Mississippi State loses young offensive lineman, former 4-star, to Transfer Portal

If there's a position group that Mississippi State football has to upgrade this offseason, it's offensive line. For the second-straight season, the Bulldogs fielded one of the worst OLs in the SEC, and it ultimately prevented their offense from being a consistently solid unit.

Redshirt freshman tackle Jimothy Lewis Jr. won't be a part of the plan to upgrade the room moving forward, as the young lineman has made the decision to transfer from Mississippi State.

Jimothy Lewis Jr. was a key signee in Mississippi State's 2024 recruiting class. A 4-star prospect out of Florida's IMG Academy, the Bulldogs beat out Ole Miss for Lewis Jr. The Ridgeland, MS native was a multi-time state champion at Madison Ridgeland Academy before transferring to IMG. He was always viewed as somewhat of a raw athlete that would need development, but with Lewis Jr., his potential was what made him an exciting prospect, as he possessed the physical tools to blossom into a high-level player in college.

Lewis Jr. redshirted his first season in Starkville, seeing action in four games in 2024. He battled for a starting role going into the 2025 season, and though he ultimately didn't win that battle, injuries to starting tackles Blake Steen and Albert Reese IV led to him seeing significant playing time. The 6-6, 315 RS freshman played in seven games with four starts in 2025.

Despite his athletic ceiling, it was clear the Lewis Jr. is still a project throughout the season. The young tackle regularly struggled in pass protection, unable to consistently hold up on an island protecting the edge. Rather than continue his development in Starkville, he'll now look for his breakthrough elsewhere.

Mississippi State must land proven offensive lineman in Transfer Portal

Jimothy Lewis Jr. is a player Mississippi State would have preferred to keep on the roster. If he could meet his athletic ceiling, he would certainly be a quality starter up front, and having home-grown linemen is a plus for a program.

That being said, State can't sweat this loss too much. They need lineman they know can contribute at a high-level immediately, and right now, you can't be confident that Lewis Jr. would do that in 2026. You'd like to have him just in case it all clicks, but based on what he's shown so far, it's not a devastating loss.

Regardless of Jimothy Lewis Jr. moving on, Mississippi State must land proven offensive line starters out of the Transfer Portal this offseason. They can't go after developmental players. They need guys who have started at a high-level. That's not an easy, or cheap, proposition, but it's the only way the Bulldogs are going to turnaround their OL.