Mississippi State currently has 24 alumni — including 19 players — on NFL rosters, coaching staffs and in other roles, according to Mississippi State Athletics. The group includes six Pro Bowlers: Chris Jones, Dak Prescott, Jeffery Simmons, Elgton Jenkins, Logan Cooke and Montez Sweat.
Simmons, Sweat, Charles Cross and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. are Mississippi State’s four first-round draft picks in the league. Cross, Jones and Willie Gay Jr. have won Super Bowls, while Prescott was the 2016 NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year and the 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year.
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Running back Devon Booth of the Indianapolis Colts and linebacker Nathaniel Watson of the Cleveland Browns are on their teams’ practice squads. Watson is on the injured list with a knee injury, and Jenkins has been ruled out this week with a concussion.
Mississippi State alumni also hold several NFL staff positions. Stephen Adegoke is the Houston Texans’ safeties coach, Fred Walker is an offensive assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars, K.J. Wright is the San Francisco 49ers’ linebackers coach and DeAndre Ward Sr. is an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dr. Allen Sills is the NFL’s chief medical officer.
The listed Week 4 schedule includes Jenkins with Cleveland against Pittsburgh on Thursday. On Sunday, Simmons is scheduled to face Baltimore, Sweat is scheduled to face the New York Jets, Cooke is scheduled to face Cincinnati and Prescott, Jaden Crumedy, Woody Marks and Tyrus Wheat are listed for Dallas’ game against Houston.
Other listed Mississippi State alumni include Forbes with the Los Angeles Rams against Philadelphia, Gay Jr. and Seydou Traore with Miami against Minnesota, Jones with Kansas City against Las Vegas, Cross with Seattle against the Los Angeles Chargers, Brenen Thompson with the Chargers against Seattle, Albert Reese IV with Carolina against Detroit, and Martin Emerson and Decamerion Richardson with New Orleans against Atlanta.
Jon Ross Myers founded Mississippi News Group in 2013. Before founding the organization, he worked at The Daily Mississippian, The Marion Salute and The Southern Sentinel. A Mississippi journalist and writer based in Ripley, he received second place in poetry in the 2025 William Faulkner Literary Competition for "The Garden."
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