Of Leach’s staff
One of the most beloved players in Mississippi State football history is making a return to the Bulldogs.
MSU confirmed earlier reports on Wednesday that former linebacker Jamar Chaney was joining the staff of head coach Mike Leach as senior defensive analyst.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jamar back home to Starkville and the program.” Leach said in a statement released by the school. “Jamar had an outstanding career here as a student-athlete and brings experience, knowledge, and familiarity with Mississippi State. He has a valuable reputation around the game and our state. This has been a goal of ours since we arrived in Starkville, and our players and staff can’t wait to get to work with him.”
Chaney returns to the Bulldogs after a one-year stint on the staff of his former college head coach Dan Mullen at
A total of 86 Mississippi State student-athletes were chosen to the Southeastern Conference First-year Academic Honor Roll, the conference office announced on Tuesday.
Of the 86 Bulldogs on the conference’s first-year honor roll, women’s track and field let the way with 15 honorees, while the football program placed 14 on the list. Women’s soccer (11) and baseball (10) each put double-digit student-athletes on the list, as well.
The 15 women’s track and field recipients tied for No. 2 among SEC programs, while the 14 football student-athletes ranked No. 3 in the conference.
Softball saw nine studentathletes on the first-year honor roll, just one shy of the program record 10 from 2018 and men’s basketball earned a program-best five honorees, besting its total of three from the 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years.
Men’s track and field had seven on the list, while women’s basketball, men’s tennis and volleyball each earned three. The men’s golf program saw both of its freshmen among the first-year honorees, while women’s golf and women’s tennis each garnered a pair of honorees, as well.
Florida. He filled the role of assistant director of player personnel. He began a coaching career at St. Lucie West Centennial High School.
During his time as a linebacker at MSU, Chaney fell just short of the career 200-tackle mark with 198 total stops. He had 11.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 37 career games played. With 89 tackles as a junior, Chaney was chosen as an ALL-SEC player.
“Mississippi State means so much to me and my family, and I appreciate Coach Leach for the opportunity to return home to a place that I have so many great memories,” Chaney said in the statement. “I am excited to be a part of an outstanding football staff and athletic department, and I can’t wait to get to work.”
Chaney was chosen in the seventh round of the 2010 National Football League Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He also spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders.
The First-year SEC Academic Honor Roll is based on grades from the 2019-20 academic calendar.
Any student-athlete who participates in a Southeastern Conference championship sport or a student-athlete who participates in a sport listed on his/her institution’s NCAA Sports Sponsorship Form is eligible for nomination to the Academic Honor Roll. The following criteria will be followed: (1) A studentathlete must have a grade point average of 3.00 or above for either the preceding academic year (two semesters or three quarters) or have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or above at the nominating institution. (2) If a student-athlete attends summer school, his/her grade point average during the summer academic term must be included in the calculation used to determine eligibility for the Academic Honor Roll. (3) Student-athletes eligible for the Honor Roll include those receiving an athletics scholarship, recipients of an athletics award (i.e., letter winner), and non-scholarship student-athletes who have been on a varsity team for two seasons. (4) Prior to being nominated, a student-athlete must have successfully completed 24 semester or 36 quarter hours of non-remedial academic
goal line to end the first half of a game in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2006. (Photo by Butch Dill, AP file) credit toward a baccalaureate degree at the nominating institution. (5) The student-athlete must have been a member of a varsity team for the sport’s entire NCAA Championship segment.
Women’s Baskeball/soccer
INDIANAPOLIS – The nominees for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award were announced Tuesday, and Mississippi State was represented by two student-athletes in Jordan Danberry from women’s basketball and Makayla Waldner from soccer.
Rooted in Title IX, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award was established in 1991 to recognize graduating female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
Danberry transferred to Mississippi State as a sophomore in search of the opportunity to better her career both in the classroom and on the court. As a junior, she earned the Elite 90 Award for highest GPA among players in the Final Four while helping the Bulldogs advance to a second national championship game. In December of 2018, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Economics. Boasting opportunities to work for the NSA following graduation, Danberry turned down the opportunity to instead pursue her dream of obtaining her MBA.
With her eligibility seemingly exhausted, Mississippi State appealed and fought to get Danberry an additional year of eligibility due to losing a year after transferring. State won the appeal, allowing Danberry to earn her master’s degree while also competing for one final season on the hardwood. As a graduate guard, she earned Allsoutheastern Conference honors and was one of the nation’s top defenders. She also became very involved in the Starkville community, coordinating a mentoring program for female youth to help with personal and professional development.
With two degrees from Mississippi State University, Danberry is now working to create a sports apparel line for children and has aspirations to own her own business one day.
Waldner has been a gamechanger for Mississippi State soccer since her freshman season in 2016. Ever since she joined the squad, the team has won six or more games each season, made the NCAA Tournament for the first time, and ended a 15-year SEC Tournament drought. The Missouri native finished her Bulldog Soccer career with her name littered throughout the record book, being the No. 2 in career shots (201), goals (28), and multi-goal games (6), along with being tied for third in points (59). She started every game she played in for three-straight seasons, broke the school record for single-season game-winning goals with five in 2017 and holds the record for career game-winners with 11 overall. Her senior season, the Bulldogs were undefeated when Waldner scored, going 6-0-2 in such matches. Waldner finished the regular season ranked fifth in the Southeastern Conference with 10 goals, leading all SEC midfielders in the category. She served her team as captain in her final campaign.
With such prowess comes much celebration, and Waldner has earned many accolades for her performance on and off the pitch. Chosen ALL-SEC first team her senior year, she was just the fourth Bulldog to earn the honor. In her final season she was also named SEC Co-scholar Athlete of the Year and was MSU’S nominee for the H. Boyd Mcwhorter Postgraduate Scholarship. The mechanical engineering graduate was selected to the
SEC’S Academic Honor Roll all four years and was picked to the United Soccer Coaches’ Scholar All-south Region second team in 2019. Along with her academic honor, she was chosen to the United Soccer Coaches’ All-southeast Region second team for 2019 as well as the SEC Community Service Team for her volunteerism in and around Starkville.
Conference offices will select up to two nominees each from their pool of member school nominees. All nominees who compete in a sport not sponsored by their school’s primary conference, as well as associate conference nominees and independent nominees, will be considered by a selection committee. Then, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the top 30 honorees — 10 from each division.
From the Top 30, the Woman of the Year selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division and announce nine finalists. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then will choose the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall.