2020 NFL Draft: Willie Gay Jr. scouting report

College Career

Entering Gay’s freshman season, head coach Mullen made sure he didn’t waste his young linebackers time on the bench as a redshirt. Gay ended up playing in every game during the 2017 season, acting as a backup linebacker for the Bulldogs. Despite limited playing time, Gay was able to contribute on the field early, earning 23 total tackles, two tackles for a loss and one sack.

Besides playing in his hometown, it was his freshman year where Gay met and played with future NFL players Montez Sweat from the Washington Redskins and Johnathan Abrams from the Las Vegas Raiders. The team finished the 2017 season 8-4, ranked nineteenth by the AP/Coaches poll, according to Sports-Reference.

The offseason after Gay’s freshman season saw massive changes to the Mississippi State coaching staff. Head coach Mullen left to become the new head coach of the Florida Gators. Florida is where Mullen first gained national recognition as the quarterback coach for former-star quarterback and current minor league baseball player Tim Tebow.

Mullen used his success with the Gators to springboard to the Mississippi State head coaching job. Now he was doing the same thing, using his success with Mississippi State to earn the Gators head coaching job. He had been the Bulldogs head coach for nine seasons.

With him left his defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, whose 3-4 base defense worked well with Gay in it. With more linebackers to help split up the middle of the field, Gay was able to do what he did best: pass-rushing and dropping into coverage.

Joe Moorhead became the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Moorhead installed Bob Shoop as his defensive coordinator, who then switched Mississippi State to a 4-3 base defense. Even the coach who recruited Gay, Greg Knox, went with Mullen to Florida. Every coach Gay had been familiar with during his freshman season left with Mullen that offseason.

Despite this turnover in the coaching staff, Gay was still able to shine during his sophomore year. Gay finished the season with two interceptions and allowed opposing quarterbacks a passer rating of just 25.8. He did not allow a single touchdown on 30 targets and missed just five tackles on 455 snaps. He played in every game that season.

The only blemish on Gay’s 2018 season was the ejection during the Egg Bowl for fighting. This was a technicality however, as every player on each team received a penalty after a roster-wide brawl broke out. Since Gay had already received one unsportsmanlike conduct penalty earlier in the game, he was ejected.

But this was overshadowed by Mississippi State’s domination of their hated rival, defeating Ole Miss 35-3.

The team finished the 2018 regular season on a high note. Gay finished the season with five sacks and 48 total tackles. Gay would enter his junior season as one of the hottest linebacker names in college football, primed to increase his draft stock preceding the 2020 NFL Draft.

Then NCAA sanctions were handed down on Mississippi State. Gay was held out of eight games that season, relegated to sit on the bench and watch as Mississippi State was torn apart at the seams. Besides the football sanctions, the team continued to lose games. After starting the 2019 season 2-0, the Bulldogs then dropped five of their next seven games.

Off-field issues began to pile up and eventually rumors began to swirl that Moorhead would be fired if the team lost the Egg Bowl. Despite winning the heated rivalry game, these issues eventually led to Moorhead being fired from Mississippi State after the Music City Bowl.

The Bulldogs won three of the five games Gay played in that season. Despite missing so much time, Gay was still able to contribute on the field. In 2019, Gay earned 28 total tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception returned 52 yards for a touchdown.

It was a disappointing way to finish his time with the team he grew up watching. Gay finished his junior year a controversial figure in Starkville, Mississippi. Gay heads to the 2020 NFL Draft with a cloud hanging over his head ever since his ejection from the 2018 Egg Bowl.