This afternoon, Mississippi State added another piece to the puzzle as former Albany guard Jamel Horton announced his commitment to the Bulldogs.

The Queens, NY, native played his first two college seasons at Pratt Community College in Kansas. While in Juco, Horton averaged 17.3 points and 4.6 assists and earned himself a scholarship at the Division-1 level at Albany.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound point guard joined the Great Danes in the 2020-21 season and averaged 9.4 points, 3.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and one steal while shooting 42.7% from the field and 35.5% from three.

This season, Horton led Albany in both scoring and assists with 12.8 points and 3.9 assists. He shot 42% from the field and 35.9% from beyond the arc, and earned America East All-Conference Honors.

Horton's true value comes on the defensive side. The America East defensive player of the year averaged 1.1 steals per game, and was lock down on opposing guards all season. A perfect fit for new head Coach Chris Jans' style of play.

Mississippi State saw a large chunk of their roster enter the transfer portal this off-season, as DJ Jeffries, Shakeel Moore, Javian Davis, Andersson Garcia, Rocket Watts, Camryn Carter, Derek Fountain, and Alden Applewhite elected to look for other options.

State was able to get Jeffries and Moore to come back, and also brought in Oregon State point guard and Pac-12 assist leader Dashawn Davis, Southeast Missouri State and First Team All-OVC guard Eric Reed Jr., and New Mexico State starting center Will McNair Jr.

Center Tolu Smith and forwards Cameron Matthews and Keyshawn Murphy are set to return, and MSU also brings in a pair of freshmen in Clinton (MS) forward Kimani Hamilton and Sipsey Valley (AL) guard Martavious Russell.

Mississippi State now has two open scholarships to fill. Chris Jans plans to keep one of those open when summer school starts up. Missouri State's Isiaih Mosley remains the priority target to fill the last spot, but things have cooled down with him as of late.