Kedrick Bingley-Jones, Bulldog defense continuing to improve in 2025

A career full of disappointments and injuries has Kedrick Bingley-Jones pushing to make his senior season one to remember.

After facing setbacks during his time at North Carolina, Bingley-Jones got a new start with Mississippi State last season but played in just four games due to injuries. This year, Bingley-Jones has played in all six games without any issues, and his 13 tackles are nearly more than what he accumulated in his entire career prior to this season.

More availability on the field has been big for Bingley-Jones, but a deeper and more talented defensive line around him has helped as well. It’s gotten the Bulldogs off to a 4-2 start and looking to get bowl eligible for the first time since 2022 in the process.

This week is the Bulldogs’ bye week and it’s been back to the drawing board after two tough SEC losses to top 15 teams. He spoke about the progress through the first half of the schedule earlier this week.

Question: You guys held your own for over half of the game against Texas A&M. How did you feel like you executed?

KBJ: “I thought we did pretty good. We held them to seven points, got to three and outs the first few drives with an interception. I thought we executed well, but you saw the fourth quarter. We didn’t really execute well and they were able to run the ball and get everything going. The biggest thing is going back to practice and being able to finish in practice and we’ll be able to finish in those moments.

“That was the message to my guys – if the score had to be 3-0, it had to be 3-0. We have to execute on our side. We can’t really be worried about what the other side was doing.”

Q: We’ve seen this team celebrating a lot of the victories on each side of the ball through the first four games. What’s it like when you’re having to depend on the other side?

KBJ: “It’s a good dynamic. I feel like we trust each other and we built that in the first four or five games. We knew if they made a mistake, we’ll go out there and clean it up and if we let somebody score, they’ll go out there and score again. We were really together. We never really doubted the offense. Yeah, they were sluggish and it was a struggle for them, but we  might have a struggle game on defense and we’ll need them to pick us up.”

Q: What’s it been like this year having a defense that can get off the field more often?

KBJ:  “I think it goes back to the confidence piece – we’re playing more confidence. I believe that every single time we go out there we’re going to stop them no matter if they start on our 20 or their 20, we’re going to defend every blade of grass. That’s the main thing we’re harping on defense is defending every blade of grass and make them snap it again. That’s what we did on that fourth down stop on the goal line.”

Q: What kind of teammate is Jamarcus Moye?

KBJ: “He’s a great teammate and I feel like he’s improving every week. I’m really proud of him.  He’s just got to keep going and keep believing in himself is the main thing. Just keep believing that he can play in this league and it’s shown the first two games in the SEC.”

Q: What does a guy like Ethan Pulliam do for y’all on defense?

KBJ: “He’s doing a great job – him and Kyle Ferrie on kickoffs. They pinned them inside the 15 on one of the kickoffs. I’m pretty sure it shows they’re able to flip the field and we really appreciate that as a defense being able to start on their side of the field so their offense has to be more open.”

Q: When y’all lost Will Whitson for the season you had to have guys step up like Trevion Williams, Red Hibbler and Kalvin Dinkins. How has your group made up for that loss?

KBJ: “I think we’re improving every week. You see the depth now. Last year, we didn’t have that depth, but since Will went down we’ve seen guys like (Williams) and Red to step up in his place. Especially Red on third down and pass situations. We’re just going to keep improving and building our depth.”

Q: What would you like to see the defense do better in the second half of the season?

KBJ: “The main thing is just finishing and it starts in practice. Sometimes in practice we struggle to finish practice and get caught up in clock watching. We’ve got to do a better job finishing and keep improving to finish games like the one on Saturday and hold teams to seven (points) or less.”

Q: What does Jahron Manning bring to the defense?

KBJ: “He brings a lot of energy. There’s nobody like J-Man, for sure. He definitely plays with a lot of effort. He played a lot of snaps on Saturday and made an impact. It’s great to have him around and I’m glad they brought him in because he’s a big piece on the back end.”