STARKVILLE — In the current age of college sports, when the transfer portal has helped year-to-year roster turnover reach an all-time high and athletes can earn money through name, image and likeness collectives, coaches are increasingly focusing on building a team for each season rather than attracting “program players.”

Few coaches understand that dynamic better than Mississippi State’s Chris Jans, but Jans now has the job security to think about the long term if he wants to. He signed a four-year contract extension on May 20 that will keep him in Starkville through the 2027-28 season after leading the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two years on the job.

In April, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that Jans was interviewing over Zoom for the vacant Razorbacks’ head coach position, which ultimately went to former Kentucky head coach John Calipari. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Jans declined to confirm that he interviewed for the Arkansas job. His new contract with MSU will increase his annual salary to $4.2 million, compared to $3.2 million last season and $2.4 million the year before.

“They’re going to expect us to win more,” Jans said. “We’re excited to be here and to continue to build upon what we’ve started. You hearken back to when we got here, that’s what we said we were going to do. We were going to make the NCAA Tournament, we were going to build teams each and every year with the goal of being a perennial NCAA Tournament at-large program, and fortunately we’ve been able to do that.”

Jans went into his first full offseason with the Bulldogs last year knowing he would have all five starters coming back, but just two starters from this past season will be on MSU’s 2024-25 roster.

Guard Josh Hubbard emerged as one of the Southeastern Conference’s best freshmen and best shooters, scoring at least 23 points in six straight games late in the season. Forward Cameron Matthews, who led the Bulldogs in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, is also back for his fifth and final season in the maroon and white.

“Everybody knows (Matthews’) athletic ability and his competitiveness,” Jans said. “He plays with a fire and he’s got all those intangibles. He’s off the chart that way. But his skill level needs to improve, and now is the time. You’ve got months to put the time in and improve your game. For us, obviously it’s crucial, but more importantly for him and his future in basketball, it’s more crucial for his career.”

Hubbard and Matthews are a solid foundation for a winning team, but with Tolu Smith, D.J. Jeffries, Shakeel Moore and Dashawn Davis out the door, Jans needed to reload through the transfer portal, and MSU’s six portal additions, five came from high-major programs.

The Bulldogs lost Moore, Trey Fort and Jaquan Scott to the portal, and forward KeShawn Murphy tested the waters as well before opting to return to MSU.

“We had an understanding of how we should handle it,” Jans said. “We just try to give them time and space. It’s not a sales pitch. I always feel like at that point, if you’ve had a young man in your program for a year and you’re recruiting him and selling him like a new recruit, if I was a current player, I’d be like, ‘What are you talking about? I just had 9-10 months around you every day.’”

Murphy missed nearly a month in the early part of SEC play due to a personal matter, but became a multi-level scorer and adept offensive rebounder down the stretch. Two transfer big men, Michael Nwoko (Miami) and Jeremy Foumena (Rhode Island) join Murphy in the frontcourt.

Nwoko made just one start for the Hurricanes, averaging 8.8 minutes per game with 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per contest. Foumena came off the bench for the Rams, averaging 5.3 points and 3.5 boards in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

“We’re not asking any one of the two new guys or any returnee to be Tolu Smith,” Jans said. “We need some folks to step up and provide some production, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be how Tolu or Jimmy (Bell) did it. It’s going to be different. We’re going to have to figure out exactly who they are and what they’re made of. I’m excited about the challenge.”

In the backcourt, the Bulldogs added Kanye Clary from Penn State, Claudell Harris from Boston College, RJ Melendez from Georgia and Riley Kugel from Florida. Kugel and Melendez have SEC experience and are solid on the defensive end, while Clary and Harris are better shooters and give MSU more options from outside if Hubbard is struggling.

Tuesday was the Bulldogs’ first full-squad practice with the newcomers, who will be joined by a trio of incoming freshman — combo guard Dellquan Warren, center Chol Machot and power forward Eric Paymon.

“It’s exhilarating to get out there and see how they move in person, to watch them go through the drills we’re teaching them,” Jans said. “The year before, we had more main guys. We have plenty of guys returning this year, but not as many starters or full rotation guys as we did a year ago, so we have more new players who are going to be vying for those roles. It’s exciting to unwrap the gifts and see what they’re all about.”