100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 88 Days – No. 88, P Ethan Pulliam
Jeff Lebby’s era of Mississippi State football has arrived.
The Bulldogs are on their third coach in as many years as Mike Leach’s tragic passing opened the door for defensive coordinator Zach Arnett’s debut as head coach last year. That experiment failed before the year even ended for State and now it’s Lebby’s turn to take the wheel.
While there is always a risk in hiring first time head coaches, Lebby brings to Starkville an exciting offensive scheme that has been productive everywhere he’s been. The coach has also brought with him some swagger that has the fanbase ready to see what’s next.
Over the course of the next 100 days, we will take a look at Lebby’s roster and even some fun historical rewinds that will bring back memories for Dawg fans of all ages.
Today, we look at an intriguing two-sport standout.
100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 88 Days – No. 88, Fr. P Ethan Pulliam
Playing one sport in the SEC is hard enough, but Pulliam is going to balance two of them starting this year.
Pulliam just finished off a successful freshman season in which the Starkville High product earned his way on to the field by the middle of the season and had some key hits down the stretch. Pulliam would start in 20 games this season and played in 27 as he batted .227 with 15 hits, seven runs, five doubles, one home run and 11 RBI. He had a .961 fielding percentage playing second base and also played some outfield for the Bulldogs.
In high school, Pulliam was the Starkville Daily News Area Player of the Year in baseball and a state All-Star after batting .458 as a senior with six home runs and 28 RBI for the Yellow Jackets. But as good as the talented baseball player was on the diamond, he could be even more dangerous on the football field.
Pulliam also starred as a soccer player for the Yellow Jackets in high school and that’s where his start as a punter began. After messing around in a punt, pass and kick competition as a sophomore, Pulliam hit a punt over 50 yards and the rest was history.
As a senior, the talented athlete had 38 punts for 45.8 yards per punt, 14 downed inside the 20 and a long of 71 yards. He became a major weapon for SHS and helped flip the field routinely as the Jackets made a run to the Class 6A state championship.
After spending last fall focusing on football for the Bulldogs, Pulliam took part in spring practice as he balanced both baseball and football. This year, he’s expected to compete with the special teams unit as the Bulldogs prepare for year one with Lebby. The leg has the potential to lead him to big things in the game of football and it will be interesting to see how things transpire.
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