Mississippi
Mississippi State fires entire creative team after National Signing Day
If you think the world of college football recruiting can be a ruthless business, wait until you see what happens behind the scenes.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs creative team learned that lesson the hard way this week.
They’re about as big a part of National Signing Day as anybody, which is why it came as a surprise that the program let senior director of creative strategy Jonathan King and his entire team go at the completion of NSD on Wednesday.
King shared the news in a thread on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday morning, revealing that Mississippi State waited until the signing day work was done before letting them go — without any explanation.
This might surprise you as much as it did me but last evening, at the completion of signing day, my team and I were let go from Mississippi State Football.
We weren’t given an explanation, and when I asked if I could ask any questions , I was told “I’m sorry, no.”
(long🧵)
— Jonathan King (@jonathanvking) December 5, 2024
If that sounds odd, it absolutely is.
“If this has become an industry where fear of failure or criticism is the wind that steers the ship, then creativity and innovation will be seen as a threat,” King wrote. “And punished. When tension and pressure run high, make sure you are in a place that fully supports what you are doing.”
“Creatives need to know that things are shifting,” he added. “The money in college athletics is beginning to change the way you will be treated. MAKE SURE you are taking a job where you will be supported. This came as a complete shock to our team, given the circumstances of the season.”
And it came as a shock given the circumstances surrounding the creative team’s arrival in Starkville.
It’s been nearly 13 months since Jeff Lebby arrived in town and 10 months since the program made a significant investment in a creative team. King was brought on to build and lead the department from the ground up. Following the program’s substantial financial investment, he hired a young staff, all 28 years old and under.
And just like that, they were let go.
No explanation. Nothing.
The lack of humanity that has overtaken college athletics is a concerning trend. If you find yourself working for someone who fights for you, even when things go off course, cherish that and then emulate that. It’s becoming more and more rare by the day.
— Jonathan King (@jonathanvking) December 5, 2024
Another layer of confusion in the story is the case of Tyler Lockhart.
If you’re unfamiliar, Lockhart, a long-time Mississippi State commit, flipped to rival Ole Miss during his signing ceremony, leading to public celebration from the Rebels. However, in a dramatic turn of events, Lockhart reversed his decision just hours later and signed with Mississippi State.
The Mississippi State creative team then released a video featuring Lockhart in their locker room, seemingly celebrating his final decision.
The best in state come to STATE!
4-star linebacker @_TylerL_12 is a DAWG!#HailState pic.twitter.com/ThbtHmopJn
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) December 5, 2024
It’s unclear whether the video was filmed before or after Lockhart flipped his commitment back to Mississippi State, which makes the decision to let the creative team go all the more questionable.
In an era where college athletics is increasingly driven by business more than anything, there’s likely more to the story than meets the eye. But one thing’s for certain: firing an entire creative team hours after National Signing Day just isn’t good optics no matter how you slice it.
Whether Mississippi State will provide a more detailed explanation to its former creative team — or the public —remains to be seen.
[Jonathan Banks]
Trump’s third-country deportations illegal, judge rules
A federal judge ruled the Department of Homeland Security’s third country deportations illegal, citing danger to immigrants in unknown territories.
When some lawmakers in the Mississippi Legislature took their immigration bills to the floor this session, a question emerged among opponents. Are these measures really necessary?
Mississippi has a smaller population of immigrants than its other southeastern counterparts, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, and the state has mainly remained in the background as its neighbors have been targeted by task force raids.
The lack of federal attention to the Magnolia State hasn’t stopped many Republican lawmakers and state officials, including State Auditor Shad White, from maintaining that immigration without legal permission presents a major threat to Mississippi. At the crux of White’s argument for stronger local and national enforcement is money. One hundred million dollars, to be specific.
That amount, $100 million, is what White said immigrants without legal status in the country cost Mississippi taxpayers every year. He explained the math behind the total and its significance to residents in an April 22 interview with the Clarion Ledger.
The first piece of the puzzle was to estimate the number of people living in the state without legal status, White said, a calculation guided by data from the U.S. Census and Department of Homeland Security.
“We settled on 22,000 illegal immigrants living in Mississippi,” he said. “It’s important to mention that that is a very, very conservative estimate. It’s the lower bound of what that number could be.”
Both the number of immigrants in the country illegally and the amount that they cost taxpayers could be, and likely are, greater than the estimate, White said. The numbers have also almost definitely changed since the auditor’s office first researched and compiled the report at the end of 2024.
When the office reached a consensus on the number of people, White said, analysts looked at three major cost buckets: education, health care and prisons. These areas were the ones with the largest potential price tags, he said.
Every child, regardless of immigration status, is entitled to a public education in the United States. The office estimated that around 2,500 children, roughly 0.57% of the total public enrollment last school year, were in the country without legal status.
The cost for these students, based on the Mississippi Student Funding Formula approved in 2024, is $17 million. On top of that, White said, many of these children would likely receive funding supplements for low-income students and English language learners.
The total taxpayer cost in education totals around $25 million a year, the report stated. Neither the report nor White detailed how analysts determined the number of students who would qualify as low-income or English language learners.
The health care total is likely an even more conservative number, White said, in part because the office didn’t have enough data to make an estimate as comprehensive as he would have preferred.
“If you walked into an emergency room right now, you’re going to be treated. It doesn’t matter who you are,” he said. “Add onto that the cost of anyone who is an illegal immigrant mother who walks into a hospital and gives birth. Of course, we’re going to treat her, but that cost will flow back to taxpayers.”
Citing numbers from health policy organization KFF (formerly known as Kaiser Family Foundation), the report stated that those births would likely cost around $4 million each year. Emergency room visits would probably total around $45 million annually, assuming about half of the undocumented population goes to the ER once a year.
The total estimate in the health care section of the report is $77 million, because it includes approximately $28 million spent providing Medicaid services to the U.S. citizen children of immigrants without legal status. Without the Medicaid treatment for U.S. citizens, the health care cost is around $49 million.
The final area is criminal justice, White explained, which used detention data collected from prisons and jails to estimate that 79 incarcerated people did not have legal status in the country. Multiplied by the daily cost of incarcerating a person in Mississippi, the report stated that taxpayers would contribute around $1.7 million every year to keeping them in jail.
This amount is also likely much higher, White said, because the office didn’t have the means to include the costs incurred before a person goes to prison.
“When we looked at the prison costs, we did not look into the cost of investigating crimes committed by illegal immigrants,” he said. “The cost of the criminal investigation was some non-zero number, we just don’t know what it was.”
When the report as first released, White recounted, some people told him that it should have included the amount that undocumented immigrants contribute in local and state taxes. He dismissed that as people “trying to distract from the larger point” that people without legal status “drive costs higher.”
Expressing his support for the bill that passed making illegal immigration a state crime, White said he is hopeful that the legislature will continue to pursue measures strengthening the state’s approach to immigration enforcement.
“When people see the $100 million cost, I think people think, ‘What else could we be using that for?’” he said. “It could be used for massive teacher pay increases. We could be well on the way to eliminating the grocery tax completely. It could result in real improvements in people’s lives.”
Bea Anhuci is the state government reporter for the Clarion Ledger. She has covered immigration in the state since the start of 2026. Email her at banhuci@usatoday.com.
Large American alligator gets territorial, bellows at Corkscrew Swamp in Naples, Florida
Adult male alligators bellow as a way of communicating with other alligators. They do this to demonstrate their size, protect territory and entice mates.
Alligators are iconic in Mississippi. Time outdoors, especially near lakes or rivers, often brings close-up encounters with wildlife, whether you expect them or not.
If you walk on the wild side, chances are good you’ll find alligators in freshwater somewhere in the state. Knowing where they tend to gather — and when they’re most active — can help both people and gators avoid unwanted surprises.
“The American alligator is native to Mississippi and still turns up across much of the state, but not everywhere in equal numbers. Mississippi has around 32,000 to 38,000 alligators across 408,000 acres of habitat, and while 14 of its 82 counties have no alligator record, others have some of the highest concentrations in the state,” World Atlas wrote.
That uneven distribution is key. Some rivers, lakes and wetlands are far more gator-heavy than others.
World Atlas compiled a list of the most alligator-infested waters in Mississippi. Two Mississippi rivers also made its ranking of the most alligator-filled water in the Deep South.
Not interested in a wild encounter? There’s always a zoo or animal park. HGTV even chose a Mississippi swamp tour to see the giant reptiles as part of a bucket list of 50 things you should do across America.
Here’s what to know about where alligators are most common, when they’re most active and what to do if you get too close so everyone leaves safely.
Where is the most alligator-infested water in Mississippi?
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks says alligators can live anywhere in the state. Most live in the southern two-thirds.
They’re not usually aggressive, but juvenile gators often move to new areas in spring and summer. That makes them more likely to turn up near people. They’re also attracted to food sources.
According to World Atlas, these are these waterways have the highest alligator populations in Mississippi.
Pascagoula River is home to giant alligators
About 24% of the alligators in Mississippi live in Jackson County, according to MDWFP. It’s the highest concentration by county.
The Pascagoula River Basin is one of the last unimpeded river systems in the lower 48 states. The area is known for record-breaking gator sightings, including some about 14 feet long.
The current Mississippi state records are 11 feet, 3/4 inches for longest female caught and 324 pounds for heaviest female caught. Both came from the Pascagoula River.
The river also made World Atlas’ list of the seven most alligator-filled places in the Deep South.
Fish, wildlife in Pear River help gators thrive
The Pearl River is home to a diverse range of fish and animals, which helps the alligators in the area thrive.
The river flows through LeFleur’s Bluff State Park in Jackson and continues south to the Gulf. There are lots of recreation options along its path.
Rankin County is home to about 7.4% of the state’s gator population, MDWFP said. There are about 7.35 alligators per mile.
“Most of the Rankin County alligator population is located in and around Ross Barnett Reservoir and in the Pearl River to Ratliff Ferry,” they wrote.
Wolf River wetlands are gator-friendly
Hancock County is home to about 12% of the state’s gators, according to MDWFP.
Most are found in the Wolf River, which World Atlas says provides ideal breeding and habitat conditions thanks to its wetlands and tidal marshes.
Gators bask along Leaf and Chickasawhay river banks
The Leaf River flows 185 miles before joining the Chickasawhay River, which runs 159 miles. The two rivers form the Pascagoula River system.
Both rivers are home to significant alligator populations.
“Gators are often seen gliding through the water and basking along the banks,” World Atlas wrote.
Yazoo River is known for record-breaking gators
The Yazoo River has earned a reputation as a prime spot for alligator hunters. It is known for producing large gators.
The longest male harvested in public water was caught in the Yazoo River in 2023. It measured more than 14 feet long and weighed over 800 pounds.
The river also appears on World Atlas’ list of the most gator-infested waters in the Deep South.
Alligator Lake is true to its name
Alligator Lake in Washington County is a 60-acre oxbow lake known for its dense gator population. It sits inside Leroy Percy State Park, a designated wildlife management area.
“The resident alligators can be seen swimming in the lake, lounging in the shade under cypress trees, or lazing on logs in the sunshine,” World Atlas wrote.
Tchoutacabouffa River has lots of smaller alligators
Development around the Tchoutacabouffa River near Biloxi has pushed larger alligators away from populated areas, according to World Atlas.
That’s left behind a population made up largely of gators under 10 feet long.
The river winds for 31 miles and flows through the DeSoto National Forest.
Ross Barnett Reservoir is fishing hotspot
Gator hunters flock to Ross Barnett Reservoir, which is popular for fishing and boating. There’s a lot to do around the lake.
“The gentle waters of the reservoir, its marshy banks, and a large fish population create ideal conditions for gators to live, breed, and hunt in the area,” World Atlas wrote.
Where are the most alligator-filled waters in the Deep South?
“Alligators like slow-moving freshwater rivers but are also found in swamps, marshes, and lakes,” World Atlas wrote.
According to World Atlas, these places have the highest alligator populations in the Deep South.
- Lake Martin, Louisiana
- Cypress Lake, Louisiana
- Pascagoula River, Mississippi
- Caddo Lake, Louisiana
- Yazoo River, Mississippi
- Millwood State Park, Arkansas
- Lake Marion, South Carolina
Is it legal to feed alligators in Mississippi?
MDWFP warns that feeding alligators causes serious problems.
“Usually an alligator that has been fed will begin seeking out people and has trouble differentiating hands from handouts. That alligator has become a nuisance and will probably need to be removed; generally, ‘a fed gator is a dead gator,’” MDWFP wrote.
Alligators will come to food sources, including fish feeders or places that fish remains get thrown into the water.
If you know someone is feeding a gator, you can report it to your local MDWFP regional office or conservation officer.
Is it legal to shoot a nuisance alligator?
MDWFP says an alligator simply existing near people isn’t considered a nuisance.
“If an alligator is in a river, oxbow, swamp, or lake — particularly if they are in public water simply doing what alligators do — that is not a nuisance alligator. If you choose to live in alligator habitat, then alligators are an amenity that often comes with the property,” MDWFP wrote.
If it’s being aggressive and approaching people or trying to hunt humans, pets or wildlife, it needs to go.
If you have a nuisance alligator, don’t try to handle it yourself. Contact the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks to help move or destroy the animal.
Hunting requires a permit and must be done in the right places and during the specified hunting seasons. Shooting one illegally could carry jail time or a fine of $2,000 to $5,000.
I’m way too close to an alligator. Now what?
GatorWise suggests that people stay aware any time they’re near water. Assume gators are present and watch pets and kids closely.
If you hear it hissing, you’re already too close, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife.
Don’t panic. Back away slowly and calmly.
While most alligators retreat, mothers protecting nests may charge. And they’ll defend themselves.
Gators can run surprisingly fast, up to 35 mph. for short distances. Don’t assume it’ll be slow.
What to do if an alligator attacks
Unprovoked alligator attacks are rare but possible. Here’s what the University of Florida suggests if it happens to you.
- Run away in a straight line. Do not zig-zag.
- Fight as if your life depends on it. Poke it in the eyes, punch and kick it, especially around the head.
- Try to make the alligator gag by jamming objects in the back of its mouth.
- Alligators will often reposition prey in their mouths. Use the opportunity to escape.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY NETWORK. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.
A lifelong outdoorsman and wildlife enthusiast, Brian Broom has been writing about hunting, fishing and Mississippi’s outdoors for the Clarion Ledger for more than 14 years. He can be reached at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
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