College football 2018: Top 30 breakout players to watch

As the Bulldogs kick off the 2018 season in just over a month, they’ll be doing so without Dan Mullen at the helm for the first time since 2008. Mullen, who will take over as Florida’s head coach this year, left Starkville as the winningest coach in program history and fortunately, he also left the cupboard far from bare for Joe Moorhead, who will take his place after two years as Penn State’s OC.

Moorhead inherits talent and experience at quarterback in senior Nick Fitzgerald, a 1,100-yard rusher in running back Zack Moss and the majority of the offensive line from 2017. The one thing Mississippi State didn’t have last season was a big-play receiver. In fact, they didn’t have a single receiver with over 27 catches last season which makes the passing game a major concern for Moorhead as a first-year head coach in the SEC.

Enter Stephen Guidry.

Guidry was a four-star prospect and the number one JUCO player in the 2018 recruiting class. After originally committing to LSU in 2017, he chose to spend a season playing junior college ball before coming to the SEC. Most experts expected the Morganza, Louisiana native to stay instate and attend LSU but he made a surprise commitment to Mississippi State and Dan Mullen and Moorhead did enough to hold his commitment after taking over.

At 6’4″, 190-pounds and something close to 4.4 speed, Guidry brings All-SEC potential to an offense in desperate need of playmakers. He’ll have two seasons of eligibility at Mississippi State given the lack of options, Moorhead and Nick Fitzgerald will likely look for him to step in immediately as number one receiver. As a deep threat, possession receiver, and huge red zone target, you can expect to hear Stephen Guidry’s name early and often in 2018.