100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 1 Day - No. 1 CB Kelley Jones and QB KaMario Taylor

Year two of the Jeff Lebby era has arrived and the Mississippi State coach is back to work.

After a disappointing first season, the coach and his staff are doing what they can to get things back on track in Starkville. The players on the field will be the difference for State this season if they are to make a return and we’re going to discuss every single one of them.

As we do every year, we’re counting down 100 days until State’s first game at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg on August 30. Over this period of time, we’ll breakdown every scholarship player on the roster, look back at great moments in MSU history and even talk about legends that have come before the current Bulldogs.

Today, we look at two young and gifted Mississippi products with a huge future ahead.

1 Day: No. 1, So. Cornerback Kelley Jones            

Straight out of Clarksdale, Jones is set to continue a line of players that have come through the school and done big things in Starkville and beyond.

Mario Haggan, JT Gray and Elgton Jenkins all made their way to Starkville from Clarksdale and continued their careers in the NFL. Jones has all the makings to do the same as he brings an intriguing skill set at corner for his 6’4, 195-pound frame.

It was a State and Ole Miss battle for Jones all the way up until signing day as the Rebels offered late and put the full court press on him in the final weeks. Jones would cancel his Ole Miss official visit, however, and he landed in Starkville for his freshman year.

Jones came in as an extremely raw prospect. He had 67 tackles and seven pass breakups on defense as a senior in high school, but he also doubled as the team’s quarterback as he threw 10 touchdowns on the year and rushed for 19 more with 1,424 ground yards.

A four-star prospect, Jones played in three games his first year on campus. Last season, the reps went up for Jones as he began to work himself into the defensive backfield rotation. In 11 games, Jones would make 29 stops, he broke up a pass and he recovered a fumble. With the loss of top corner Brice Pollock, he is now emerging as the CB1.

Jones is one of the fastest players on the team and has length to boot. It makes his prospects promising heading into his sophomore season.

No. 1, Fr. Quarterback KaMario Taylor    

The hype is growing for the future of Taylor in a Bulldog uniform.

A relative of former State quarterback and wide receiver Omarr Conner, Taylor brings a deep love and appreciation of the Bulldogs as well as an athletic pedigree to Starkville. The Noxubee County field general grew to one of the top players in the country last season as On3 had him as the No. 41 player nationally, the No. 7 QB and the No. 2 player inside the state of Mississippi.

For three-straight seasons, Taylor led his Tiger team to the Class 3A state championship game. During his three years as starter, he accumulated over 7,000 passing yards and another 2,000 rushing yards and over 100 touchdowns.

A member of the Elite 11 nationally and the state of Mississippi’s Mr. Football in 3A, Taylor made his decision to become a Bulldog all the way back during his junior season. Despite the uncertainty with the future after a coaching change, Taylor remained committed as Lebby would come in as the head coach.

Offers would follow during his senior year as Texas A&M and Georgia started to push. The other Bulldogs gave a hard pitch to Taylor as State’s 2-10 season began to wind down, but he stayed true to his word and would sign with MSU on signing day.

The 6’4, 230-pound Taylor is a physical specimen already. He entered the program in January and took part in spring practices as he battled things out with veteran Blake Shapen and transfer Luke Kromenhoek. While his time is not yet here, Taylor’s future appears to be as bright as any Bulldog quarterback in quite some time.