40 in 40: Injuries delayed his rise, but 2025 could be Bingley-Jones’ year

Mississippi State defensive lineman Kedrick Bingley-Jones is back from injury and aiming to make a major impact in the 2025 season.

Mississippi State Defensive Lineman Kedrick Bingley-Jones (#22) during the game between the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

Kedrick Bingley-Jones has had a chance to be a starting defensive tackle in each of the last two seasons. First, with North Carolina in 2023 and then again in 2024 with Mississippi State.

Unfortunately, he played in just six games those two seasons because of injuries.

Last season Bingley-Jones had to watch from the sidelines as the Bulldogs fielded one of worst defenses in the nation last season and definitely wasn’t an enjoyable experience.

“Nobody ever wants to go 2-10,” Bingley-Jones said after Monday’s practice. “I know last year, even though I was hurt, that was my first time missing a bowl game in my college career.”

But that was last season. This season is new, as is most of the roster, and Bingley-Jones is healthy.

“It's a whole new team, whole new mindset, and we're ready to attack, and we believe,” Bingley-Jones said. “That's the biggest thing, just belief that we're going to go out and compete every game, and we're going to win every game.”

It’ll take more than just belief, though, to win more than two games in 2025. And having a healthy Bingley-Jones inside is a great start. Here’s why he’ll be important in the upcoming season.

Who is Kedrick Bingley-Jones?

North Carolina Tar Heels running back Ty Chandler (19) with defensive lineman Kedrick Bingley-Jones (41) late in the fourth quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Bingley-Jones was a four-star prospect coming out of high school, the No. 4 overall player in North Carolina and a member of the ESPN300. He signed with North Carolina and played 11 games in 2021 and 2022 for the Tar Heels. In the 2022 ACC Championship game, Bingley-Jones recorded two tackles against Clemson.

In 2023 he was in line to become the starting defensive tackle and started the first two games of the season before suffering a season-ending injury.

What happened in 2024?

After the 2023 season, Bingley-Jones entered the transfer portal and signed with Mississippi State. He started the first four games of the season for the Bulldogs and had seven tackles and one tackle for a loss. But the injury bug would strike him again and he missed the final eight games.

Why will he be important in 2025?

There’s actually a lot of returning experience along the defensive line. It’s just the experience wasn’t all that good.

Last season’s defensive struggles are well-documented as is the recruiting haul that brought in several new defensive linemen. Would those struggles have still happened if Bingley-Jones didn’t get hurt? Probably so because he was just one of a few linemen that weighed more than 300 lbs. and one player wasn’t going to save the Bulldogs’ defense.

Would those struggles have been as bad if he stays healthy? Probably not. Because, after all, he did manage to make an impact in the few games he was healthy for.

He has the talent and don’t discount the leadership of Bingley-Jones helping the new players on the team.

“I know like the expectation of me in the room is to be the leader of the room, being one of the older guys,” he said earlier this week after a practice. “I'm just trying to bring people along, trying to keep people up. If they have a bad play, be like, ‘Hey, on to the next play,’ you know, just trying to be that leader for the room, try and be a leader on this team.”

If Bingley-Jones stays healthy this season and we get to see what he can do in a starting role for a full season, there may be a new graduate of Defensive Line University.