Mississippi State basketball roster: Who has eligibility for Chris Jans in 2025-26 season
Mississippi State basketball's season ended in the same spot as one year ago.
The No. 8 seed Bulldogs (21-13) were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the second straight season in a 75-72 loss to No. 9 Baylor in Raleigh, North Carolina.
MSU is still seeking its first March Madness win since 2008 and is now 0-3 under coach Chris Jans.
The transfer portal opens on Monday, so roster moves will already begin to be made. Here's a look at where Mississippi State's roster currently stands for the 2025-26 season.
Who is out of eligibility for Mississippi State basketball?
The Bulldogs have two starters who are out of eligibility — three if you count guard Claudell Harris Jr., who was inserted into the starting lineup in the loss to Baylor.
Forward Cameron Matthews will depart after five seasons with the Bulldogs. The versatile defender from Olive Branch leaves Mississippi State with the program record for career steals (274) and games played (167).
Forward RJ Melendez is also out of eligibility after transferring from Georgia. He made 29 starts this season and averaged 8.8 points per game, providing value with his 3-point shot and length around the rim. Melendez played two seasons at Illinois before Georgia.
Harris transferred from Boston College where he shot 37% from 3. He made 18 starts for the Bulldogs but his 3-point shooting dipped to 34% to average 9.6 points per game. Harris played two seasons at Charleston Southern before Boston College.
Trey Jackson III, a Starkville native, is a redshirt senior but could potentially get a year of eligibility back from when he played at Northwest Mississippi Community College in 2020-21. He only appeared in five games this season for eight total minutes.
Who can return to Mississippi State basketball?
The Bulldogs can return three of their top four scorers from this season: Josh Hubbard, KeShawn Murphy and Riley Kugel.
Hubbard is the star, improving from his freshman season to average 18.9 points per game. Murphy had a breakout redshirt junior season to average 11.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game from the bench. Kugel, a junior, scored 9.3 points per game after transferring from Florida, but will need to become a more consistent player.
Other players with eligibility remaining are guards Kanye Clary, Shawn Jones Jr., Dellquan Warren, Harrison Alexander and Martavious Russell; forwards Adrian Myers and EJ Paymon; centers Michael Nwoko, Jeremy Foumena and Gai Chol.
Mississippi State signed one of its best freshmen classes ever
Mississippi State has the No. 12 recruiting class for 2025, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Arkansas and Kentucky are the only SEC teams ranked higher. The class consists of four-stars King Grace, Tee Bartlett and Jamarion Davis-Fleming.
It is on pace to be Mississippi State's best recruiting class since 2016.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State basketball roster: Players with eligibility in 2025-26
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