Muniz makes redshirt worthwhile

When Archie Muniz signed with Mississippi State in 2010 he weighed in at 255-pounds.

Now a just over a year later the 6-foot-5 offensive tackle has tacked on nearly 30-pounds and is hoping to factor into the Bulldogs rotation on the line after a redshirt season.

"Redshirting actually helped me out a lot," Muniz said. "I actually gained a lot of weight. I gained maybe 20 or 30-pounds. I've gotten a lot stronger with my legs, my upper body and the knowledge of plays. I actually had no idea when it came to my plays and stuff but I came in and learned my plays and it got a lot better."

When Muniz decided to come to MSU he didn't come alone. He brought along his twin brother, Ivan Muniz, who walked on as a member of the Bulldogs secondary. The Muniz twins hail from Houston, Texas but being homesick has not been a factor for either of them.

"I have my brother here so I'm not really lonely," Muniz said. "As long as I've got my brother that's all I really need."

Archie is the older of the two fraternal twins preceding Ivan by 22-minutes. Ironically the two share different birthdays.

Muniz was rated as a three-star prospect at Cypress Creek High School and was considered the nation's No. 61 offensive tackle recruit. Mississippi State was the first school to offer followed up by Arizona State, Colorado State, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas State, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Rice, SMU, Tulane, Utah, UTEP, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest.

Even though the Bulldogs pulled the trigger first, Muniz committed to Utah and stuck with the Utes for nearly six months before changing his college destination after an official visit to Starkville.

"It was a good decision," Muniz said. "I'm happy. It's a great conference and Coach (John) Hevesy is a great coach."

As a high school senior Muniz was a unanimous first team All-District selection helping lead the Cougars to back-to-back district titles. But making the jump from high school into the Southeastern Conference has been a challenge.

"It's a lot tougher," Muniz said. "The SEC is the toughest conference. It's more intense and the speed."

During his redshirt season this past fall Muniz suffered a bit of a setback injuring his labrum. Following a successful surgery he is back in action and running second team at right tackle behind rising senior Addison Lawrence.

"I'm just now coming back from a surgery but it's going good," Muniz said. "I've just got to keep going out there and keep working hard and fighting for a position."