Projecting Mississippi State’s Most Impactful Transfers for 2026

Mississippi State isn’t done building its 2026 transfer portal class, but with 23 players either committed or signed to come to Starkville, the end is closer than the beginning.

Now we can start to look at the transfer portal class, that’s ranked No. 18 by On3/Rivals and No. 34 by 247Sports and try to predict who the impactful players will be. The type of impact transfer that Brenen Thompson was in his one season with the Bulldogs, setting a new single-season receiving yards record.

We’ll do this based on the current list of incoming Bulldogs. It would change if Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton picks Mississippi State over Oregon, Miami and LSU. He would instantly become the most impactful transfer in this class.

But his future destination hasn’t been decided/announced. So, we move on.

These are my best guesses. A lot can happen between now and the start of the 2026 season with offseason workouts, spring practices and preseason practices. So, this list most likely won’t be right, but when has that ever stopped anyone?

Most Impactful Transfers in 2026

WR Marquis Johnson

Let’s start with the player most likely brought in as a Brenen Thompson replacement. It’s near-impossible to find a player with Thompson’s speed or faster, but Johnson is pretty close to.

The 5-foot-11, 185-lbs. receiver caught 28 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns with Missouri in 2025. Mississippi State has Anthony Evans III set to return next season, but he’ll need a running mate along with Ayden Williams and Frisco Magee.

S Jardin Gilbert

Mississippi State is losing two starting safeties and several backups. That made it an obvious area of focus in the transfer portal. Technically, the Bulldogs signed just two safeties in the portal, but did sign four cornerbacks. Some might be moved to safety or younger players could be counted on.

No matter what, though, expect Gilbert to make an impact.

Gilbert may end up being the best transfer portal addition. He didn’t play much last season for LSU, but has 142 total tackles in his collegiate career, eight pass deflections, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and three interceptions.

He’s experienced and talented. If healthy, he’ll big a big player in the Bulldogs’ secondary.

OL Tyler Miller

The last one is always the hardest and that was true for this. For a successful season in 2026, though, the answer needs to be an offensive lineman. Just which one?

It’s probably easier just to throw a dart and pick wherever it lands, but there’s something intriguing to me about Tyler Miller. The ex-LSU tackle is 6-foot-6, 335-lbs., exactly what you want an SEC lineman to be.

He was a four-star recruit coming out of Laurel High School in Mississippi, but didn’t see much playing time in his first season at LSU.

The Bulldogs need a better offensive line, so Kamario Taylor doesn’t take a beating like he did in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Miller could be part of that solution.

Mississippi State 2026 Transfer Portal

Class Rankings

On3/Rivals: No. 18
247Sports: No. 34

Incoming Bulldogs

WR Marquis Johnson (Missouri)
DE Jayson Jenkins (Florida State)
QB AJ Swann (Appalachian State)
CB Kaylib Singleton (Syracuse)
CB Quentin Taylor (Iowa State)
OL Mario Nash (Florida State)
CB Jameer Grimsley (Florida)
S Marcus Williams (Rice)
OL Jaelyne Matthews (Florida State)
EDGE Amaree Williams (Florida State)
OL LJ Prudhomme (Arkansas)
DE Gus Cordova (USC)
TE Riley Williams (Oregon State)
WR Zion Ragins (Oklahoma)
OL Isaiah Autry-Dent (Oklahoma)
OL DJ Chester (LSU)
CB Kendel Dolby (Oklahoma)
S Jardin Gilbert (LSU)
OL Tyler Miller (LSU)
DT Dealyn Evans (Texas A&M)
OT Miles McVay (North Carolina)
LB Gavin Holman (Florida State)
OL Brandon Sneh (UAB)

Outgoing Bulldogs

WR Jordan Mosley
S Stonka Burnside (Memphis)
WR Cam Thompson (Northern Illinois)
DL Terrance Hibbler
OL Jaekwon Bouldin
WR Jaron Glover (USF)
DL Corey Clark
OL Alex Lopez (Western Kentucky)
K Marlon Hauck (Tulsa)
OL Brennan Smith
S Tony Mitchell (Ole Miss)
WR Markus Allen
DE Joseph Head (Memphis)
TE Max Reese
OL Jimothy Lewis Jr. (Cal)
WR Ferzell Shepard
TE Emeka Iloh
S Lo'Kavion Jackson
TE Cam Ball (West Virginia)
QB Luke Kromenhoek (South Florida)
RB Johnnie Daniels
S Tyler Woodard
CB Dwight Lewis III
DL Ashun Shepphard (Cal)
WR Davian Jackson
P Nathan Tiyce (Penn State)
DT Kai McClendon (Washington)
CB Elijah Cannon (Kansas)
S Cyrus Reyes
OL Luke Work (Missouri)
RB Seth Davis (Tulsa)
OL Koby Keenum (Memphis)
LB Montrell Chapman
DT Kedrick Bingley-Jones (Alabama)
CB DK McGruder
CB Jayven Williams (BYU)
OL Zack Owens (Missouri)
WR Ricky Johnson (Utah)
OL Jayvin James