Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby wrapped up recruiting for the 2026 season with a 24-player transfer portal class, addressing numerous departures on both sides of the trenches and filling in key roles at skill positions.
The Bulldogs managed to take a step forward after a forgettable 2-10 2024 season, but the 5-8 campaign fell short of Lebby’s goals for 2025. This year, the staff entered the portal window with the goal of building a stronger team around breakout freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor.
Here’s a closer look at which positions the Bulldogs went after, and where questions remain after the recruiting haul.
Strengths
DB Depth
The Bulldog defense found a decent formula at defensive back to help paper over cracks on the back end last season, and they did so largely thanks to depth at safety. The team’s approach to the portal seems to to replicate that and replace outgoing talent with equally experienced players at this level.
Marcus Williams, Jardin Gilbert and Kendel Dolby provide depth and experience at safety, while Quentin Taylor Jr., Jamroc Grimsley and Kaylib Singleton add some depth at corner.
Isaac Smith is a big returner for MSU, a two-time All-SEC selection and hybrid piece operating between safety and linebacker for the Bulldogs.
One of the more important players retained is lockdown cornerback Kelley Jones, a player who was starting to get some NFL Draft buzz before reaffirming his commitment to the Bulldogs, was recently named to a way-too-early All-America team by On3. Teams simply stopped throwing his way around the middle of the 2025 season, which also exposed the lack of talent on the other side of the field. With the additions at corner, Lebby and Arnett might have found the right complementary pieces to expand Jones’ impact against opposing offenses.
Offensive playmaking potential
MSU is losing its top receiver in Brenen Thompson, who set a new single-season record for receiving yards by surpassing the career stats from his past three seasons combined.
Anthony Evans, another key addition from last year’s portal class, will return to catch passes from Kamario Taylor in 2026, and he’ll have a couple of new and exciting teammates alongside him.
Marquis Johnson is the most proven addition, posting 1,075 yards and six touchdowns in 37 career games at Missouri. Like Thompson and Evans, he isn’t the biggest receiver, but he more than makes up for it with playmaking ability. Just get the ball in his hands and he’ll take care of the rest.
Zion Ragins has a similar profile, standing 5-foor-8 but possessing blazing speed, with a 100-meter dash time of 10.37 in high school.
Concerns
O-Line experience
Some of the defining moments of MSU’s 2025 season feature a common thread: offensive line issues.
Whether it was a blown blindside assignment on a Tennessee scoop-and-score, a faulty fourth-and-short plays against Texas A&M and Florida or Kamario Taylor running for his life in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, MSU’s offense suffered greatly because of an inability to get a push up front, and the staff has recognized that.
Only one regular starter, Canon Boone, remains from the 2025 unit, with Jayvin James, Jimothy Lewis and Zack Owens all departing in the portal.
The Bulldogs added eight offensive linemen through the portal, but there is a lack of starting experience.
Guard Miles McVay is the most experienced addition to the portal, having played seven games for North Carolina last season and 23 total games in his career. Brandon Sneh started every game for UAB last year at left tackle and is the obvious candidate for the same role at MSU in 2026, and DJ Chester from LSU is the same choice at center for the Bulldogs, with 14 starts at the position for LSU. He was a Freshman All-SEC selection at the position in 2024, but made just one start last year.
The young talent added shouldn’t be overlooked either. There are several former top high-school prospects making the decision to move to MSU after just one year, including Mississippi native Mario Nash, who was a prized recruiting target for MSU before committing to Florida State.
The potential is there, but with another year of changeover and a brand new group playing together, it’s hard to know if the unit is trustworthy yet.
Proven pass rushers
Just many of MSU’s offensive struggles stemmed from problems up front, the lack of a pass rush from the defensive line often put far too much pressure on the linebackers and secondary.
Senior linebacker Nic Mitchell was the team’s sack leader with 2.5 sacks, just 0.5 more than Will Whitson, who registered two sacks in six quarters of football before a season-ending knee injury. Whitson’s return is important, but the Bulldogs will be counting on him to fully recover for his final year to give MSU a lift.
The Bulldogs added three edge rushers through the portal, though none of them have tallied better than two sacks in a season. Jayson Jenkins and Amaree Williams joined from Florida State as the most experienced defensive-line additions and Gus Cordova transferred in after one year at USC.
The past production doesn’t jump out much, but it is worth noting that perhaps the most important addition to the defensive line is the return of Zach Arnett as defensive coordinator. While he had plenty of talent to work with in his previous stint in charge of the MSU defense, his aggressive style also got the most out of the unit over three years.
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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 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
