mike leach is no longer a newcomer to Starkville and he is no longer in build mode with his air raid offensive in the state of Mississippi.
The longtime college football coach implemented his system after two seasons, and there’s plenty of talent and experience on the roster for the Bulldogs to have their best team in several years.
On the way to seeing this team on the field this fall, we will complete our annual 100-day countdown. Over the next 100 days we’ll have a breakdown of great players, moments, coaches and a look at the full roster of grantees to keep Bulldog fans busy during the tough summer months.
Today we’re looking at an athletic linebacker who’s healthy now and pushing for game time this season.
26 days: No. 26, Junior LB JP Purvis
The Bulldogs got one of the state’s top athletes in the 2019 recruit class when Purvis stepped in. He was a player who was in hiding for some time, but it didn’t take long for the secret to be revealed.
Playing in Class 2A for former MSU player Sam Williams in Pelahatchie, Purvis was a typical small-town Mississippi great athlete. He played wherever he was needed and rarely came off the field for his team, having 1,524 passing yards and 19 touchdowns, 1,728 rushing yards and 20 scores, two receptions for a touchdown and 37 tackles on defense with 7.0 tackles for losses, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and two pass deflections as a junior.
Some summer camps in connection with this film and the statistics sheet made his name known. During his recruiting, he solicited offers from MSU, Ole Miss, Oregon and others, but it would amount to a domestic battle before he committed to MSU in the spring of his junior year.
Purvis still wasn’t ranked high despite a few Power 5 offers, being ranked No. 52 in safety in the country and No. 23 in Mississippi in the three-star 247Sports Composite rankings.
It’s been a huge senior year for Purvis with Pelahatchie. He threw for nearly 2,000 yards and 20 points with just one interception, and he had nearly 1,500 rushing yards with 23 more scores, managing nine games with two or more touchdown rushes and eight such contests. He had 73 tackles on the road to defense with 14.0 tackles for losses, 4.0 sacks and three interceptions.
Despite a redshirt season in 2019, Purvis was still able to amass four games’ worth of playing time on special teams to get his feet wet. But just before the bowl game, Purvis hit a major roadblock when he and teammate De’Monte Russell were involved in a serious car accident that left both injured.
Purvis returned in 2020 and could play in five ball games, and he followed that up with five more games last season as a second division side, making two tackles each season.
So far, Purvis has definitely looked good in the first few exercises. He worked afterwards Jet Johnson with the second team at the WILL linebacker and had some notable moments at team practice. This could be Purvis’ chance to play his best season yet.
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