Mississippi State has been as active as anyone in college football in the transfer portal. They entered the offseason with plenty of needs to fill, and they've attacked the portal hard in effort to build out an improved roster for 2025. One position they've pursued heavily is wide receiver, and now they've landed their final needed piece at the position.
Former Georgia wide receiver Anthony Evans III commits to Mississippi State Bulldogs out of transfer portal
Despite five previous transfer portal wide receiver commitments, Mississippi State still had a notable hole in the receiver room. The Bulldogs still lacked a true slot receiver, having not found a natural successor to Kevin Coleman.
That changed on Wednesday with the commitment of Georgia transfer Anthony Evans III. The 6-0, 180 Converse, TX native spent the last two seasons as a backup slot receiver and as a returner for the Athens-based Bulldogs.
BREAKING: Georgia transfer WR/returner Anthony Evans has Committed to Mississippi State, he tells @on3sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 15, 2025
The 6’0 180 WR will have 2 years of eligibility remaining
Was ranked as a Four-Star Recruit in the ‘23 Class (per On3)https://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/qgsfVLt3oj
Speed is the name of the game for Evans III. In limited opportunities, he displayed great in-space play-making ability. Evans III caught 13 passes for 123 yards and a score in two seasons at Georgia. Last season, he posted a 46-yard punt return against Tennessee Tech, and against Mississippi State, he took an end-around 52 yards.
Anthony Evans III had previous ties to State HC Jeff Lebby. As a 4-star recruit in the class of 2023, he was originally committed to Oklahoma, where Lebby was OC, before ultimately signing with Georgia. Now he'll finally get to play in Lebby's offense, and he has an important spot to fill.
Slot receiver has traditionally been a valuable position in the Lebby offense. Most of his leading receivers have played from the slot, with those being players that Lebby has looked to feature as much as possible in games. We saw that firsthand with Kevin Coleman in 2024. Expecting Evans III to come in and give you the same production Coleman did or be the focal-point offensively may be too much to ask, but he's the clear leader in the clubhouse to step into that role.
Anthony Evans III is likely Mississippi State football's final winter transfer portal addition
Now with six transfer portal WRs committed (along with four freshman on the way) and the various roles of that position settled, Mississippi State is done going after wide receivers in the transfer portal. And at least for the time being, it appears they're done going after any other portal players during the winter window.
There are currently no other clear portal targets the Bulldogs are after. Offensive line and cornerback are positions they may look to pursue after the spring, but it doesn't look like they'll be making any more roster additions before spring practices. That's not to say they wouldn't take anyone if a surefire prospect emerged, but in all likelihood, the current roster is the roster you'll see in the spring.