Mississippi State boasted the SEC’s worst pass defense in 2014, allowing more than 265 yards per game through the air.

Opposing offenses threw at will against the Bulldogs, and no defense in the conference allowed more completions of at least 10 yards on the year. Continuing down that path, Mississippi State also allowed 23 completions of at least 30 yards, nine of at least 50 yards and three of at least 80 yards.

The secondary is in dire need of reinforcements before the start of next season. But rest assured, Dan Mullen, Tony Hughes and the rest of the MSU coaching staff are addressing the issue with this year’s recruiting class.

The Bulldogs have commitments from four defensive backs in this year’s class, including four-star safety Jamal Peters. The Bassfield, Mississippi native is considered the No. 3 safety in the nation by the 247Sports composite rankings, and he could do wonders for the back-end of the Mississippi State defense if he follows through on his commitment.

MSU won’t be returning defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, starting cornerback Jamerson Love and starting safeties Jay Hughes and Justin Cox, but it will return promising corners Taveze Calhoun and Will Redmond (next year’s expected starters).

If the Bulldogs can get Peters up to speed early in the season, he could provide help from the safety position behind the tandem of Calhoun and Redmond, which might at least limit the number of explosive, game-changing plays MSU allowed in 2014.

The departures of Cox and Hughes should leave Peters plenty of opportunities to see the field, and even if he’s not a starter he could be someone who puts a lid on opponents’ downfield passing games.

Mississippi State could also add depth to its secondary through the 2015 class in the form of three three-star commitments — cornerbacks Maurice Smitherman and Chris Stamps and safety Mark McLaurin.

Those players might not be field-ready as quickly as Peters, and there’s no guaranteeing any/all of them won’t be redshirted next year, but regardless of their impact in 2015 all three players will help lay a foundation for an improving secondary in the post-Collins era.

Mullen and his staffs have done wonders with three-star recruits through the years, and this year’s class will be no exception. In fact, three-star recruits used to headline MSU’s recruiting hauls, so there’s reason to believe at least one or two of the three defensive backs will pan out.

But there’s no use projecting now. The real story regarding this year’s recruiting class is that Mullen and his program are keying on a weakness from this season. They’ve taken the right approach with the class of 2015, and it just happens to come in the aftermath of a 10-win season.

The Bulldogs are poised to collect one of their best recruiting classes in a long time, and they’re using the opportunity to turn a current weakness into a future strength.

That’s how emerging programs are born, and MSU just might be one.