Chris Jones donating to Mississippi State NIL to help program retain Kamario Taylor: ‘Got to keep him around’
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Before Chris Jones won three Super Bowl rings with teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs great was honing his craft at Mississippi State. That’s where he played with Dak Prescott, totaling 18.0 career sacks and ending up as the Chiefs’ second-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. (Prescott went two rounds later.)
Fast forward to the present, where Kamario Taylor is quickly gaining more buzz than any Bulldogs QB since Prescott rewrote the record books in Starkville over a decade ago. Prescott, himself, has raved about Taylor.
Given that Taylor’s only a sophomore and won’t be draft-eligible until 2027, his success means that many programs will be looking to add him to their ranks if he enters the transfer portal at year’s end. On Thursday, Jones promised to donate to Mississippi State’s NIL fund to help the Bulldogs retain him.
“I’m going to donate some, though, man,” Jones said, per Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick. “We’ve got to keep this quarterback. We’ve got to keep him around. You know, with all these NIL teams and spending $45 to $50 million a year … salary cap doesn’t exist in college, so definitely try to keep our quarterback, keep him with us.”
There’s still a long way to go in this season. But if Jones has his way — along with perhaps a few other wealthy individuals — Taylor will be back in the maroon and white come 2027.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
