Mississippi
At least 27 rookies with Mississippi ties now signed to NFL rosters
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – The 2024 NFL Draft has finally reached its conclusion, and teams begin signing undrafted free agents, it’s time to see who will be representing the Magnolia State come this Fall.
Mississippi’s first rep to come off the board during the draft was Florida State’s Trey Benson, a runningback from Greenville and St. Joseph Catholic School alum who was selected in Round 3 with the 66th pick by the Arizona Cardinals.
From there, eight more players who attended school in the state were selected over the next two days.
Round #, Pick # — College, Position, Name, Pro Team (Hometown/High School)
- Round 3, Pick 96 — Florida St. CB Jarrian Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars (Magee/Northwest Rankin)
- Round 3, Pick 97 — Texas A&M DT McKinnley Jackson, Cincinnati Bengals (Lucedale/George Co.)
- Round 4, Pick 112 — Mississippi St. CB Decamerion Richardson, Las Vegas Raiders
- Round 5, Pick 153 — Ole Miss CB Deantre Prince, Jacksonville Jaguars (Charleston/Charleston)
- Round 6, Pick 200 — Mississippi St. DT Jaden Crumerdy, Carolina Panthers (Hattiesburg/Oak Grove)
- Round 6, Pick 206 — Mississippi St. LB Nathaniel Watson, Cleveland Browns
- Round 6, Pick 214 — Ole Miss EDGE Cedric Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals (Mobile, Ala./Davidson)
- Round 7, Pick 224 — Ole Miss S Daijahn Anthony, Cincinnati Bengals
Even after the draft, NFL teams continue to add undrafted free agents. Here are those who will look to earn a roster spot over the next few months:
- Southern Miss RB Frank Gore Jr., Buffalo Bills
- Southern Miss LB Swayze Bozeman, Kansas City Chiefs (Flora/Tri-County Academy)
- Southern Miss C Briason Mays, San Francisco 49ers
- Southern Miss WR Latreal Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Taylorsville/Taylorsville)
- Ole Miss EDGE Isaac Ukwu, Detroit Lions
- Ole Miss LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, Los Angeles Chargers
- Ole Miss WR Dayton Wade, Baltimore Ravens
- Ole Miss CB Zamari Walton, Los Angeles Chargers
- Ole Miss QB Spencer Sanders, Kansas City Chiefs
- Ole Miss CB Deshawn Gaddie Jr., Carolina Panthers
- Mississippi St. CB Marcus Banks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Mississippi St. WR Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin, Las Vegas Raiders (Philadelphia/Philadelphia)
- Mississippi St. LB Jett Johnson, New York Jets (Tupelo/Tupelo)
- Alcorn St. RB Jarveon Johnson, Green Bay Packers (Columbia/East Marion)
- UCF QB John Rhys Plumlee, Pittsburgh Steelers (Hattiesburg/Oak Grove)
- Washington RB Dillon Johnson, Tennessee Titans (Greenville/St. Joseph)
- Arkansas St. CB Leon Jones, Chicago Bears (Hattiesburg/North Forrest)
- Florida St. DT Fabien Lovett, Kansas City Chiefs (Vicksburg/Olive Branch)
Altogether, 27 players that either attended high school or college in the state of Mississippi currently look forward to suiting up for minicamp.
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Copyright 2024 WLOX. All rights reserved.
Mississippi
LEGO store coming to Mississippi after the Apple store relocates
Inside the new Lego retailer, Bricks & Minifigs
Customers can buy or sell Legos and get individual bricks at the new store in Montrose.
Shoppers visiting Renaissance at Colony Park later this month will notice a big change.
Apple is moving to a new and larger store within the Ridgeland shopping center, while LEGO plans to take over Apple’s current location once the move is complete, according to Apple and other industry sources.
Apple has announced that its new store will open July 24 near the development’s Show Fountain. The company is not leaving Ridgeland. Instead, it is moving to a new location a short distance away inside Renaissance at Colony Park.
The company has operated a store at Renaissance for more than a decade. Once Apple moves into its new store, LEGO plans to open in the company’s former space. The addition will bring another well-known international brand to central Mississippi and give LEGO fans a dedicated store in the Jackson metro area.
It is another win for Ridgeland with last week’s announcement that a Dave & Buster’s that will be located at the PradoVista development near Topgolf. A site plan and architectural review for Dave & Buster’s was approved at the Ridgeland Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday, July 7.
Renaissance at Colony Park continues to thrive
Over the years, the center has attracted a mix of national retailers, restaurants and specialty stores. Previous developments at Renaissance have included luxury retailers, popular restaurant chains and entertainment options that draw shoppers from across Mississippi and neighboring states.
Apple’s new location will continue offering product sales, technical support and repair services. Customers will also be able to attend the company’s “Today at Apple” classes and workshops, which provide free lessons on photography, video, music and other topics.
Apple has not released details about the size of the new store. The Ridgeland project is one of several store moves announced this summer.
Renaissance keeps storefront
For Renaissance, the deal works in several ways.
Apple stays at the shopping center and receives a newer storefront. At the same time, the center fills Apple’s former location with another high-profile retailer instead of leaving the space vacant.
LEGO stores are often considered destination retailers because customers will drive long distances to visit them. Families, collectors and hobbyists frequently seek out official LEGO stores for exclusive products and special events.
For shoppers, the most immediate change will be Apple’s July 24 opening. Customers who need repairs, technical help or product purchases will be directed to the new store after the move.
LEGO has not yet announced an opening date.
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
Mississippi
Mississippi leaders react to death of Sen. Lindsey Graham
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi leaders across the board are reflecting on the legacy of service Sen. Lindsey Graham had in Washington, D.C.
3 On Your Side spoke on the phone with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith who shared that Graham treated her like a little sister when she arrived to the Senate.
Their friendship grew outside of work, but one thing she’ll really cherish is the teamwork they developed to get things done with President Donald Trump.
“There were times he would come to me and say, OK sister, you’re going to have to break this news to Trump. If it was a difficult situation, he would say you got to soften him up, you call him and then I’ll call him after you but you’re the one that’s going to have to take care of this. Or you’ve got to go to Mar-a-Lago and handle this, but we were a pretty good team together because we were both close to the President,” said Sen. Hyde-Smith.
Sen. Hyde-Smith added, since coming to Washington, D.C., she looked up to Sen. Graham like an older brother in the chamber.
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Copyright 2026 WLBT. All rights reserved.
Mississippi
Mississippi State signee, top 100 prospect Landon Brown withdraws from 2026 MLB Draft
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball signee Landon Brown will play for the Bulldogs instead of signing a pro contract, he told the Clarion Ledger on July 12 during the 2026 MLB Draft.
Brown, a right-handed pitcher from Rosharon, Texas, was ranked as the No. 77 prospect by MLB.com. He pitched and played corner infield for Iowa Colony while winning Brazoria County Player of the Year.
He won’t be eligible again for the MLB draft until 2029.
Brown is 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. He has a fastball that reaches 98 mph as part of a four-pitch mix. He also throws a slider, cutter and splitter.
Brown committed to Mississippi State in 2024 under previous coach Chris Lemonis.
He is the third high school draft prospect to reveal he will play for MSU instead of signing a pro contract. Shortstop Noah Danza withdrew from the MLB draft before it began, and pitcher Denton Lord announced after the fifth round that he was heading to Mississippi State.
Three Mississippi State signees were drafted in the first 10 rounds: shortstop Rocco Maniscalco, catcher Will Brick and outfielder Martin Shelar.
Landon Brown stats
- 66⅔ innings
- 0.63 ERA
- 110 strikeouts
- 13 walks
- .424 batting average
- 13 home runs
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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