Mississippi State football’s leading rusher will return for next season.
Running back Davon Booth announced Tuesday evening that he’ll play for MSU next season. He and the Bulldogs revealed the news in a joint social media post that said, “Booth is back.”
Booth, who was a senior and out of eligibility, is allowed to return because of an NCAA decision in December to grant junior college players an extra year of eligibility for 2025-26. Booth played two seasons at Cerritos College in 2021 and 2022 before joining Utah State and transferring to MSU.
He rushed for 759 yards and five touchdowns this season and also caught four touchdowns. Booth also returned kickoffs for the Bulldogs, averaging 25.7 yards per return.
The Bulldogs running back room on paper looks like it will be one of the strengths of the team with Booth’s return.
In addition to Booth, Mississippi State added South Alabama’s Fluff Bothwell in the transfer portal, who was an All-Sun Belt Third Team selection as a freshman this season. MSU is also expecting Seth Davis to be healthy after he missed the entire season with a knee injury. In 2023, Davis was second on the team in rushing and averaged 6.0 yards per carry. Xavier Gayten, a former four-star, also flashed potential in a limited role this season as a freshman.
What’s most encouraging about Booth is how he finished the season. He didn’t arrive at Mississippi State until after the spring semester and didn’t run efficiently in the first half of the season. However, Booth had a five-game stretch in the second half of the season with at least 90 scrimmage yards in each game. That includes 100-yard rushing games against Tennessee and Missouri.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
