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Mississippi State lands second talented linebacker transfer in as many days

Don't look now, but Coleman Hutzler is starting to do a nice job in the portal.

ByAndrew Miller|
Nov 30, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Jalen Smith (39) takes a peak into the backfield against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Jalen Smith (39) takes a peak into the backfield against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Mississippi State football got some fantastic transfer portal news on Wednesday when linebacker Derion Gullette announced for the Bulldogs. Now they've landed their second talented linebacker transfer in as many days...

Former Tennessee linebacker Jalen Smith commits to Mississippi State Bulldogs out of transfer portal

Coleman Hutzler picked up another big recruiting win out of the transfer portal. Tennessee transfer linebacker Jalen Smith has committed to the Bulldogs. The 6-2, 230 redshirt freshman played in all 12 games for the playoff-bound Volunteers this season, totaling 34 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Smith was named to the SEC's All-Freshman team.

A native of Loganville, GA, Jalen Smith signed with Tennessee in the class of 2023. He redshirted his initial season in Knoxville before becoming a regular part of the Vols' linebacker rotation and making an impact, and he was certainly not a player Tennessee wanted to see go.

247 Sports rates Smith as an 88-overall 3-star transfer prospect, which has him tied for 5th amongst portal linebackers. Mississippi State beat out Oklahoma State for Smith.

Mississippi State has found transfer portal momentum on defense

Even before Mississippi State's 2024 season came to an end, it was well established that the Bulldogs would need to do major work in the transfer portal to rebuild the roster. This was emphasized particularly when talking about the defense, given the ineptitude on that side of the ball.

State got off to a somewhat quiet start in the portal on defense. They landed a few commitments, but none exactly moved the needle. That's changed over the past two days with the commitments of Derion Gullette and Jalen Smith, two talented young players from good programs.

MSU is now making some real noise, and there's a good chance this momentum continues. They're hosting several defensive prospects (defensive linemen in particular) over these next few days, and there's confidence the Bulldogs will be able to get several of these players in the boat. If they can, some real conversations can be had about seeing a much-improved defense in 2025.

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