Bulldogs add No. 28

While many schools finished up their recruiting classes several weeks ago, the Bulldog staff has still been looking for a few critical pieces to fill their allotment. One need was filled this morning when linebackers coach Amos Jones pulled one in from the Sunshine State in Brandon Whittie, a prospect that just recently made a passing SAT score. The Bulldogs feel they got a steal and Jacksonville (Fla.) Englewood's coach agrees. What did State add to their roster?

"He's a 6-3, 225 linebacker, and his forty time is a 4.6, 4.65, somewhere in there," commented Englewood coach Tom Laubach. "He was one of the strongest guys in our weight room. He wants to do whatever it takes to get on the field. He will do whatever they tell him to."

Whittie was a late qualifier and that scared a lot of top programs away. Their loss, however, is State's gain.

"Everybody liked him that came through, but they were worried about him," Laubach explained. "I told everybody that he was going to make it, because he was real similar to the other kid, Anthony Littlejohn, that we had that made it for Mississippi State.

"Some schools decided to back off and then he got the test score and my phone was ringing off the hook. Mississippi State was one that kind of stuck with him. Coach (Jim) Tompkins and coach (Amos) Jones stayed with him the whole time and then with Anthony up there, that kind of led him to it.

"He just got a jump on his test. He got an 880 on is test and he is in English four now."

So what does coach Laubach feel the Bulldogs are getting?

"I have only been here three seasons and he has been a starter every year I have been here," he said. "I know he had 132 tackles this year and he had one interception and he had five sacks. He was an all-conference player for us and he was a team captain for us.

"He's really kind of quiet. He really leads by example. He's a rough kid now. He will hit you.

"He can get nasty with it but he is a good kid. He's just a good rough physical football player. He's thick. He can run. He can hit. He's a smart football player.

"He made all the calls on the field. We did a lot of calls on the field by formation. We didn't call a lot of the plays in the huddle. He made all those checks. He's just a good football player."

Whittie makes the 28th player signed by Mississippi State this year, but the big question now is: Are they finished?

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