Mississippi State wide receiver Rufus Harvey entered the transfer portal on Thursday, sources confirmed with Bulldog Blitz. D1Baseball was first to report the news. Harvey appeared in 13 games and started six as a slot receiver in 2022.
Harvey, a Starkville native, led the Bulldogs with 53 receptions as a redshirt sophomore last season, and also tacked on 505 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He went for a career high 64 yards against Georgia with a touchdown, and tallied over 50 yards four times.
The 5’10”, 165-pound pass catcher originally committed to Arkansas State as a member of the 2020 recruiting class, but signed with Mississippi State after earning an offer when Mike Leach took over. Harvey redshirted his initial season on campus, and appeared in five games as a redshirt freshman in 2021 with five receptions for 39 yards and a touchdown.
Sources said that Harvey is enrolled in summer school at Mississippi State. Because Harvey entered after the portal window closed, he will need to graduate in order to have immediate eligibility.
Harvey did not participate in practice this spring due to an undisclosed injury. It is possible that the injury will keep him sidelined for the 2023 season as well.
Harvey is one of two starting Bulldog receivers to enter the transfer portal, joining Rara Thomas who transferred to Georgia. Mississippi State still returns a multitude of key pieces from their 2022 wide receiver corps, including Justin Robinson, Tulu Griffin, Jaden Walley, and Zavion Thomas. They also added Eastern Washington’s Freddie Roberson through the portal.