By Bill Burrus
Mississippi State hit a home run in the transfer portal at wide receiver.
The Bulldogs entered the season with relatively no experience there, but it didn’t take long to see why Jeff Lebby was quietly confident in that group leading into 2025.
That group is led by Georgia transfer Anthony Evans III and former Oklahoma and Texas receiver Brenen Thompson, and senior quarterback Blake Shapen, who also played at Baylor, says the Bulldog receivers are the best he’s worked with.
“This is definitely the most talented room that I’ve been a part of,” said Shapen. “Last year we were really talented, but it’s pretty crazy to think that you can grow from last year and have an even better room. We just have depth, and especially in this league, you want to be able to plug in guys whenever you need them.”
Evans announced his presence at Davis Wade Stadium last weekend in MSU’s 63-0 rout of Alcorn State. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder out of Converse, Texas, racked up 163 all-purpose yards — 66 yards receiving and 97 on punt returns.
Lebby plans to continue using Evans both in the receiving and kicking game.
“We’re going to need more from him,” Lebby said. “He’s got to be special for us in the return game for us to do what we want to do.”
Evans had a 22-yard reception for a touchdown from Shapen in the second quarter to put the Bulldogs up 35-0.
It was Evans’ second touchdown catch in as many weeks as he also scored on a 48-yard pass play for the first points of the game against Arizona State.
The transfer from Georgia was highly confident coming to Starkville and wanted everyone to know it.
“It’s like I told my parents all the time and I also told Coach Lebby that all I needed was a chance,” Evans said. “All I needed was a shot to go out there and showcase my skills.”
Thompson, a native of Spearman, Texas, burst onto the scene in Week 2 in the Bulldogs’ win over then-No. 12 Arizona State.
The two knew each other in high school in Texas and talked about joining forces in Starkville to help Lebby bolster the Bulldog offense.
“I knew I made the right choice as soon as I came here,” Evans said. “He’s a guru in the offense, so (Thompson) and I came here to both go for 1,000 yards. That’s what the goal is, and I believe we’re going to get there.”
Lebby is thrilled to have Evans on board.
“This guy has a chance to be a great player for us. I felt really good about it when we got him. He’s gotten better and better. He’s gotten more comfortable inside the scheme. Has to continue to get better and has a chance to have a good year.”
Thompson started his career at Texas and then transferred the next year to OU, where Lebby was the offensive coordinator. Thompson missed most of the first half of the 2023 season due to injury but still had 241 yards and two touchdowns.
But more importantly, it showed Lebby what he already knew, the burner still had his explosiveness by averaging 34.4 yards per reception.
So, when Thompson started looking for a place to play his senior season and when Lebby was searching for playmaking pass-catchers to restock his receiver room that was hit hard by the transfer portal, everything was in line for a reunion.
Thompson said his relationship he had built with Lebby was the biggest influence in his choosing MSU.
“I knew what I was getting offensively. I knew what I was getting as a coach. I knew what I was getting as a man. Ultimately, everything just made sense.”
The results after three games are clearly obvious as Thompson ranks 20th nationally in receiving and is averaging 18.5 yards per catch, followed by Evans at 67th, with nearly 13 yards per reception.
Lebby said Thompson set the standard for how “you should operate inside and out of the building as a transfer.”
“There’s not a better teammate. There’s not a guy that spends more time, is more accountable or is as serious about being great at everything that he does,” Lebby said.
“He’s got a really mature personality. He’s an old soul, and this guy has done an unbelievable job of being a great teammate. He has really set the expectation for transfers and what it’s supposed to look like.”
The Bulldogs are 3-0 for the first time since 2018 and look to finish out the non-conference slate at 4-0 Saturday in Starkville at 3:15 p.m. against Northern Illinois. The Huskies are known for playing tough against FBS foes as they shocked then-No. 5 Notre Dame a year ago.
