40 in 40: Booth’s return gives Mississippi State reliable spark in backfield

Who is Davon Booth?

Booth is a graduate student that is a beneficiary of Diego Pavia’s lawsuit that granted certain junior college players an extra year of eligibility.

His collegiate career began at Cerritos College in California and ran for 1,442 yards and eight touchdowns in his sophomore season. He then went to Utah State for one season, starting seven games and running for 905 yards and six touchdowns. Booth then transferred to Mississippi State for the 2024 season that was expected to be his final season.

What happened in 2024?

Booth was Mississippi State’s leading rusher last season, running the ball 152 times for 759 yards and five touchdowns. He also had 13 catches for 164 yards and four touchdowns. Both him and Johnnie Daniels averaged five yards per carry. Booth was one of the few bright spots on Mississippi State’s offense and the only one not to leave Starkville via the transfer portal.

The problem last season was the Bulldogs were primarily playing from behind, which forced them to throw the ball more often. The Bulldogs ran the ball 419 times last season (which is more than 100 carriers fewer than how many times opponents ran the ball) and threw the ball 368 times.

Why is he important in 2025?

Every offense wants to be able to run the ball so that it doesn’t become an easily predictable, one-dimension offense. Booth has the ability to be the lighting rod in the running back room to Fluff Bothwell’s thunder. Yes, Booth and the other Mississippi State ball carriers, will need the changes made during the offseason to the offensive line to work.

Booth’s physical ability is only part of why he’s important for the upcoming season. This will be Booth’s fifth year of college football. Combine his experience with quarterback Blake Shapen, who is entering his sixth season of college football, and there isn’t much those two haven’t seen.