Alabama gained a significant addition to its defensive line in the 2026 college football transfer portal when Kedrick Bingley-Jones committed to the Tide from Mississippi State. They had to wait for him to receive an NCAA eligibility waiver, which has evidently been processed.
Bingley-Jones has been cleared to return for a seventh season of college football, he announced on social media. The 24-year-old has been in the NCAA since 2020, when he committed to North Carolina as a four-star recruit.
“Thank you God!” Bingley-Jones tweeted. “Waiver got approved by the NCAA [prayer emoji] #TYG #RollTide.”
Bingley-Jones redshirted his first season with the Tar Heels before making his official debut in 2021. He appeared in 11 games each in 2021 and 2022 before missing all but two games in 2023 due to injury. Bingley-Jones received a medical redshirt for that season before entering the transfer portal.
After committing to Mississippi State in 2024, Bingley-Jones suffered another injury that limited him to just four games in 2024. He finally played his first full season with the Bulldogs in 2025, recording 25 tackles, one pass breakup, eight pressures and eight quarterback hurries.
Although he was listed as a redshirt senior in 2025, Bingley-Jones' four-game season in 2022 is now being considered a second medical redshirt year. He will complete his college football career at his third different school, Alabama.
Bingley-Jones will not be an All-SEC-caliber player, but he will provide depth to Alabama's interior defensive line. His 6-foot-4, 320-pound frame gave opposing offensive lines fits at times in his lone full season at Mississippi State. His 61.2 player grade on Pro Football Focus was the third-highest on the Bulldogs' defensive line.
By receiving a waiver, Bingley-Jones joins his Mississippi State teammate, offensive tackle Jayvin Jones, in transferring to Alabama. The Tide's 2026 transfer portal class is ranked 17th by 247 Sports and 45th by On3 Sports.
