Mississippi State Faces Unique Transfer Portal Challenge During Duke’s Mayo Bowl Week
Mississippi State is juggling two major operations at once - and the timing couldn’t be more delicate. On January 2, while the Bulldogs are lining up against Wake Forest in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the transfer portal officially opens. That’s right: kickoff in Charlotte and kickoff in the portal, all on the same day.
It’s a rare overlap - only eight programs are in bowl action on the day the portal window opens - and it puts Mississippi State in a logistical tightrope act. The Bulldogs, sitting at 5-7, are using this postseason opportunity not just to close out the year on a high note, but also to set the tone for what’s shaping up to be a pivotal offseason.
Head coach Jeff Lebby knows the stakes. With the NCAA’s updated calendar eliminating the spring transfer window in 2026, this 15-day stretch in early January becomes the only shot to reshape the roster through the portal. That means no time to waste - and no room for missteps.
“Our recruiting and personnel department are actually going to be here, so they won’t be there for the game,” Lebby said on December 28. “They’ll be in-house, getting visits set and being ready to roll. That’s going to be a huge piece of it.”
Translation: while the team is focused on Wake Forest, the recruiting staff is already deep into the next phase - hosting visits, building relationships, and trying to land the kind of talent that can make an immediate impact in 2026.
Lebby emphasized the importance of the first week of the portal window, calling those opening five to seven days “a huge momentum builder” - if the Bulldogs can reel in the right players. And they’ve been preparing for this moment since the regular season wrapped back on November 28.
That preparation has been critical. With over two dozen Mississippi State players - 26, to be exact - already announcing their intentions to hit the portal, the Bulldogs have a clear sense of where reinforcements are needed.
And with so many players across the country already in motion, MSU’s staff isn’t starting from scratch. They’ve been scouting, evaluating, and lining up potential fits for weeks.
Lebby isn’t sugarcoating the turnaround, either. “I’m expecting to get off the bus here on the 3rd and walk straight into my office and be ready for (official visits),” he said. “The expectation is that we will have five or six guys here on campus on the 3rd when the buses roll back in, so we’ll hit the ground running and be ready to roll.”
That’s the new normal in college football - bowl prep, portal prep, and roster management all converging in real time. For Mississippi State, the Duke’s Mayo Bowl isn’t just a postseason finale. It’s the starting gun for a critical offseason sprint.