Impressive.

That's just one word to describe what redshirt sophomore wide receiver Rufus Harvey has been during Mississippi State's preseason training camp.

Starkville's own has seen very little action in his Mississippi State career, redshirting in 2020 and catching only five passes in 2021, but on a team that returns its top three slot receivers in Jaden Walley, Austin Williams, and Jamire Calvin, Harvey has made a name for himself on the practice field.

In Saturday's scrimmage, the 5'10" receiver was a big play waiting to happen. On the opening drive, Harvey found some open grass on a wheel route and connected with Sawyer Robertson for a 29-yard touchdown. Robertson and Harvey hooked up for another 5-yard touchdown later, and when Harvey got the chance to play with QB1 Will Rogers, he continued to make plays.

Rogers found Harvey over the middle, and he battled his way to some yards after the catch before going down at the one-yard line for a 28-yard gain, setting up a Dillon Johnson touchdown. Harvey showed off his ball skills as well as he went up for a leaping grab in double coverage up the seem and was able to hold on to it after a tough hit from the safety. It's those ball skills that have impressed Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach.

"He plays the ball in the air probably better than any receiver we have," said Leach. "He cuts quickly, and he plays the ball in the air well. And that's a pretty good example for everybody."

Even with the experience that the Bulldogs have with their slot receivers, Harvey is expected to be part of the rotation this season.

"We wanted to play him for a while, and he does good things on the practice field. If we were to play today, he would play a lot," said Leach.

It's not just Leach that's been impressed with Harvey. His teammates have given him some rave reviews as well.

"The whole training camp, you see him making plays," said Senior Receiver Austin Williams. "Just to kind of see it come to fruition today is awesome. He's a super-talented player. He's definitely gonna help us this year. Just seeing him work, I'm excited."

"He's a really smart football player. He's played all four positions on the field. They put him outside, inside, whatever we need. He's just a smart kid. He knows football. He knows where to be. He just kind of picks up like that and soaks it all in. As you can see, he's playing both sides of the ball at H and Y," said Williams.

In Mike Leach's Air Raid offense, you can never have enough wide receiver depth with all of the shuffling in-and-out they can do, and Harvey could be on the brinks of a breakout year in the Maroon and White.