How Mississippi State football freshman Seth Davis made Zach Arnett's two-deep depth chart
STARKVILLE — When Mississippi State football added Penn State transfer Keyvone Lee, it appeared freshman running back Seth Davis was headed toward a redshirt season. With Lee entering his junior season on a roster already featuring senior Jo’quavious Marks and sophomore Simeon Price, it didn’t make much sense to burn a season of Davis’ eligibility.
That was until coach Zach Arnett and offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay realized they couldn't keep him off the field in preseason camp. His immediate impact was made evident Monday when Davis was included in the two-deep depth chart behind Marks.
“I think he’s the most elusive in the running back room,” Marks said Monday. “He brings a different type of back to our room.”
In the backfield, Davis will have advice to heed as he's surrounded by players who have been in his role before. Marks and quarterback Will Rogers entered 2020 as true freshman in Mike Leach’s first year and wound up as starters by the year’s end.
“He’s not the biggest guy, but at Mississippi State we don’t really care about that,” Rogers said. “We care about how you play and how you do your job each individual play.”
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Davis was an early enrollee for Mississippi State as a three-star prospect out of Katy High School in Katy, Texas. At 5-foot-7 and 185 pounds, he has drawn comparisons to Dallas Cowboys running back Deuce Vaughn from Arnett. However, the resemblance extends beyond the stature.
Davis has shown throughout camp an ability to find holes before bursting through. With his speed, he has been difficult to tackle even against a veteran defense in Starkville. Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday (3 p.m., SEC Network) will be the first foe in a different jersey to try slowing him down.
“He has real good feel for knowing where the seam is going to be without necessarily waiting for it to emerge,” Arnett said. “There is an instinct as both a ball-carrier and a defender on where is the hole going to emerge. Some guys have a feel for that and naturally kind of hit it sooner. Some guys don’t. That’s what separates guys.”
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State football: Seth Davis makes Zach Arnett's depth chart
