MSU offers Ducksworth

With his junior school year almost in the books, North Forrest (Miss.) linebacker Lelland Ducksworth picked up some encouraging news late Wednesday night. The 6-foot-1 and 215-pound Ducksworth collected his first BCS offer and it came from Mississippi State.

"I talked with Coach Tony Hughes and Coach Geoff Collins tonight and then Coach Hughes said they were offering me a full scholarship to play for Mississippi State," said Ducksworth. "I thought it was a great offer. They are building a great foundation there and their graduation rate for their players is sky rocketing. I believe in their program a lot and it was definitely a great offer to get."

Ducksworth also holds an offers from Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas State and is also drawing interest from Ole Miss, Southern Miss and Tennessee. He said before he makes any kind of decision, he first wants to check out other schools.

"I am leaning towards Mississippi State a lot," said Ducksworth. "But I want to look at all the schools first. People always say to find that one school that stands out and you know when you find that good school. I don't plan to make an early decision and make sure I check everyone out first."

Ducksworth will camp at Mississippi State on June 11th for a 7-on-7 camp and may also attend the Big Dawg Camp in July. He noted of other camp stops this summer, as well.

"Ole Miss, Tennessee and Alabama want to see me at camp," said Ducksworth. "They want to see me first before deciding to offer and they want to see how I run and move on my feet."

And considering his team's recent spring drills, it is little doubt Ducksworth is ready to make those camp stops and get back in the action. Last year Ducksworth lined up at running back and linebacker and performed well on both sides of the ball.

Recruited as a linebacker, Ducksworth had 69 tackles, including seven tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and one interception. Offensively, Ducksworth rushed for 537 yards and two touchdowns.

However, an injured shoulder kept him on the sidelines this spring due to his coaches not wanting to take any chances.

"I injured my shoulder late last year," said Ducksworth. "So the coaches decided to save me for the fall and not push it this spring. It got pretty depressing not being able to practice. But I knew my team could take care of things and we were pretty competitive. I just encouraged all the guys and I am definitely ready to get back on the field."