Mississippi State lost one of the SEC’s most prolific players in Dak Prescott. Four guys are vying for his spot. Only time will tell if they provide strength or weakness at the position.

The Bulldogs have won 19 games in two seasons. Here are a few positions that will determine whether or not they keep that pace or drop off in 2016.

STRENGTHS

Linebacker: Richie Brown was fifth in the SEC in tackles last season, and the senior stayed for one more season in Starkville. He had 109 tackles, 13 for loss and 6.5 sacks. Gerri Green had a strong freshman season with 49 tackles, 2.5 for loss with a pair of interceptions. Junior J.T. Gray was fourth on the team in tackles (65) last season. Losing Chris Jones on the line isn’t comforting when quarterbacks can look through that hole and see that group of backers.

Secondary: Replacing Taveze Calhoun and Will Redmond shouldn’t be taken lightly, but three sophomores highlight strong safety. Redshirt sophomore Brandon Bryant had 63 tackles and 3 INTs. Mark McLaurin played in 12 games as a freshman and had 20 tackles. His three pass breakups should turn into a couple of picks like the two he had in the spring game. Senior free safety Kivon Coman was third in tackles with 76 and had seven pass breakups.

Running back: Brandon Holloway is the speedster atop the list, last season’s leading back with 413 yards on 92 carries. But the quality numbers behind him are what makes the group dangerous. Aeris Williams and Dontavian Lee are both sophomores who averaged 5.2 and 6.2 yards per carry last season. A pair of freshmen in Alec Murphy and Nick Gibson could play a role in the crowded backfield, too.

WEAKNESSES

Wide receiver: Fred Ross is good, really good. He had 1,007 receiving yards last season, one of only four players in the SEC with 1,000-plus. After that, the Bulldogs lost the next three down the stat sheet. Sophomore Malik Dear is an explosive receiver and had a great spring game. Junior Gabe Myles had 12 catches last season but will be the elder among talented-but-young Keith Mixon (redshirt freshman), Jonnas Spivey (redshirt freshman) and Jesse Jackson (sophomore).

Kicking/Punting: The Bulldogs made 15 field goals in 2015. Only four teams made fewer. Westin Graves made 15 of 18 as a sophomore but the 19 attempts (Devon Bell had the other) tied for 10th in the league. As far as punting, the team was eighth with an average of 41.2 yards per punt. Punter Logan Cooke and Graves are juniors who should take a step forward, but that will also depend on a new quarterback and where he leads the offense.

Tight end: At least receiver has Ross to lean on. Gus Walley and Darrion Hutcherson are both gone, and the only other tight end to catch a pass from last season is sophomore Justin Johnson. He returns with freshmen in Farrod Green and Christian Roberson. As the case with so much of the Bulldogs’ offensive success, quarterback battles will determine how the tight ends emerge. If that’s solved earlier than later, the three talented tight ends could help the quarterbacks, too.