A promising young athlete and hometown-product is transferring out of the Mississippi State football program. Starkville-native WR/S Stonka Burnside is entering the transfer portal after two years on the roster. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
BREAKING: Mississippi State ATH Stonka Burnside plans to enter the @TransferPortal, he tells @On3sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) November 30, 2025
The 6’1 200 ATH will have 3 years of eligibility remaining⁰⁰Was a 4-Star Recruit and Under Armour All-American coming out of high schoolhttps://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/2txr72APwM
Stonka Burnside was a major signee for Mississippi State in the 2024 recruiting class. The Starkville Yellow Jacket posted consecutive 1000-yard receiving seasons in the high school ranks, catching 28 total touchdowns in his junior and senior years.
Burnside was rated as a 90-overall 4-star and a Top 10 player in the state of Mississippi coming out of high school. Also a fantastic safety at Starkville, the 6-0, 200 playmaker was officially considered an "Athlete" as a prospect.
Stonka Burnside initially committed to Mississippi State is the summer of 2023 during a big recruiting push for the Bulldogs. A disappointing 2023 campaign under Zach Arnett created some doubt, however, and Burnside decommitted in early November of that year. But he remained a priority for the Bulldogs, including after the hire of Jeff Lebby. Lebby and Wide Receivers Coach Chad Bumphis would ultimately get Burnside to sign with the program.
It was expected that Stonka Burnside would play a major role in the Bulldog offense as a true freshman. State looked for ways to get him involved, even trying him out at running back in camp. But once the season arrived, his opportunities on offense were limited. He'd finish his freshman season with just one catch that went for a six-yard loss, though he did have a few more targets.
Where Burnside did make more of an impact came on special teams, were he recorded four tackles. More than one of those tackles was attention-grabbing, and many speculated if his skillset was actually best suited for the MSU defense.
Sure enough, Burnside made the move to safety last offseason. But despite his talent, the position change was going to require a growth period. And with State having several veteran options at safety, Burnside ultimately took a redshirt year, making one tackle (along with a rush for six yards in an offensive snap) in four games.
Many believed Stonka Burnside would ultimately develop into a star at Mississippi State on either side of the ball. But after not finding the field much through two seasons, he will instead look for a fresh start elsewhere.