First Spring Practice of Joe Moorhead Era Complete

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI/MSU Athletics) — Nearly three months removed from its third consecutive bowl victory, Mississippi State football opens a new chapter with the start of spring football under first-year head coach Joe Moorhead.

Moorhead will put the Bulldogs through the first of 15 workouts on Tuesday afternoon at the Leo Seal Jr. Complex. Tuesday’s practice will be closed to the public. The public is welcome to attend Saturday’s practice, which begins at 11:15 a.m. at the Seal Complex.

Since his arrival, Moorhead has installed a “championship standard,” which features three pillars: preparation, effort and execution. The Bulldogs were tested during winter workouts, and they will get their first chance on the field in official practices with the new staff on Tuesday.

Moorhead takes the reins of the program after building explosive offenses at Penn State, in which he helped guide the program to a 2016 Big Ten Championship.

State features a loaded roster featuring nine returning starters on offense and eight returning starters on defense. Record-setting senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald will be limited in the spring, but he is expected to throw as he recovers from a broken ankle he suffered in last season’s regular season finale.

Defensively, MSU was one of the elite units in all of college football a year ago. Much of that corps returns led by arguably the best defensive line tandem in the nation in first-team All-SEC standouts Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat.

Moorhead’s first spring in Starkville culminates with the Maroon and White Game as part of Super Bulldog Weekend on Saturday, April 21. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Davis Wade Stadium and admission is free.

2018 Mississippi State Spring Football Dates
Tuesday, March 20 – Practice #1
Thursday, March 22 – Practice #2
Saturday, March 24 – Practice #3 (OPEN to public at 11:15 a.m.)
Tuesday, March 27 – Practice #4
Thursday, March 29 – Practice #5
Tuesday, April 3 – Practice #6
Thursday, April 5 – Practice #7
Friday, April 7 – Scrimmage
Tuesday, April 10 – Practice #9
Thursday, April 12 – Practice #10
Saturday, April 14 – Practice #11
Tuesday, April 17 – Practice #12
Thursday, April 19 – Practice #13
Friday, April 20 – Practice #14
Saturday, April 21 – Maroon and White Spring Game, 3 p.m.