Is Will Whitson starting?
Will Whitson is the projected starter at DE for Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Graduate student · #43 · 6'5", 295 lbs
See full Mississippi State Bulldogs depth chart ›Depth at DE · Mississippi State Bulldogs
- 14379Will WhitsonStarter
- 29778Jayson Jenkins
Mississippi State Starting Lineup
- DEWill WhitsonThis player
- NT
- DT
- JACK
- WLB
- MLB
- LCB
- SS
- FS
- RCB
- NB
Top defensive linemen in the SEC
The Story
Making His Case
In 2025: 8 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2 sacks. That's 2% of the team's production at his spot — good for a 79 overall (Solid tier).
- Jersey
- #43
- Class
- GR/TR
- Height
- 6'5"
- Weight
- 295 lbs
2025 Stats
| Season | Tkl | TFL | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | 4.5 | 2 |
Regular-season totals from public sources. Derived splits (completion %, yards per carry, catch rate) aren't available in our current dataset.
Why this rating?
On a 80-rated defense; 74th-percentile production (×0.93 for competition level) put them -1 vs unit starters → 79.
2026 projection — based on SP+ (a respected team-efficiency metric; 2026 not published yet, using 2025), 2025 production, recruiting, and the 2026 transfer portal; capped to depth-chart order.
2026 Game Log
Oct 3LALATKL 1
- TKL
- 1
- SOLO
- 1
- SACK
- 1
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final L 56-23
Sep 26WMIZTKL 0
- TKL
- 0
- SOLO
- 0
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 1
Final W 31-24
Sep 19WSCTKL 3
- TKL
- 3
- SOLO
- 3
- SACK
- 1
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 41-34
Sep 12WMINNTKL 3
- TKL
- 3
- SOLO
- 2
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 38-13
Sep 5WULMTKL 6
- TKL
- 6
- SOLO
- 1
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 62-13
| OPP | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3 | LALA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 26 | WMIZ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 19 | WSC | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 12 | WMINN | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 5 | WULM | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Will Whitson's 2026 game-by-game stat log.
The People's Ratings
Team Role
Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.