MSU signee from Coast lets us know where he stands after Joe Moorhead’s firing
When Jaden Walley was strongly considering committing to Auburn, it was Mississippi State football coach Joe Moorhead who convinced the D’Iberville athlete to jump on board with the Bulldogs.
On Friday, Moorhead was fired just over two weeks after Walley made his commitment official to MSU by signing his letter of intent.
Moorhead lasted just two seasons at MSU, going 14-12 and earning bowl bids in both years.
“I was just surprised,” Walley said Friday of Moorhead’s firing. “I wasn’t expecting it at all.
“I had a great relationship with him. That’s why it’s shocking to me.”
After hearing the news on Friday, Walley got in touch with former Brandon quarterback Will Rogers, who also signed with MSU on December 18, to hash out the scene in Starkville.
“We were just trying to figure what was going on, really,” Walley said. “He’s already up there so he knows more than me about it.”
In an attempt to ease Walley’s concerns, Mississippi State’s director of high school relations, Brad Peterson, called the D’Iberville senior not long after Moorhead’s firing was announced.
“He just told me that we’ll have a new coach within a week,” Walley said. “He told me that this doesn’t hurt me and my scholarship.”
Even with the uncertain direction for the football program, Walley remains firmly committed to the Bulldogs. He said his decision to sign with MSU involved “more than the coach.”
As for who Walley would like to see take over at MSU, he hopes it will be someone who will be able to make a quick adjustment to competing in the nation’s best football conference.
“I hope they go with somebody who has been in the SEC and knows what it’s like,” he said.
Walley, who played in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game last month, is expected to play receiver for the Bulldogs after lining up at quarterback, running back, receiver and kick returner at D’Iberville. He plans to enroll in classes at MSU in June.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Walley caught 12 passes for 389 yards and two touchdowns as a senior. He also ran 95 times for 635 yards and eight scores.
This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 1:31 PM.
