If you think the world of college football recruiting can be a ruthless business, wait until you see what happens behind the scenes.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs creative team learned that lesson the hard way this week.
They’re about as big a part of National Signing Day as anybody, which is why it came as a surprise that the program let senior director of creative strategy Jonathan King and his entire team go at the completion of NSD on Wednesday.
King shared the news in a thread on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday morning, revealing that Mississippi State waited until the signing day work was done before letting them go — without any explanation.
This might surprise you as much as it did me but last evening, at the completion of signing day, my team and I were let go from Mississippi State Football.
We weren’t given an explanation, and when I asked if I could ask any questions , I was told “I’m sorry, no.”
(long🧵)
— Jonathan King (@jonathanvking) December 5, 2024
If that sounds odd, it absolutely is.
“If this has become an industry where fear of failure or criticism is the wind that steers the ship, then creativity and innovation will be seen as a threat,” King wrote. “And punished. When tension and pressure run high, make sure you are in a place that fully supports what you are doing.”
“Creatives need to know that things are shifting,” he added. “The money in college athletics is beginning to change the way you will be treated. MAKE SURE you are taking a job where you will be supported. This came as a complete shock to our team, given the circumstances of the season.”
And it came as a shock given the circumstances surrounding the creative team’s arrival in Starkville.
It’s been nearly 13 months since Jeff Lebby arrived in town and 10 months since the program made a significant investment in a creative team. King was brought on to build and lead the department from the ground up. Following the program’s substantial financial investment, he hired a young staff, all 28 years old and under.
And just like that, they were let go.
No explanation. Nothing.
The lack of humanity that has overtaken college athletics is a concerning trend. If you find yourself working for someone who fights for you, even when things go off course, cherish that and then emulate that. It’s becoming more and more rare by the day.
— Jonathan King (@jonathanvking) December 5, 2024
Another layer of confusion in the story is the case of Tyler Lockhart.
If you’re unfamiliar, Lockhart, a long-time Mississippi State commit, flipped to rival Ole Miss during his signing ceremony, leading to public celebration from the Rebels. However, in a dramatic turn of events, Lockhart reversed his decision just hours later and signed with Mississippi State.
The Mississippi State creative team then released a video featuring Lockhart in their locker room, seemingly celebrating his final decision.
The best in state come to STATE!
4-star linebacker @_TylerL_12 is a DAWG!#HailState pic.twitter.com/ThbtHmopJn
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) December 5, 2024
It’s unclear whether the video was filmed before or after Lockhart flipped his commitment back to Mississippi State, which makes the decision to let the creative team go all the more questionable.
In an era where college athletics is increasingly driven by business more than anything, there’s likely more to the story than meets the eye. But one thing’s for certain: firing an entire creative team hours after National Signing Day just isn’t good optics no matter how you slice it.
Whether Mississippi State will provide a more detailed explanation to its former creative team — or the public —remains to be seen.
