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2025 Opponent Offseason Storylines: Three former Longhorns are part of Mississippi State's program-building efforts

Joe Cookby:Joe Cook•05/10/25•

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Jaray Bledsoe
Jaray Bledsoe (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

A handful of Texas’ transfers out during the winter portal window found new homes at SEC schools. Tight end Amari Niblack is now on his third SEC roster, choosing to commit to Texas A&M. Sydir Mitchell left Austin for Baton Rouge and LSU just before Bo Davis left Baton Rouge for the New Orleans Saints. Aaron Bryant elected to transfer to Vanderbilt after a few years with the Longhorns. However, one SEC team welcomed three players who once suited up in burnt orange, and their new institution will welcome the Texas Longhorns on October 25.

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Defensive lineman Jaray Bledsoe and linebacker Derion Gullette, both natives of Marlin, left the 40 Acres in the most recent winter window and transferred to Jeff Lebby‘s Mississippi State program. Not only will they look to defeat their former program in late October, they’ll also be joined by former Longhorn and Oklahoma transfer Brenen Thompson.

Gullette and Bledsoe will look to anchor a Bulldog defense that finished No. 98 in defensive SP+, No. 126 in total defense, No. 116 in yards per play allowed, and gave up 46 plays of 30 or more yards.

Thompson will look to assist a veer and shoot offense that ranked No. 78 in total offense.

Gullette’s and Bledsoe’s Texas careers were marked by injury and inconsistency. Gullette spent most of his first year on the 40 Acres rehabbing a knee injury suffered in high school. That stunted his ability to develop, while other linebackers like Liona Lefau and Ty’Anthony Smith made marks early in their careers. For Bledsoe, the inability to bring a down-to-down consistency forced Texas to seek transfer portal additions at defensive tackle that just about removed all opportunities for playing time. The two combined for nine tackles in their UT careers, and looked for another home.

They found one in Starkville. Lebby’s defensive coordinator, Coleman Hutzler, brought in nine defensive players during the two portal windows in an effort to get things working on that side of the ball. They also brought in a number of offensive transfers in an effort to put weapons around returning quarterback Blake Shapen, whose career to this point has been marred by injury.

In the case of one of those weapons in Thompson, he left the Longhorns after one season and went to an Oklahoma offense called by Lebby in 2023. Thompson struggled in a Sooner system called by Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley, and elected to reunite with Lebby at State.

Mississippi State has a lot of room for improvement in 2025. Last season, the Bulldogs went 2-10 with an 0-8 SEC record. There were occasions where the Bulldogs were close, with a 10-point loss at Georgia, a 10-point loss versus Texas A&M, and a 12-point loss at Ole Miss.

Lebby and company brought in a lot of transfers to help get things going in his second year at the helm.

Of the 32 brought in as part of the No. 42 portal class in On3’s rankings, three will have once donned burnt orange and look to get some measure of revenge on their former school.

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2025 Opponent Offseason Storylines

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