Mississippi State football's Chris Jon, Willie Gay Jr. w Super Bowl

Contents:

• SUPER BOWL CHAMPN WILLIE GAY JR. RETURNED TO MISSISSIPPI ON WEDNDAY. HERE'S WHAT HE SAID
• 'HAIL STATE, BABY': MISSISSIPPI STATE LEGENDS CHRIS JON, WILLIE GAY JR. W SUPER BOWL
• 5 THGS TO KNOW ABOUT FORMER MISSISSIPPI STATE LEBACKER WILLIE GAY JR.
• CHIEFS LB WILLIE GAY: ‘I’VE GROWN’ OM OFF-FIELD ISSU, READY TO EMBRACE NFL OPPORTUNY
• HOW RICKY WOODS KNEW AJ BROWN, WILLIE GAY JR. WERE STED FOR STARDOM WAY BEFORE SUPER BOWL 57
• MISSISSIPPI STATE LB WILLIE GAY JR. ENTERG NFL DRAFT
• WILLIEGAY
• 'FULL OF LIFE': WHY 2020 NFL DRAFT PROSPECT WILLIE GAY IS READY FOR A 'BIG STEP'
• COWBOYS 2020 DRAFT: MISSISSIPPI STATE’S WILLIE GAY JR. IS AN TRIGUG OPTN AT LEBACKER FOR DALLAS
• MISSISSIPPI STATE LB WILLIE GAY JR. PICKED BY KANSAS CY CHIEFS 2020 NFL DRAFT
• WILLIE GAY JR. FIRST BULLDOG OFF THE BOARD
• NFL DRAFT PROFILE: WILLIE GAY JR. IS A RISK WORTH NSIRG FOR THE BENGALS

SUPER BOWL CHAMPN WILLIE GAY JR. RETURNED TO MISSISSIPPI ON WEDNDAY. HERE'S WHAT HE SAID

2018 SOPHOMORE SEASON: Appeared all 13 gam and earned six starts … Set a reer high wh 48 total tackl, rankg sixth on the team … Add 5. PERSONAL: Born Willie Gay Jr.

15, 1998 … Son of Bridgett and Willie Gay Sr.

GAY JR. — Willie Gay Jr.

'HAIL STATE, BABY': MISSISSIPPI STATE LEGENDS CHRIS JON, WILLIE GAY JR. W SUPER BOWL

"It's always a special time whenever I n e back home and give back to the kids, " Gay MSU SUPER BOWLS:How Chris Jon' rise to 2023 Super Bowl began wh Dan Mullen's secret recmentDARIUS SLAY:Mississippi State football has 'real, te dogs, not Geia'MSU FOOTBALL:Sprg posn battl worth watchgHe was origally slated to be a special gut for Tuday’s Black History Month program, but flight lays forced a postponement. Followg Wednday's readg, Gay field qutns om stunts.

He was asked about his favor subjects school, whether he’d played for teams bis the Chiefs and played any other sports growg he attend elementary school Starkville, stoppg by Wt Oktibbeha County Elementary was special to Gay as his mom works there.

“Mississippi do have a lot of talented people, ” Gay said. Gay took the opportuny to poke fun at a fellow MSU great. “I’m still happy about , ” Gay rpond.

5 THGS TO KNOW ABOUT FORMER MISSISSIPPI STATE LEBACKER WILLIE GAY JR.

”The fun ntued when Gay was asked whether Patrick Mahom was the bt quarterback.

He’s better than that du he's got on, ” Gay joked while potg to the Prtt was honored at the school wh a plaque memoratg his Super Bowl tle and a amed photo of himself celebratg nfetti at State Farm Stadium  Glendale, Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat wrer for the Clarn Ledger.

He rerd three tackl the Super wasn't the lone player reprentg Mississippi the tle game, lebacker Willie Gay Jr.

CHIEFS LB WILLIE GAY: ‘I’VE GROWN’ OM OFF-FIELD ISSU, READY TO EMBRACE NFL OPPORTUNY

He played at Mississippi State (2017-2019) as a prospect out of Starkville High and Gay are brgg champnship rgs to the Magnolia State alongsi Dari Harris − a backup lebacker who attend Middle Tennsee State and is a native of Horn Lake, state's prence the Super Bowl wh players on the losg si as well. Willie Gay jt lov football.

Not Gay.

The game didn't matter much the grand scheme of Gay's reer, but he still played . Willie Gay is a Starkville native Gay has been playg football "Mississippi's College Town" for much longer than the three seasons he spent a maroon and whe uniform. More:'Full of life': Why 2020 NFL Draft prospect Willie Gay is ready for a 'big step'2.

HOW RICKY WOODS KNEW AJ BROWN, WILLIE GAY JR. WERE STED FOR STARDOM WAY BEFORE SUPER BOWL 57

Willie Gay played two gam as a high school QBGay is gog to make hay on fense the NFL.

For two gam high school, though, Gay was a standout on the other si of the ball.

Wh Starkville phg for the playoffs, ach Ricky Woods put Gay at quarterback.

MISSISSIPPI STATE LB WILLIE GAY JR. ENTERG NFL DRAFT

Gay ran the ball 81 tim for 565 yards and ne touchdowns. Willie Gay is a ball hawk Gay has a nose for the football.

In the last ne gam he played at Mississippi State, Gay had an terceptn, forced fumble or fumble revery seven of them. More:'An eraser': How Willie Gay igned Mississippi State's w over Kentucky4.

Willie Gay was spend for most of 2019 That pick six agast UK didn't e until the fourth game of Mississippi State's season. Gay was spend for the first three gam of the season and five more after that. Willie Gay's temper flared after practiceGay got to more trouble toward the end of the season.

WILLIEGAY

After a practice preparatn for the Mic Cy Bowl, Gay reportedly punched quarterback Garrett Shrar the face. " Gay played and set a reer high tackl.

Mississippi State lebacker Willie Gay Jr. — There’s been a lot ma of Mississippi State lebacker Willie Gay Jr. ’s off-field issu, cludg an eight-game spensn for amic d and an alleged fight that jured the Bulldogs’ startg quarterback before a bowl the Chiefs were willg to look past those ncerns — part bee of Andy Reid’s relatnship wh and fah the remendatn of Gay’s former ach, Dan Mullen — and spent a send-round pick on him Friday the 2020 NFL Draft.

”Still, Gay had a lot of qutns to answer durg the pre-draft procs. “They asked me about everythg — the quarterback suatn, the spensn for the amic thg — and ’s not like I’m gog to say wasn’t my flt, bee was somethg that I uld’ve avoid easily, ” Gay allegedly had a tutor perform classwork for him while at Mississippi State and was one of several players spend for the actn. “I alt wh the nsequenc of , ” Gay said.

'FULL OF LIFE': WHY 2020 NFL DRAFT PROSPECT WILLIE GAY IS READY FOR A 'BIG STEP'

”Part of the Chiefs’ nfince gettg the most om Gay is the learship on fense and acuntabily the locker room. ”Meanwhile, Gay's raw football talent is unniable.

COWBOYS 2020 DRAFT: MISSISSIPPI STATE’S WILLIE GAY JR. IS AN TRIGUG OPTN AT LEBACKER FOR DALLAS

”Reid said fensive ordator Steve Spagnuolo loved Gay’s playg style, llg “reckls” and notg that his mentaly f well wh last season’s biggt addns to the fense — Clark and Mathi, who revigorated a stgglg un and helped rhape the locker-room culture. “I feel like ’s perfect for me, ” Gay said. ”Gay — 6 feet, 1 ch and 243 pounds — has the size to play middle lebacker, though maybe not the stcts yet, but he’s also got the speed to play outsi lebacker and posss imprsive verage skills.

”The Chiefs stggled to ver nng backs the passg game last season, but Gay’s blazg speed and superr athleticism make him ial to shore up that glarg weakns.

MISSISSIPPI STATE LB WILLIE GAY JR. PICKED BY KANSAS CY CHIEFS 2020 NFL DRAFT

“I started playg the game when I was 6 (years old) and I was always the fastt guy on the field, ” Gay said. ”If nothg else, Gay will bee an immediate special-teams ntributor.

He had no ia that Starkville had another future NFL standout on the roster Willie Gay Jr., an outsi lebacker who would anchor a fense that held opponents to 11 pots a game that two former teammat will face off Super Bowl 57 on Sunday. Brown leads the Philalphia Eagl wh 1, 496 receivg yards and 11 touchdowns, and Gay has 88 tackl and 2.

WILLIE GAY JR. FIRST BULLDOG OFF THE BOARD

”The Starkville achg staff knew the duo was sted for Jackets wi receivers ach Willie Gillpie knew Brown had great ball skills when he started achg him as a sophomore 2013. "DANDY DOZEN PREVIEW5 recs who will help lay foundatn for 2023 Clarn Ledger Football Dandy DozenOLE MISS FOOTBALL RECRUITINGRecg Kamarn Frankl, first MS 5-star 5 years: Ole Miss, Mississippi State updateGay was the backbone for the Yellow Jackets' n to the 2015 state champnship.

NFL DRAFT PROFILE: WILLIE GAY JR. IS A RISK WORTH NSIRG FOR THE BENGALS

"Gay displayed that as a senr a 35-28 victory over Warren Central 2016, when he was thst to a larger offensive role after Starkville's startg quarterback was hurt that week practice. ”Woods believ Gay learned a lot om Brown's senr year.

Gay watched his recment procs and saw how he handled the hype.

-- Mississippi State lebacker Willie Gay Jr.