How Chris Jones went from unrated prospect to representing Mississippi State in Super Bowl

STARKVILLE — Former Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen landed in Tupelo around 1 a.m. when he got a call. When he saw the caller ID, his nerves built.

On the other end was Chris Jones.

He’s known today as the quarterback-crushing defensive tackle preparing to play for the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl 57. But at the time of the call, Jones was a defensive tackle out of Houston, Mississippi, who went from an unrated prospect quietly committed to MSU to the nation’s No. 2 player in less than a year.

With National Signing Day kicking off in a few hours, Mullen dreaded answering the call.

The Bulldogs tried to keep the talent they found in small-town Mississippi under wraps, but by 2013, that went away. Jones’ rankings were skyrocketing, he was receiving invites to the Under Armour All-American game and colleges across the countries wanted to swoop in.

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Mullen picked up the phone fearing the late-arriving schools had won and convinced Jones to flip.

“Coach, what’s going on?” Jones started.

“What’s going on with you, Chris?” Mullen responded.

“Just making sure you’re ready to go for tomorrow morning,” Jones said.

“Are you ready to go?” Mullen asked cautiously.

“Yeah, I’m ready to go,” Jones said. “I’m getting up and signing. We have the thing ready to go. I’m ready to come play for you.”

Chris Jones: No stars to all-star

Jones’ football career started as a sophomore at Nettleton High School – an often forgotten piece of his journey. He transferred to Houston High School the following season, but he missed most of his junior season. Basketball was his top sport.

During the spring of Jones’ junior season, Mullen sent an assistant to Houston for team workouts. The Houston staff encouraged the MSU assistant to keep an eye on Jones.

Mississippi State was impressed by his athleticism and Mullen encouraged his staff to check in with Jones at the end of the recruiting cycle. When they circled back, Jones was still getting no attention from other schools.

The Bulldogs jumped at the opportunity and invited Jones and his family to Starkville.

“We offered him a scholarship just on pure athleticism,” Mullen said.

Jones committed almost immediately (June 2012). Mullen and his staff told nobody, much to the displeasure of recruiting sites, until Jones attended a camp the next month and dominated in front of reporters. That’s when the word of his commitment came out, so his rating received a bump.

“He goes and plays the (senior) season as a one-star,” Mullen said. “At the end of the season, he gets invited to play in the Mississippi-Alabama all-star game.”

Jones was named Mississippi MVP in the game. He became a 247Sports five-star player five days later.

Super Bowl party?

Mullen didn’t use his home visit to watch Jones play basketball. Instead, he attended a massive family gathering.

“It felt like everyone in Houston, Mississippi, was there,” Mullen jokes.

Mullen says a chapel service was part of the visit, and Jones’ mom and aunts stole the show with their singing. The family impressed Mullen, and it became clear why Jones was the way he was.

Throughout the recruiting process, Jones was honest with Mullen. He wanted to enjoy campus visits and the pageantry of recruiting like his peers, but he was loyal to Mississippi State.

When Jones showed up on campus, the work ethic that earned him the five-star rating remained. He never started acting like a hot-shot, according to Mullen. That approach lasted throughout a successful career at Mississippi State − 102 tackles, 18 tackles for loss at 8.5 sacks in three seasons − where he became a staple in what coach Zach Arnett calls “D-line U.” Into the NFL, the work ethic hasn’t changed even as he’s become a defensive player of the year finalist and the owner of a contract nearing $100 million.

But for as vicious as Jones is on the field, in practice and in the weight room, Mullen called him equally as goofy away from football.

“If they win the Super Bowl, for the next two weeks I’d love to go hang out with him because it’s going to be a great time,” Mullen said. “They’re going to have a lot of fun.”

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How Mississippi State football, Dan Mullen found Chiefs' Chris Jones