With the transfer portal now open, Mississippi State will need to rebuild a significant portion of its roster now that more than a dozen players on the 2023 Bulldogs have opted to transfer and several more have declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. The Commercial Dispatch is tracking players who have committed to MSU via the portal here.
Montre Miller, cornerback, West Virginia
After battling injuries through his first three years at Kent State, Miller turned into a shutdown corner for the Golden Flashes in 2021 and 2022, with 99 tackles, 16 pass breakups and six interceptions between those two seasons. He played in just one game last year for the Mountaineers before missing the rest of the season with an injury.
Anthony Johnson, defensive lineman, Youngstown State
Johnson redshirted as a true freshman at Bowling Green before enjoying four solid years at Youngstown State, finishing with 45 tackles (nine for loss) and five sacks in 36 games. He had initially committed to Illinois out of the portal before flipping to the Bulldogs for his final year of eligibility.
Trent Hudson, wide receiver, New Mexico State
Originally a junior college product, Hudson had a very productive 2023 season with the Aggies, catching 35 passes for 551 yards and 10 touchdowns. A big-play threat downfield now in a room full of them with the Bulldogs, Hudson had seven receptions for 112 yards and two scores in the Conference USA Championship Game against Liberty.
Davon Booth, running back, Utah State
Booth started his collegiate career at the junior college level before excelling for the Aggies in 2023, rushing for 805 yards on 120 carries with six touchdowns. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark three times in games against James Madison, Colorado State and Boise State. Booth fills a major area of need for the Bulldogs in the spring window, joining Keyvone Lee, Jeffery Pittman and Johnnie Daniels in the running backs room with Seth Davis still recovering from injury.
DeAgo Brumfield, defensive back, Memphis
Brumfield is the third player the Bulldogs have brought in from the Tigers, joining cornerback Tre Wright and offensive lineman Makylan Pounders. He finished with 10 pass breakups in 2023 to go along with 42 total tackles and a forced fumble. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Jacoby Jackson, offensive lineman, Texas Tech
Jackson started six games in 2022 and eight in 2023 for the Red Raiders after redshirting in 2021. He had a bounty of offers out of high school, including MSU and Ole Miss, and has two years of eligibility remaining.
Stone Blanton, linebacker, South Carolina
A Mississippi product who attended Madison-Ridgeland Academy, Blanton was once committed to the Bulldogs to play baseball before ultimately deciding to pursue football with the Gamecocks. He started all 12 games for South Carolina in 2023, his sophomore season, finishing with 52 tackles (31 solo), one sack, one forced fumble and one interception, which he returned 88 yards for a touchdown against Jacksonville State. Blanton figures to start for MSU, which needs help at linebacker with the departures of Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson and Jett Johnson. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Kevin Coleman, wide receiver, Louisville
A four-star prospect out of high school in St. Louis, Coleman committed to Jackson State over all kinds of major conference offers, including Alabama, Michigan, Florida State and USC. He caught 32 passes for 475 yards during his lone year with the Tigers, becoming the SWAC Freshman of the Year. Coleman played in just three games in 2023 for the Cardinals, finishing with four receptions for 66 yards. He joins a talented incoming group of wideouts headlined by incoming freshmen JJ Harrell, Braylon Burnside and Mario Craver.
Kelly Akharaiyi, wide receiver, UTEP
Akharaiyi had a huge 2023 season for the Miners, hauling in 48 passes for 1,033 yards and seven touchdowns and closing out the year with four consecutive 100-plus yard games. He will have one year of eligibility remaining and figures to be a key piece in a receiving corps that has lost Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin and Zavion Thomas.
Marlon Martinez, offensive lineman, LSU
Martinez has played four years with the Tigers and can fill any spot on the offensive line. He had offers from seven Southeastern Conference programs coming out of high school in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and will be a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.
Sulaiman Kpaka, defensive lineman, Purdue
Kpaka, a redshirt senior in 2023 from Grand Prairie, Texas, registered 10 tackles this fall, including sacks against Syracuse and Illinois. He will be a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.
Cam Ball, tight end, Buffalo
Ball, a freshman this season with the Bulls, played in five games, catching eight passes for 82 yards. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Justin Ball, tight end, Vanderbilt
Cam’s brother, Ball has spent the last five seasons with the Commodores, totaling 22 catches for 204 yards and a touchdown, which came this past season against UNLV. The product of Glenn Dale, Md. will be a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.
Tre Wright, cornerback, Memphis
A freshman from Perry, Ga., Wright will have four years of eligibility remaining. He did not record any stats with the Tigers this fall.
Makylan Pounders, offensive tackle, Memphis
Pounders allowed just one sack in 400 snaps this season with the Tigers. He grew up in northwest Mississippi, and had committed to MSU and later Ole Miss as a high school prospect before ultimately choosing Memphis. As a transfer, he chose the Bulldogs over Auburn, South Carolina, Texas Tech and Pittsburgh. Pounders will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Ethan Miner, interior offensive lineman, North Texas
Miner played three years at Arkansas State before spending the 2023 season with the Mean Green. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Kendrick Bingley-Jones, defensive lineman, North Carolina
With Nathan Pickering and Jaden Crumedy both declaring for the draft, the Bulldogs were in need of upgrades in their defensive front. Bingley-Jones should give them just that. He has played sparingly in his three years for the Tar Heels and appeared in just four games this past season, but entered college as the fifth-best defensive tackle in his class in the Rivals rankings. The Concord, N.C. native will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Blake Shapen, quarterback, Baylor
In three years with the Bears, Shapen completed 64 percent of his passes for 5,574 yards with 36 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He played in just eight games in 2023, with his best performance coming against Houston — he completed 29 of 37 passes for 263 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The product of Shreveport, La. will have one year of eligibility remaining.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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