Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen (2) fumbles the ball as he is tackled by Arizona State Sun Devils defensive lineman Clayton Smith (10) in the first half at Mountain America Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Ranking the best pass rushers Mississippi State will face in 2025

Originally posted on Mississippi State Bulldogs on SI
By Taylor Hodges | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 3:00 PM ET

One of the many issues that plagued Mississippi State in its two-win 2024 season was its pass protection.

The Bulldogs gave up 38 sacks last season and only 11 other FBS teams gave up more. It was a contributing factor to quarterback Blake Shapen getting hurt and might be a reason Michael Van Buren left Starkville for Baton Rogue.

Improving pass protection is an absolute-must if Jeff Lebby doesn’t want his seat to get scorching hot after this upcoming season.

Luckily, Mississippi State avoid most of the elite-level pass rushers in the SEC next season. The Bulldogs don’t face Auburn (Keldric Faulk) or South Carolina (Dylan Stewart), avoiding arguably two of the three best pass rushers in the SEC. Also, Georgia doesn’t have a clear cut dominant pass rusher this season, but that’ll likely change once the season starts.

Same can be said for a few other SEC schools on the Bulldogs’ schedule. But that luck does run out because the third player in the “best SEC pass rusher” argument is on Mississippi State’s schedule.

Here are the four best pass rushers Mississippi State will face next season:

Colin Simmons, Texas

2024 stats: 48 tackles, 31 solo, 14 TFL, 9 sacks, 3 FF, 9 QBH

A former top-15 overall recruit that won the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award will see Mississippi State again. In last season’s game in Austin, Simmons had seven total tackles, six solo, three tackles for a loss and two sacks.

According to PFF, Simmons was the sixth-most valuable edge defender last season, behind five other players who were drafted in April.

Anthony Hill Jr., Texas

2024 Stats: 113 tackles, 59 solo, 16.5 TFL, 8 sacks, 4 FF, 1 INT, 4 FF, 1 FR, 4 QBH

The Longhorns’ leading tackler is back in 2025 and he’s a menace as an outside linebacker-type pass rusher. Against Mississippi State last season, he had six tackles, 1.5 TFLs and a half sack. His 16.5 TFLs for the season led the SEC, too.

Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss

2024 Stats: 60 tackles, 14 TFL, 10.5 sacks

Perkins recorded the 10th most sacks in the nation last season and second-most in a single season at Ole Miss.

Tyreak Sapp, Florida

2024 Stats: 47 tackles, 20 solo, 13 TFLs, 7 sacks, 2 FF

No relation to Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp other than having the same last name and being a dominant defensive lineman in the Sunshine State.

Sapp earned a 90.4 PFF grade that placed him 10th amongst all edge defenders and second among returning players.