Mississippi State grabbed a much-needed addition to its backcourt Friday morning, landing former Georgetown guard Jayden Epps in the transfer portal.
Epps is from Norfolk, Virginia and played his freshman year at Illinois, where he averaged 9.5 points per game in 31 appearances with 11 starts. He thrived as a sophomore with the Hoyas, finishing third in the Big East with 18.5 points per game and also leading the team in assists and steals. His numbers were not quite as gaudy last season, but he still averaged 12.8 points and improved his accuracy from 3-point range, shooting 34.4 percent from deep.
With Claudell Harris, Riley Kugel and RJ Melendez — and possibly Josh Hubbard, pending his decision on the NBA Draft — departing, the Bulldogs needed help at guard, and Epps provides exactly that alongside Ja’Borri McGhee, who transferred from UAB earlier this month.
MSU has also added help in the frontcourt with center Quincy Ballard (Wichita State) and forwards Amier Ali (Arizona State) and Achor Achor (Samford via Kansas State). Sam Walters, who previously played at Michigan and Alabama, committed to the Bulldogs out of the portal initially but flipped to SMU after MSU added Achor at the same position.
The Bulldogs finished 21-13 overall in 2024-25 with an 8-10 record in Southeastern Conference play. MSU reached the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year under head coach Chris Jans but once again failed to win a game once there, falling to Baylor in the first round.
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