Mississippi
Ole Miss lands four-star safety over Mississippi State
It was an all-Mississippi recruiting race for four-star safety Cortez Thomas.
It made sense, too. Thomas, who goes to Holmes County High School, hails from Lexington, Mississippi, and he clearly wanted to stay in-state to play college ball.
Despite 13 other offers, Ole Miss and Mississippi State were his top two schools.
The Bulldogs had an early edge for Thomas, admittedly, but there was a shakeup in Starkville that saw head coach Zach Arnett fired just 10 games into his first season. Jeff Lebby, former Oklahoma offensive coordinator, took over as new head coach, but that shakeup ultimately gave an edge to Lane Kiffin and the Rebels.
“At first, I was leaning more towards Mississippi State until the coaching staff changed,” Thomas told On3’s Chad Simmons. “Mississippi State is always a great school to go to, but Ole Miss is more about business and I feel like that’s where I need to go.”
If the “business” of college football is winning, which it ultimately is, Kiffin has had Ole Miss on track. Entering his fifth season with the Rebels, he has a 34-15 overall record and is coming off an 11-2 season with a win in the Peach Bowl over Penn State.
“Lane Kiffin is all about winning. I’m pretty sure every athlete wants to play for a winning team,” Cortez said. “From what I’ve heard and seen so far, he’s a great person.”
According to the 247Sports composite, Thomas is the No. 18 safety in the 2025 class. He’s Kiffin’s 10th commitment for the cycle.
Mississippi
Mississippi lawmakers face pressure to counter looming federal cuts to health care after punting this session
Wicker: Mississippi powered Artemis II
Published 4:00 pm Monday, April 20, 2026
For nine days this month, space travel captivated the world. Families gathered around their screens as four astronauts strapped into the Integrity spacecraft docked at the Kennedy Space Center. As the launch countdown ended, four Mississippi-tested RS-45 engines ignited, and the ground shook. Seven seconds later, the Integrity had liftoff. For six intense minutes, the RS-45 engines rocketed the crew into high Earth orbit, sending them on their historic lunar flyby mission.
Mississippi should take a bow. The four RS-45 engines were tested at our very own Stennis Space Center, where Mississippians have been ensuring the quality of rocket engines since the Apollo program. For eight years, engineers, safety managers, and logistics specialists from the state have tested the engines that powered the Integrity and will power future Artemis launches. Their work paid off, and the launch was a marvel of engineering. NASA leadership made special mention of the rocket engine burn, calling it “flawless.”
One Mississippian in particular helped make the mission a success. Hernando native Matthew Ramsey handled a great deal of responsibility as the mission manager for Artemis II. The Mississippi State University graduate helped set the focus for the mission and equip the astronauts and staff for the job. Matthew also served as the deputy of the Mission Management Team, the group of NASA staff that comes together just days before a launch. The team assumes the risks of the mission ahead, and they make tough calls during flight if challenges arise.
As the Artemis II journey progressed, the world could not stop watching. Our social media feeds were full of photos and videos beamed down from the heavens. They captured humorous situations, such as the astronauts adjusting to life without gravity or testing their plumbing skills.
We also witnessed moments of majesty. On the fifth day, the Integrity began using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot our astronauts back home. That trajectory led the crew around the Moon, farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone. As the explorers looked upon outer space, they captured stunning images. Among the most remarkable is Earthset, in which Commander Reid Wiseman photographed Earth as it appeared to fall below the horizon of the moon.
When their spacecraft returned to Earth’s atmosphere, the crew was traveling nearly 35 times faster than the speed of sound. Ten minutes later, a series of parachutes began opening. Eventually, the spacecraft’s speed fell to 20 miles per hour, and the crew splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.
Mississippi was once again there to assist. The astronauts were greeted by the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. military vessel built in the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula. The ship’s amphibious design was suited to welcome the space travelers home—equipped with a helicopter pad, medical facilities, and the communications system needed to locate and recover the astronauts safely. Crucially, the USS Murtha was built with a well deck, a sea-based garage that stored the Integrity on the journey to shore.
Artemis II was a resounding success, paving the way for planned future flights. When the Artemis program returns humans to the moon, Mississippi will be there every step of the way.
-
California1 minute agoCalifornia Islamic calligraphy artist preserves ancient tradition during Arab American Heritage Month
-
Colorado7 minutes agoAvalanche vs. Kings Game 2: Key takeaways as Colorado wins OT thriller, takes 2-0 series lead
-
Connecticut13 minutes agoOpinion: This Earth Day make polluters pay
-
Delaware19 minutes agoDelaware’s first elementary school radio station hits the airwaves
-
Florida25 minutes agoFlorida investigating AI role in mass shooting at university
-
Georgia31 minutes agoMan accused in fatal Georgia shooting spree dies in jail, officials say
-
Hawaii38 minutes agoPolice Commission narrows Honolulu chief candidates to 6 semifinalists
-
Idaho43 minutes ago11-year-old from Idaho competing for $20K, national spotlight – East Idaho News