Mississippi State is expected to be one of the worst college football teams in the Southeastern Conference this season. Its defensive line could be a real problem.
The Bulldogs accidentally put the position group on blast during fall camp.
A video that was supposed to celebrate the offense and its star transfer running back completely embarrassed the defense. Mississippi State made a significant edit to its most recent college football practice highlight video in an effort to avoid the inevitable internet roast but screenshots lives forever.
Fluff Bothwell looks legit.
Second-year head coach Jeff Lebby secured a commitment from South Alabama running back Fluff Bothwell through the transfer portal. It was perhaps his biggest win on the recruiting trail thus far.
Bothwell, whose legal name is Da’Marion, ran for 832 yards and 13 touchdowns as a true freshman with Jaguars in 2024. He averaged an impressive 7.5 yards per carry.
The Bulldogs will use Bothwell alongside Davon Booth, who ran for 759 yards last season. It is a solid one-two punch for a program that hopes to exceed expectations.
Mississippi State should be better than it was a year ago but it will presumably take more than just marginal improvement to find success against a grueling SEC schedule. And the defense will be just as important as the offense — if not more so.
Mississippi State’s defensive line could be a huge problem.
The college football team that scores the most points in a single game is going to win said game. Duh.
Thus, no matter how good the Bulldogs might be on offense, they will need the defense to make stops. That could be an issue.
They ranked last in the SEC and 125th in the country in total defense last season, allowing more than 450 yards per game. A group of high-profile transfers, including SEC All-Freshman linebacker Jalen Smith and defensive end Red Hibbler from North Carolina State, are expected to ramp-up the pressure.
However, the most recent video from fall camp does not look great. Well— it looks better now…
Mississippi State posted the following highlight of Fluff Bothwell. He looks tough.
There is only one issue. That is not the original video!
The original video, which has since been replaced, made the defensive line look entirely incompetent. Multiple players had their backs turned to the ball. Only one single player was prepared to make a tackle on Bothwell and he completely whiffed. Everybody else got pushed out of the frame.
Why yall edit out the DL? https://t.co/uNgesHol69 pic.twitter.com/bgbyvguT2W
— #FIREBUMASS Lane Kiffin (@GoatKiffin) August 11, 2025
Yikes… It might be a good play for Fluff Bothwell but a good play for the offense is a bad play for the defense. The Bulldogs could be in for a very long year on that side of the ball.