We're now full steam ahead into the transfer portal silly season. The portal officially opened today, and players from across the country are entering left and right. Mississippi State football has had a few more players announce their decisions to head elsewhere, and unfortunately, that includes a vital piece to their offense.
Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Mario Craver enters transfer portal
Mississippi State has had a few wide receivers enter the portal since the end of the season, but none had been major contributors. That changed Monday afternoon when true freshman wideout Mario Craver entered his name in the transfer portal. ESPN's Pete Thamel first reported the news.
Mississippi State freshman WR Mario Craver is entering the NCAA transfer portal, he told ESPN. @craverrr7 caught 17 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns in eight games this year. pic.twitter.com/YngR1mczCW
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 9, 2024
A 4-star recruit out of Alabama, Craver became an impact player for the Bulldog offense right away. He finished the season with 17 catches for 368 yards and three TDs. But he missed three games in the final five weeks due to an injury and then suspension and didn't see much action in the games he did play down the stretch, which greatly limited his production.
Craver possess elite speed and proved to be the best deep threat on the roster, averaging 21.7 yards per reception. In an offense that prioritizes taking vertical shots down the field, Craver led the way in playing that role. His ceiling is quite high.
Mario Craver is the most significant transfer portal loss so far for Mississippi State football
To this point, Mississippi State hasn't seen many major losses to the transfer portal. Cornerback Brice Pollock was the lone player to leave that State certainly did not want to lose. Craver is now the second, and his loss is the most significant so far.
Mario Craver is one of the most talented players on the entire roster. And while Kevin Coleman is the leader in the WR room, Craver has the highest ceiling of that bunch. There are few things more valuable in college football than a high-level WR room, and that's even more true when you have a piece like Craver available who can consistently get behind the defense. While replacing his exact production may not be overly difficult, replacing his impact is a different story.
With that being said, attracting WR talent isn't an issue for Mississippi State. Jeff Lebby runs an offense that great WRs want to play in, and Chad Bumphis is a coach that those players want to play for. The Bulldogs should manage to find a talented guy to add to that room in Craver's absence.