Mississippi
Where Mississippi State football stands as portal closes, and what about Jordan Seaton?
STARKVILLE — The transfer portal is closed, meaning most of Mississippi State football’s transfer moves are complete.
The deadline for players to notify their school of an intention to transfer was Jan. 16. The schools have two business days to enter the players into the transfer portal, so some entries could still trickle in. But for the most part, the 2026 roster is set.
However, transfers can still commit and sign with the portal closed. The Bulldogs have added 21 transfers as of Jan. 17. They are still in pursuit of more transfers, including one of the top players in the portal.
Here’s where Mississippi State made its biggest gains from the transfer portal and what last-minute needs remain.
Mississippi State football transfer portal ranking
Mississippi State’s transfer class ranks No. 33 nationally and No. 15 in the SEC, according to 247Sports. The rankings only include players gained and not players lost. Mississippi State has done a better job retaining its starters this portal cycle than last season.
The 2024 transfer class ranked No. 45 nationally in coach Jeff Lebby’s first season. The 2025 class was ranked No. 18, but it had 34 commitments.
Mississippi State secondary vastly improved in transfer portal
The secondary projects to be Mississippi State’s most improved aspect for the 2026 season.
First, MSU kept No. 1 cornerback Kelley Jones, who could’ve left early for the NFL draft. Then, the Bulldogs signed three cornerbacks, highlighted by Iowa State starter Quentin Taylor Jr.
At safety, Isaac Smith is also returning for his senior season. MSU signed two experienced safeties from SEC schools in Oklahoma’s Kendel Dolby and LSU’s Jardin Gilbert. Rice transfer Marcus Williams had 67 tackles this season.
Mississippi State has not signed a linebacker, but that was not a prioritized position in the transfer portal.
Mississippi State OL better even if Jordan Seaton isn’t added
Mississippi State is only projected to return two starters on the offensive line next season: center Canon Boone and tackle Jayvin Q. James. Boone had his eligibility waiver approved to return for a sixth season due to injuries, according to his dad. Blake Steen, who started at right tackle in Week 1 but suffered a season-ending injury, has eligibility to return, too.
Otherwise, the offensive line will look much different, which might not be a bad thing for a group that struggled, especially in the second half of the season.
Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 non-quarterback in the transfer portal. He reportedly visited MSU before taking a visit to Miami. Seaton has not committed as of Jan. 17 but has a connection to MSU offensive line coach Phil Loadholt, who was at Colorado in 2024.
Mississippi State already has gotten seven offensive linemen from the transfer portal, but none of them were starters this season. Seven offensive linemen have transferred out. Zack Owens and Jimothy Lewis Jr. were the only outgoing transfers to start multiple games in 2025.
Who is Mississippi State’s highest-ranked player added in portal?
Missouri wide receiver Marquis Johnson is Mississippi State’s highest-ranked transfer, according to 247Sports. He had 340 yards and two touchdowns this season and has over 1,000 career receiving yards.
Appalachian State quarterback AJ Swann will be a veteran backup to stater Kamario Taylor.
Mississippi State’s biggest final needs in transfer portal
The Bulldogs could still use another defensive lineman and/or edge rusher. They’ve signed four defensive linemen or edge rushers so far, but none of them were starters in 2025. Florida State’s Jayson Jenkins was the most productive with 16 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack this season.
If MSU can get Seaton, then it probably doesn’t need another offensive lineman. But if he picks another school, can MSU pivot to another option? Jackson State starting offensive tackle Mason Barton visited MSU on Jan. 16, according to On3.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Thompson defeats Turnage to highlight U.S. House primaries in Mississippi – SuperTalk Mississippi
Political newcomer and Capitol Hill attorney Evan Turnage proved no match for longtime U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, who defeated him and one other challenger to earn the Democratic nomination for Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday.
Some politicos thought Turnage – who went to Yale and later worked for some of Thompson’s Democratic colleagues, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) – wouldn’t necessarily win but could make waves as one of the more viable candidates to challenge Thompson in recent years. However, that wasn’t the case as Thompson garnered approximately 85% of the vote when the race was called.
Thompson, 78, is seeking an 18th term. The civil rights leader who chaired the Jan. 6 Committee was first elected in 1993 and serves as a ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee. He will face either Ron Eller or Kevin Wilson on the Republican side, a race yet to be called as of late Tuesday night, and independent Bennie Foster in November’s general.
All of Mississippi’s U.S. House seats are up for grabs this year.
In the 1st Congressional District, Republican Rep. Trent Kelly ran unopposed, while civil rights attorney and University of Mississippi School of Law professor Cliff Johnson beat former state lawmaker Kelvin Buck in the Democratic primary. Libertarian challenger Johnny Baucom awaits Kelly and Johnson in the general.
In the 3rd Congressional District, both Republican Rep. Michael Guest and Democrat Michael Chiaradio ran unopposed. They will meet Libertarian Erik Kiehle in the general.
In the 4th Congressional District, Republican Rep. Mike Ezell had over 80% of the vote when his race was called against former Mississippi Department of Marine Resources officer and political staffer Sawyer Walters. State Rep. Jeffrey Hulum easily won the Democratic nomination over Paul Blackman and D. Ryan Grover. Ezell and Hulum will face independent Carl Boyanton in the general.
Arguably the most watched races of the night occurred in the state’s lone U.S. Senate seat in this year’s cycle. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith had no problem with Ocean Springs doctor Sarah Adlakha, seeing her name bolded around 30 minutes after the polls closed. It wasn’t long after that when Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom was announced the winner of the Democratic primary over Priscilla Till and Albert Littell. Independent Ty Pinkins will meet Hyde-Smith and Colom in the general on Nov. 3.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mississippi
Mississippi First Congressional District Primary 2026: Live Election Results, Buck vs. Johnson
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Staff
Sunday, March 15, 2026
1. (tie) “The Irish Goodbye,” Beth Ann Fennelly, Norton; and “Vigil,” George Saunders, Random House
2. “Theo of Golden,” Allen Levi, Atria Books
3. “The Widow,” John Grisham, Doubleday
4. “The Correspondent,” Virginia Evans, Random House
5. “When It’s Darkness on the Delta,” W. Ralph Eubanks, Beacon Press
6. “Eradication,” Jonathan Miles, Doubleday
7. “Neptune’s Fortune,” Julian Sancton, Random House
8. “The Dean,” Sparky Reardon, The Nautilus Publishing Company
9. “Kin,” Tayari Jones, Random House
10. “Brawler,” Lauren Groff, Riverhead
Children and young adults
1. “The Bear and the Hair and the Fair,” Em Lynas, Little Brown
2. “The Hybrid Prince,” Tui T. Sutherland, Scholastic Press
3. “One Mississippi,” Steve Azar,Sarah Frances Hardy (Illustrator), The Nautilus Publishing
4. “If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone,” Gideon Sterer, HarperCollins
5. (tie) “Fancy Nancy: Besties for Eternity,” Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator), HarperCollins; and “The Dark is For,” Jane Kohuth, Simon and Schuster
Adult events (Sunday, March 15–Saturday, March 21)
Amy McDowell in conversation with Jodi Skipper for “Whispers in the Pews,” 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Off Square Books, 129 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2262
Tayari Jones on Thacker Mountain Radio Hour for “Kin,” 6 p.m. Thursday, Off Square Books, 129 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2262
Children’s events (Sunday, March 15–Saturday, March 21)
No Cap Book Club (kids 10-13) will be reading “A Kid’s Book About…,” 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, Square Books Jr., 111 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2207
Storytime, “Clifford: Dream Big,” 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, Square Books Jr., 111 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2207
Chapter Captains Book Club (kids 6-9) will be reading “Princess in Black: Bathtime Battle,” 6:00 p.m. Thursday, Square Books Jr., 111 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2207
Storytime, “What a Small Cat Needs,” 10:00 a.m. Saturday, Square Books Jr., 111 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2207
Story Time, “Very Hungry Caterpillar” Day! 10 a.m. Saturday, Lemuria Books, 202 Banner Hall, 4465 I-55 North, Jackson, 601-366-7619
— Sales and/or Events Reported by Lemuria Books (Jackson); Lorelei Books (Vicksburg); Square Books (Oxford).
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