40 in 40: Can Kelley Jones be Mississippi State’s next lockdown corner?

The redshirt sophomore has attributes that can't be taught and will get a chance this season to become the Bulldogs' shutdown corner.

Mississippi State Bulldogs cornerback Kelley Jones (1) reacts with fans after the game against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Mississippi State opened its preseason practices Thursday with 60 new players on the field, including more than half coming from the transfer portal.

On paper, the Bulldogs have a better roster than they did a year ago. Now, the goal becomes to gel the new players with the returning Bulldogs before they face Southern Miss on August 30. A lot of the transfer portal players are important because they’ve been brought in to improve a position and/or add depth.

But those transfers don’t have much SEC experience, which is why some of the returning players are more valuable, like cornerback Kelley Jones.

Last season wasn’t great for anyone on the Mississippi State defense (except for maybe Isaac Smith, but he probably wouldn’t apply that label himself) and the cornerback room saw a lot of players leave, either through the transfer portal or no more eligibility.

One key, important cornerback that has stayed is Jones, who has a chance to become a shutdown cornerback for Mississippi State this season.

Who is Kelley Jones?

A native of Clarksdale, Miss., Mississippi State was the first SEC school to offer a Jones a scholarship and he quickly accepted it. He was a three-star prospect according to 247Sports and the No. 21 overall prospect in the state. He played in the 2022 Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game. He played in three games his first season (2023) in Starkville, which earned him a redshirt.

What happened in 2024?

Jones saw a lot of playing time – 11 games played with four starts – and registered 29 tackles, one pass breakup and a fumble recovery. It was his first full season at Mississippi State and gave him some valuable SEC experience because there’s not much in the cornerback meeting room.

Why will he be important in 2025?

Jones is one of two returning cornerbacks (DeAgo Brumfield) with experience at Mississippi State (Brylan Lanier played some cornerback last year, but is listed as a safety on the roster). Jones has the right body frame to be a top tier cornerback. He’s 6-foot-4, 195-pounds and one of the fastest players on the roster. Football fans don’t need to be told how valuable a lockdown corner can be and Mississippi State needs one with the talented receivers it’ll be facing this season.

"He has two things that I can't coach," cornerbacks coach Corey Bell said. "Length and speed. You can't coach that. The challenge for him is just doing the little things to make him a better player, like understanding the game better, how to key and diagnose things that'll let him play even faster. If he can slow the game down mentally at a high point, then he'll play faster with his feet."