100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 1 Day – No. 1 WR Kelly Akharayi and CB Kelley 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.

Game day is just over 24 hours away and our countdown is closing in on its finish.

Today, we look at a couple of players that will be new to the field in Starkville this year but are set to have big seasons.

100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 1 Day

No. 1, Sr. WR Kelly Akharayi

While State fans will have to wait at least another week before they see the big-time playmaker at wide out, Akharayi is set to be a fan favorite for Bulldog fans this year.

The Irving, Texas, native spent the last two years at UTEP where he caught 69 passes for 1,308 yards and eight touchdowns, but last year was his big season. After starting his career with Tyler Junior College and bringing in 52 catches for 681 yards and six touchdowns, Akharayi started six games and had 21 catches for 275 yards and a score.

Last year was the breakthrough season for Akharayi as he became one of the top offensive playmakers in Conference USA. He finished the year First-Team All CUSA after he made 48 catches with 1,033 yards and seven scores.

Akharayi hit the transfer portal after the season looking for greener pastures and Chad Bumphis, Lebby and the Bulldogs got in the mix. On3 named him the No. 11 wide out in the transfer portal and the No. 77 player overall and the Bulldogs picked him up a couple of weeks into Lebby’s tenure.

It was a great spring for Akharayi and his training camp started strong as well. But Akharayi has been dealing with a lingering injury the last few weeks that has him sitting out for game one of the season. That injury isn’t expected to be serious as he’s expected to be back in State’s lineup within the next two weeks at the latest.

No. 1, RFr. CB Kelley Jones

The second Kelley wearing number one is just getting his college career started, but the future is bright for Jones.

A native of Clarksdale, Jones was a player that State identified very early in the process during the class of 2023. Jones is following a similar path of many players that have ridden far under the radar of many schools nationally but both teams in state new exactly the talent that they had in Mississippi.

The Bulldogs and Ole Miss Rebels were the only two major offers that Jones picked up, mostly because he was a low key prospect. The Bulldogs tracked Jones during his junior year and would pick up an offer in the summer heading into his senior year.

After committing to State, Jones camped at Top Dawg Camp and had an impressive showing. His commitment happened without any fanfare, but his recruitment would soon heat up instate after he put together the senior year that he did.

Jones was the Clarksdale quarterback and had 2,000 yards of total offense with 29 touchdowns as he rushed for 1,424 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, he added 67 tackles and seven pass breakups and he helped his squad to a 10-1 regular season record in Class 4A.

The Rebels jumped into the mix for Jones and tried to get him to visit, but he would end up cancelling his trip to stick with the Bulldogs. He finished his high school career as the No. 114 player nationally by On3 Sports as the network was higher on him than any others. He was the No. 13 cornerback and the No. two player in the state by the network.

It’s easy to see why Jones would pick up that kind of hype from On3. After redshirting last season, he’s jumped towards the front of the depth chart for week one as a redshirt freshman and was one of the fastest players on the team in the offseason.

The 6’4, 195-pound frame isn’t so common among corners, but Jones’ speed and athleticism makes him a major matchup issue for opposing offenses.

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