All-American Tulu Griffin withdraws from transfer portal

Five days after putting his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal, Mississippi State wide receiver and All-American kick returner Tulu Griffin has withdrawn from the portal and will return to Mississippi State.

Griffin is the 2nd Mississippi State player to return after initially entering the portal as freshman WR/PR Zavion Thomas did so last month.

The electric receiver was someone Mississippi State needed to hold on to as their two other top outside wide receivers - Rara Thomas and Caleb Ducking - have left the program. Thomas elected to transfer to Georgia while Ducking had exhausted his college eligibility.

The 5'11" Griffin had his most productive year as a junior this season, catching 40 passes for 502 yards and four touchdowns while splitting time with Rara Thomas at the X-Receiver position. He was most dynamic on special teams being named the First Team All-American kick returner. He led the nation with a 32.3-yard kick return average which was 4.1 yards better than 2nd place, and has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in his career.

Mississippi State has still been hit hard on the offensive side of the ball by the transfer portal. RB Dillon Johnson is headed to Washington while a pair of young quarterbacks in Sawyer Robertson (Baylor) and Braedyn Locke (Wisconsin) have depleted the Bulldogs' QB depth with their departures in addition to Rara Thomas' transfer.

Zach Arnett has loaded up the defensive backfield in the portal grabbing Miami CB Khamauri Rogers, LSU CB Ray'Darious Jones, Indiana CB Christopher Keys, and Kentucky S Kobi Albert. Mississippi State has also found its kicker for next season in Nick Barr-Mira, a four-year starter at UCLA.