shape our future, so join the Bulldogs for Education Day on September 14 at Davis Wade Stadium as the team takes on Toledo.

What else did we throw into today’s Bulldog Brew?

🏈 Akharaiyi placed on Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list
🏅 Bulldog running duo moves on to next stage
🐶 And much, much more!

🎙️ DEAR OL’ STATE

Dear Ol’ State: Lebby Speaks After First Day in Full Pads. Mississippi State football held its first full-pads practice of the preseason on Wednesday. Following the work, head coach Jeff Lebby met with reporters to give an update on his team. Joel Coleman brings you that media session on the latest episode of Dear Ol' State, plus a few comments from quarterbacks coach Matt Holecek.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 All Hands Team. Ahead of the 2024 season, Bulldog football's Kelly Akharaiyi was added to the preseason watchlist for the prestigious Biletnikoff Award, an award that annually recognizes the college football season's outstanding FBS receiver. Akharaiyi comes to Starkville after two impressive seasons at UTEP. In 2023, Akharaiyi began to turn heads with an outstanding junior campaign where he started all 12 games for the Miners and was one of just two C-USA players to tally over 1,000 receiving yards (1,033). On 48 receptions, he averaged 86.1 yards per game while hauling in seven touchdowns.

🔼 Staying Alive. Racing in the 800m, former Bulldog and school record holder Marco Arop qualified his way into the semifinals after finishing in the top three of his heat with a time of 1:45.74. Under the new format introduced this year, all other athletes who did not automatically qualify will have a second chance to be eligible on Thursday morning in the new repechage round where Mississippi State runner Navasky Anderson will race after finishing fifth in his heat.

📚️ Read more about the two runners’ performances and what they expect going forward

🔼 Going For Gold. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters will try to add Olympic gold to his resume this afternoon. Peters had the second-longest throw in qualifying on Tuesday, and his personal best of 93.07m would break the Olympic record by more than 2.5 meters. State fans can catch him live on USA Network (whiparound track coverage) or on the dedicated event stream on Peacock at 1:25 p.m. today. If he finishes among the top three, he’ll be the first Bulldog to ever medal in a field event and give State its first Olympic medal since 2000.

🔼 Statement Win. Bulldog men’s golf’s rising sophomore, Alejandro Fierro, won the 2024 Florida Legacy Cup after shooting 10-under par for the tournament. The Bulldog carded 18 birdies over the three-day tournament at the PGA National Resort. Fierro dominated the field and was the only golfer to finish below par. In fact, there were only 14 individual par or better rounds across the entire field, and Fierro shot three of those.

🔼 Nothing For Granted. Mississippi State redshirt freshman cornerback Kelley Jones has all the potential in the world; he's got the physical traits – standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 195 pounds, he’s lightning fast, and in many ways, appears to be a taller version of Bulldog great and now-Washington Commanders corner Emmanuel Forbes. The old phrase, 'The sky is the limit', certainly seems to apply to Jones as he goes through preseason camp, but there's one person not thinking too far ahead: Kelley Jones himself.

🗣️ "Everybody doesn't get to be in this position. I'm just taking it all in, knowing also that any moment, my spot could be taken. So, I'm embracing every moment. I'm listening to my coaches and going hard. I'm working on my technique and doing the things God lets me do." - Kelley Jones

📚️ Read about Jones’ fall camp and how he treasures every minute of opportunity in Starkville

🤔 BULLDOG TRIVIA

First-Round Pro Dawgs. Today’s trivia question…how many former Bulldog football players were selected in the first-round of the NFL Draft?

Think you got it? Scroll to the bottom of the Bulldog Brew to see if you know your stuff!

🤝 SHARE THE BREW

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🥇 BULLDOGS AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS

Thursday, August 8

👟 Men’s 800m Repechage @ 5:08 a.m. (Navasky Anderson)

👟 Men’s Javelin Finals @ 1:25 p.m. (Anderson Peters)

Friday, August 9

👟 Men’s 4×400 Relay First Round @ 4:05 a.m.

👟 Men’s 800m Semifinals @ 4:30 a.m. (Marco Arop)

📆 LOOKING AHEAD

Thursday, August 15

⚽️ Soccer vs. Baylor @ 6:30pm in Starkville, MS

Sunday, August 18

⚽️ Soccer vs. Northwestern State @ 1:00pm in Starkville, MS

Thursday, August 22

⚽️ Soccer vs. Charlotte @ 6:00pm in Charlotte, NC

Saturday, August 24

🏐 Volleyball vs. Memphis @ 4:00pm in Memphis, TN

Saturday, August 31

🏈 Football vs. Eastern Kentucky @ 5:00pm in Starkville, MS

🐶 Click here to see the full Mississippi State Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 16!

Mississippi State football has produced 16 total first-round NFL Draft picks. The first in school history was Harper Davis in 1949, and the most recent was Emmanuel Forbes in last year’s NFL Draft.

🐶 Have a great Thursday, y'all!