Leaving Mississippi State
11/15 - RB Simeon Price
Price lost his true freshman campaign to injury in 2021 but emerged as the Bulldogs' #3 running back in 2022. That season, the Pensacola, Fla. native rushed for 150 yards and caught 13 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. Price got lost in the shuffle during the 2023 season and carried the ball only five times for 41 yards while making two receptions for 13 yards.
11/15 - WR Jacoby Bellazar
Bellazar redshirted the 2023 season after transferring from Southwest Mississippi Community College. He appeared in two games and made one reception for 13 yards.
11/16 - WR Nakai Poole
Poole redshirted his freshman season with the Bulldogs. The three-star recruit out of Norcross (Ga.) High School held offers from Auburn, Michigan State, Missouri and Louisville among many others.
Poole committed to James Madison on 1/6.
11/16 - S Will James
James redshirted his freshman season with the Bulldogs, appearing in one game at Auburn. The two-star prospect also held offers from Indiana, Colorado, Southern Miss and Florida Atlantic.
James committed to Southern Miss on 12/20.
11/24 - QB Will Rogers
Rogers leaves Mississippi State as one of the most accomplished passers in school history. He started 40 games over four seasons with the Bulldogs, and threw for 12,315 yards, 96 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. Injuries and a scheme change plagued Rogers during the 2023 campaign, as he threw for 1,626 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions in eight games while completing a career-worst 59.9% of his passes.
Rogers committed to Washington on 12/15.
Rogers re-entered the transfer portal on 1/12.
11/29 - TE Ryland Goede
Goede spent one season at Mississippi State after spending four seasons at Georgia. He appeared in 11 games with seven starts while being primarily used as a blocking tight end. Goede made one catch for 18 yards in the maroon and white.
Goede committed to Georgia Tech on 12/14.
11/30 - OL Steven Losoya III
Losoya spent two seasons at Mississippi State after transferring from Middle Tennessee State, making 21 starts. He primarily played left guard and center in 2022 before becoming the team's starting right guard in 2023.
Losoya committed to Vanderbilt on 12/11.
12/6 - WR Zavion Thomas
Thomas was Mississippi State's second leading receiver as a sophomore, hauling in 40 passes for 503 yards and a touchdown. Also a dynamic return specialist, the Louisiana native returned a punt for a touchdown as a freshman in 2022 and returned a kickoff for a touchdown in 2023.
Thomas committed to LSU on 12/15.
12/7 - S Corey Ellington
Ellington saw his first extended playing time as a junior in 2023. The Lexington, Miss. native made seven starts on the season, and totaled 66 tackles, two pass breakups, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Ellington withdrew from the transfer portal and returned to Mississippi State on 12/19.
12/7 - CB DeCarlos Nicholson
Nicholson spent the last two seasons at Mississippi State after transferring from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and he saw his first extensive action as a senior. The Petal, Miss. native made seven starts on the season and tallied 42 tackles and two pass breakups.
Nicholson committed to USC on 12/20.
12/10 - RB Jo'Quavious Marks
Marks spent four seasons at Mississippi State and leaves the program as the all-time leader in receptions with 214. During his career, the Atlanta native totaled 1,883 yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground with 1,225 yards and five touchdowns through the air.
Marks committed to USC on 12/20.
12/13 - CB Decamerion Richardson
Richardson spent four seasons at Mississippi State and was a starter for the past two. As a junior, the Bossier City, La. native made 85 tackles with three pass breakups and a fumble recovery. As a senior, Richardson made 79 tackles with seven pass breakups.
Richardson committed to Ole Miss on 12/18.
12/14 - CB Jamari Brown
Brown was a late addition to Mississippi State’s 2023 roster as a graduate transfer from Purdue. After registering three interceptions as a redshirt junior with the Boilermakers, he appeared in only two games on special teams for the Bulldogs.
12/18 TE Jacarius Clayton
Clayton redshirted his true freshman season as a defensive lineman before moving to tight end this season, where he did not see any game action. Clayton was a four-star recruit who flipped to Mississippi State from Ole Miss.
Clayton committed to Marshall on 1/6.
12/20 - LT Percy Lewis
Lewis, a former four-star prospect out of junior college, emerged as one of Mississippi State's top offensive lineman as a senior in 2023. He appeared in all 12 games this season while starting seven at left tackle. He was the team's highest graded offensive lineman with a 66.6 PFF grade, and was the second highest graded pass protector with a 73.1 pass blocking grade while allowing just one sack.
1/3 - DL Jonathan Davis
Davis, a former-three star recruit, redshirted his initial season at Mississippi State. The Lawrence County (Miss.) standout was a late addition to Mississippi State's 2023 recruiting class, picking the Bulldogs over Ole Miss, Texas and Florida.
Committed to Mississippi State
12/8 - Baylor QB Blake Shapen
Shapen comes to Mississippi State after a four-year career at Baylor where he made 23 starts. As a redshirt freshman in 2021, Shapen replaced an injured Gerry Bohannon and led the Bears to a victory over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship game, throwing for three touchdowns and no interceptions. As the full time starter in 2022, Shapen completed 63.3% of his passes for 2,790 yards, 18 touchdowns and ten interceptions. The Shreveport, La. native missed four games due to injury in 2023, and completed 61.7% of his passes for 2,188 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions in eight starts.
12/13 - North Carolina DL Kedrick Bingley-Jones
Bingley-Jones was the #98 prospect in the 2020 Rivals250 but saw his four-year career at North Carolina derailed by injuries. During his time with the Tar Heels, the Charlotte native totaled eight tackles with one tackle for loss.
12/14 - North Texas C Ethan Miner
Miner spent three seasons at Arkansas State before spending the 2023 campaign at North Texas, which was the best of his career. PFF ranked Miner as the #2 overall center in the country with a 83.2 PFF grade, an 88.3 pass blocking grade with zero sacks allowed and a 79.4 run blocking grade.
12/16 - Memphis LT Makylan Pounders
Pounders, a Byhalia, Miss. native, returns to the Magnolia State after a successful season at left tackle for Memphis. While holding down the blindside, Pounders surrendered just one sack on the season in ten starts.
12/17 Memphis DB Traveon Wright
Wright comes to Mississippi State after redshirting his freshman season at Memphis. He follows Memphis defensive coordinator Matt Barnes to Starkville, who will serve as Mississippi State's co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.
12/17 Vanderbilt TE Justin Ball
The graduate transfer was a team captain at Vanderbilt who started all 12 games last season. He made 15 receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown.
12/17 Buffalo TE Cameron Ball
Joining his brother Justin, Cameron Ball comes to Starkville after a solid redshirt freshman season at Buffalo. He appeared in ten games with six starts, and made eight receptions for 82 yards.
12/17 Purdue DL Sulaiman Kpaka
Kpaka comes to Mississippi State after serving the last two seasons as a rotational defensive lineman for Purdue. He made 18 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks in 2022 and 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in 2023.
12/19 - LSU OL Marlon Martinez
Martinez has played all three interior offensive line spots during his four seasons at LSU, making four starts while seeing tons of action off the bench. He's played 567 snaps in his career, and has allowed just one sack in 279 pass blocking opportunities.
12/19 - UTEP WR Kelly Akharaiyi
Akharaiyi was one of the nation's most dynamic wide receivers last season, ranking 5th in college football with 21.5 yards per catch. On the season, he made 48 receptions for 1,033 yards and seven touchdowns and was named to the All-CUSA First Team.
12/29 - New Mexico State P Zach Haynes
Haynes, who began his career at Southeast Missouri State, served as New Mexico State's primary punter this season and follows new Mississippi State special teams coach Cliff Odom to Starkville. This season, Haynes punted 52 times for a 40.9-yard average with 19 punts inside the 20.
1/4 - Louisville WR Kevin Coleman
Coleman, a former Top 50 recruit, finished 2023 as Louisville's third leading receiver. The sophomore primarily operated out of the slot and caught 26 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns. As a freshman, Coleman starred for Deion Sanders at Jackson State and made 33 receptions for 510 yards and three scores.
1/5 - South Carolina LB Stone Blanton
Blanton, a Jackson, Miss. native, returns home to the Magnolia State after spending his first two college seasons at South Carolina. This past season, Blanton started 13 games and made 52 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, three pass breakup, and one interception which he returned for a touchdown.
1/8 - Auburn DL Wilky Denaud
Denaud, a four-star recruit in the 2023 class, redshirted his true freshman season at Auburn. He will have four seasons of eligibility and gives the Bulldogs a young talent who can make an impact for multiple seasons.
1/9 - Texas Tech OL Jacoby Jackson
Jackson comes to Starkville after starting eight games for Texas Tech this season, playing seven at left guard and one at right guard. He finished as one of the top pass blocking guards in the Big 12 with a 78.6 pass blocking grade according to PFF to go along with zero sacks and a 57.4 run blocking grade.
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