Mississippi
Mississippi State’s Hunter Washington ready to put topsy-turvy 2023 behind him
STARKVILLE — Hunter Washington found himself on plenty of highlight tape last season, and not in a good way.
When LSU visited Davis Wade Stadium on Sept. 16, Washington was frequently matched up against Malik Nabers, one of the top three wide receivers in all of college football. Tigers quarterback and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels spotted the mismatch and went to work, firing two long touchdown passes to Nabers, who beat Washington in coverage both times. Nabers finished the day with 239 receiving yards in a 41-14 LSU romp.
Washington, now entering his third year at Mississippi State after starting his college career at Florida State, started the Bulldogs’ first four games but gave way to Corey Ellington on the safety depth chart, then missed the last five games of 2023 with an injury.
There is a path for Washington to return to a starting role this fall — Ellington and Isaac Smith are near locks to start at safety, but the third spot is up for grabs, with Washington battling junior college transfer Brylan Lanier.
“I’m just glad to be back,” Washington said Wednesday. “Just doing my job and doing what I’m supposed to do. My job is to play for the team and do what the coaches ask me to do.”
As a true freshman with the Seminoles, Washington appeared in just one game, keeping his redshirt status intact, but was named Florida State’s special teams scout player of the year. He played in nine games in his first year at MSU but had just three tackles, then broke into the starting lineup at the beginning of last season.
Now a redshirt junior, Washington is one of the leaders in a young safeties room under new position coach Matt Barnes.
“Hunter’s going to come down and hit you. He’s a strong guy,” linebacker Stone Blanton said. “He’s vocal. He’s always calling out plays and helping us get aligned. That’s what you want from a safety, a guy coming down behind you. He’s big enough to come hit a running back. He’s a great leader.”
Miner ready to experience non-conference games from the other side
Ethan Miner, the Bulldogs’ projected starter at center, is playing in a so-called high-major conference for the first time after spending four years at Arkansas State and one season at North Texas.
But he has plenty of experience playing in big stadiums against the big boys of the sport. His first collegiate start came in 2020, when the Red Wolves upset Kansas State on the road, and he was Arkansas State’s starting center for trips to Washington and Ohio State in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
“I’m just looking forward to having a home crowd that’s going to be the way it is (in Starkville),” Miner said. “I’ve heard about the cowbells, the fans are crazy. Coming from (the Group of 5), these were the games where I have to lock in, the crowd’s going to play a factor in the game. It’s just nice that this is our home and we have an advantage with it.”
MSU hosts Eastern Kentucky on Aug. 31 in the season opener and later plays Toledo and Massachusetts at home in non-conference play. All three teams will undoubtedly be fired up to play in a Southeastern Conference venue, while teams from the power conferences sometimes sleepwalk through “buy games” or are caught looking ahead.
The Colonels may be an FCS team, but they gave Kentucky a battle in Week 2 last year, leading for almost the entire first half and again early in the second half before losing 28-17.
“When I was at Arkansas State and UNT, these games would come up and this was the game I had to show up,” Miner said. “We’re playing in a lower level conference; scouts are going to see how you play against this competition. The worst thing we can do is underestimate (Eastern Kentucky), say, ‘Oh, they’re an FCS team.’ That’s how you get into situations like Kentucky did last year.”
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Odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
Odds of hitting the jackpot in Mega Millions or Powerball are around 1-in-292 million. Here are things that you’re more likely to land than big bucks.
The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 3, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Dec. 3 drawing
12-18-19-28-29
Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 3 drawing
Midday: 5-5-4, FB: 1
Evening: 1-4-0, FB: 0
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 3 drawing
Midday: 5-6-0-0, FB: 1
Evening: 0-0-9-9, FB: 0
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 3 drawing
Midday: 11
Evening: 01
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Story continues below gallery.
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.
Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:
Mississippi Lottery Corporation
P.O. Box 321462
Flowood, MS
39232
If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.
Mississippi Lottery Headquarters
1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100
Flowood, MS
39232
Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.
When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?
- Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
- Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football flipped another prospect the week of the early signing period.
Micah Nickerson, a four-star edge rusher from South Pike, flipped from Missouri and signed with the Bulldogs’ 2026 recruiting class on Dec. 3 on signing day. Nickerson was previously committed to Mississippi State, but flipped to Missouri in September.
The early signing period ends Dec. 5.
He’s the second recruit MSU and coach Jeff Lebby have flipped in the week after Hartfield Academy five-star safety Bralan Womack committed on Dec. 1.
Micah Nickerson 247 ranking
Nickerson is a four-star, according to the 247Sports Composite, He’s ranked No. 286 nationally, No. 13 in Mississippi and as the No. 29 edge rusher.
Nickerson, listed at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, is the third-highest ranked prospect in MSU’s class behind Womack and Grenada four-star tight end Zayion Cotton.
Mississippi State lands DL Tico Crittendon
Shortly after Nickerson signed, Mississippi State also landed defensive lineman Tico Crittendon, according to a report from On3.
Crittendon is a three-star from Lithonia, Georgia, according to the 247Sports Composite. He decommitted from Florida State on Nov. 5.
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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Staff
Kamesha Mumford defeated Jackson attorney Letitia Johnson in the Dec. 2 runoff election for Mississippi Senate District 26.
Mumford, a municipal judge from Canton, will serve the remainder of the term through 2028 after voters across parts of northwest Hinds County and Madison County hit the polls.
According to the unofficial results, Kamesha Mumford defeated Letitia Johnson in the Mississippi Senate District 26 runoff with 3,711 votes, or 55.9%, to Johnson’s 2,922 votes, or 44,1%. A total of 22 write-in votes were cast, bringing overall turnout to 6,655 votes across both counties.
In Madison County’s six precincts, Mumford received 814 votes or 69.6% to Johnson’s 356 votes or 30.4%, with five write-in votes. In Hinds County’s 19 precincts, Mumford carried 2,897 votes to Johnson’s 2,566 votes, with 17 write-ins counted.
The District 26 seat has been vacant since former Sen. John Horhn resigned earlier this year to become mayor of Jackson. Horhn represented the district for more than three decades before leaving the Legislature. Gov. Tate Reeves called the special election to fill the remainder of Horhn’s term.
The Nov. 4 special election initially featured seven candidates before narrowing to Tuesday’s runoff, with Mumford winning the race and Johnson finishing in second.
Large donations draw attention in Senate District 26 race
But the runoff didn’t just play out at the ballot box. It also unfolded on campaign finance reports, where six-figure and five-figure donations fueled an expensive legislative race.
On Johnson’s report, her campaign lists a $150,000 contribution from the national law firm Singleton Schreiber, where Johnson serves as a managing partner. The firm is listed as a limited liability company.
Johnson’s fundraising advantage was substantial. Through Nov. 25, her campaign reported $348,674.11 in total contributions, $297,971.39 in total spending and $50,702.72 in cash on hand. Much of that money went toward a full-scale media and turnout blitz, including radio advertising, mass text messaging, direct mail and consulting services. Also included were two $25,000 payments made to political consultant firm Watershed Strategy in the final weeks of the runoff.
By comparison, Mumford ran a far smaller operation, with campaign reports showing significantly lower fundraising totals. Her October campaign finance report showed $152,948.55 in total contributions and $65,499.55 cash on hand at that point in the race. A later November runoff report showed an additional $11,413.26 in new contributions and $53,401.17 in cash on hand, reflecting continued but more modest late-cycle fundraising. Mumford’s campaign spending focused largely on printing, canvassing, limited advertising and small consulting contracts.
Mumford’s report also shows two $50,000 donations on June 1 — one from Mumford and Mumford, the law firm owned and operated by the candidate and her husband, and another from Mumford Title, which the Mississippi Secretary of State lists as a limited liability company.
Mississippi law caps donations from corporations and incorporated entities at $1,000 per year. But the Mississippi Secretary of State’s 2025 Campaign Finance Guide cites state law defining LLCs as unincorporated entities that are not subject to that corporate cap. That means LLCs may legally exceed the $1,000 limit.
As a result of that definition, the six-figure and five-figure donations that initially drew scrutiny — including the $150,000 contribution from Singleton Schreiber to Johnson and the two $50,000 donations tied to Mumford’s campaign — are permitted under current Mississippi law.
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office confirmed that interpretation to the Clarion Ledger.
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