4 former Texas transfers that could be stars in 2022
Jalen Green, DB
The former highly-touted four-star Texas cornerback commit and rising super senior Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive back Jalen Green is likely going to be one of the biggest contributors for head coach Mike Leach in the secondary in Starkville this fall. Green returns as one of the most productive, experienced, and efficient defensive backs among the projected starters for Mississippi State this year.
Green is the highest-graded returning safety on the roster for the Bulldogs this season (in terms of defensive grade from 2021) and the second highest-graded among all returning Mississippi State defensive backs. He also has more career snaps under his belt than any other returning safety for Mississippi State.
Moreover, the trajectory of Green’s production over the course of last season could make him a safe bet to truly be one of the most underrated and productive defensive backs in the SEC this fall.
If Green can just continue to elevate his game even a little bit this fall, he would clearly be one of the most versatile and productive safeties in the SEC West.
Green was very effective in pass coverage last season. He registered four pass breakups, two interceptions, along with three-dozen tackles, and one fumble recovery. That came while he gave up just one passing touchdown and just 18 catches on three-dozen targets in pass coverage last season. Green showed some pretty massive strides in that regard last season.
A lot of the reason why Green doesn’t get as much recognition as he deserves among the better safeties in the SEC is the fact that Mississippi State was spotty at times there down the stretch last season. That included when the Bulldogs gave up 34 points, 260 passing yards, and three passing touchdowns to Texas Tech in a convincing loss in the Liberty Bowl.
The fact of the matter is, though, that Green was one of the six highest graded safeties in the SEC last season among those that took more than 600 defensive snaps. The numbers paint the picture that Green is grading out similar to the likes of Texas A&M’s Leon O’Neal Jr., Florida’s Rashad Torrence, and Auburn’s Smoke Monday.