Mississippi State will no longer have the services of one of its defenders.

According to Mike Leach on Monday, linebacker Rodney Groce has left the program. The precise reason for Groce’s departure has not been reported.

Groce, a redshirt freshman, is a former 3-star recruit out of Alabama. Once a Nebraska commit who pledged to the Cornhuskers in October 2019, he re-opened his recruitment less than 3 weeks later. He eventually committed to then-head coach Joe Moorhead and the Bulldogs that November.

He played in 3 games in 2020 before being redshirted. In 2021, he saw the field in several games but didn’t record any stats.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 45-6 win over Vanderbilt on Oct. 23 to improve to 4-3, 2-2 in the SEC. They next host No. 12 Kentucky on Saturday.