Mississippi State freshmen Nakai Poole, Will James enter transfer portal
With the recent firing of head coach Zach Arnett, this week was expected to be a busy one with Mississippi State’s program and the transfer portal. That trend continued Thursday when two more Bulldogs entered the transfer portal, per On3 sources.
Freshman safety Will James and freshman receiver Nakai Poole are the latest State players to choose to leave the program. Both were signees in the Class of 2023 and neither have played in a game this season.
James, a Theodore, Ala., native, was rated as the nation’s No. 78 cornerback and the state’s No. 34 prospect by On3 but had moved to safety earlier this fall. Poole was rated as the nation’s No. 135 receiver and the state’s No. 80 prospect by On3 during his prep career at Norcross (Ga.) High School.
With the loss of Poole, Mississippi State’s Creed Whittemore is the lone receiver left on the roster that signed with Mississippi State’s Class of 2023. Former 2023 Bulldog signee Justin Brown transferred to Georgia Tech this past summer after spending the spring semester at Mississippi State.
Earlier this week on Wednesday, redshirt sophomore running back Simeon Price and junior receiver Jacoby Bellazar entered the transfer portal and left the Bulldogs’ program.
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This season Price has appeared in nine games and has just five carries for 41 yards along with two catches for 13 yards. As a redshirt freshman in 2022, the West Florida Tech product rushed 30 times for 156 yards and had 13 receptions for 112 yards and one touchdown.
Bellazar signed with Mississippi State in the Class of 2023 following a two-year career at Southwest Mississippi Community College. The Baton Rouge, La., native has appeared in two games this season and has one catch for 13 yards. Bellazar was on track to redshirt this season, which would leave him with two years of eligibility.
Mississippi State is currently 4-6 on the season and will host Southern Miss Saturday in an 11 a.m. kickoff at Davis Wade Stadium. Greg Knox is the Bulldogs’ interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
