100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 22 Days - No. 22, DT Kedrick Bingley-Jones
Jeff Lebby’s era of Mississippi State football has arrived.
The Bulldogs are on their third coach in as many years as Mike Leach’s tragic passing opened the door for defensive coordinator Zach Arnett’s debut as head coach last year. That experiment failed before the year even ended for State and now it’s Lebby’s turn to take the wheel.
While there is always a risk in hiring first time head coaches, Lebby brings to Starkville an exciting offensive scheme that has been productive everywhere he’s been. The coach has also brought with him some swagger that has the fanbase ready to see what’s next.
Over the course of the next 100 days, we will take a look at Lebby’s roster and even some fun historical rewinds that will bring back memories for Dawg fans of all ages.
Today, we look at a veteran transfer defensive lineman that is going to make an impact on State’s defensive front this year.
100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 22 Days – No. 22, Sr. DT Kedrick Bingley-Jones
In the offseason, State needed to get some older defensive linemen to build depth and bridge the gap for the younger players.
Bingley-Jones was one of the pickups for coach David Turner and he comes to Starkville with the potential to do some big things. In high school, Bingley-Jones was considered one of the top linemen in the entire country.
Turner recruited the Charlotte, NC native when the coach was leading the defensive front for Dan Mullen at Florida and Bingley-Jones was one of the top linemen on his list. The Composite rankings had him as the No. 152 player nationally and he was the No. 15 defensive tackle in the country while coming in as the No. 6 player in the state of North Carolina.
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Florida wasn’t the only big name to come after Bingley-Jones. He had offers from Ohio State, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, NC State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, MSU and several others.
It was easy to see why Bingley-Jones was such a hot commodity. He had 138 tackles, 15.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, two safeties and a fumble recovery as a sophomore and a junior. His senior season, he made 54 tackles with 7.0 sacks, a blocked punt, forced fumble and a recovery. He would ultimately choose to stay in state and play for North Carolina.
Injuries plagued Bingley-Jones during his career with the Tar Heels. He was injured as a true freshman in 2020 and never truly cemented himself in the rotation in his other three seasons. He played in 26 games for UNC and posted just eight tackles. It led to him entering the transfer portal for his fifth and final season and the Bulldogs would be his choice.
The 6’4, 310-pound tackle has been consistently brought up among teammates and coaches as a standout on the Bulldog defensive line and he’s pushing for starting reps. This season will show if a change of scenery brings out what’s been expected out of the talented defender all along.
