D1 · Southeastern Conference

Mississippi State Men’s Basketball Recruiting: Roster & Openings

KenPom #100 · 13–19 · 2025–26 · Division 1 · Southeastern Conference · Mississippi State, MS

Mississippi State finished 13–19 (SEC 16th, KenPom #100) in 2025–26. 15 players hold the 2026–27 roster; 10 are new this season.

Roster data through 2026–27

Roster15 players
New this season10
Transfer additions7
Clearest projected openingGuards and Forwards · 2029
Most common home stateTX (5)

Where the door opens

our roster projection · your arrival year

Guards and Forwards: open from 2029 — 5 ahead.

Centers: blocked until 2030.

2027
Gcrowded8 ahead
Fbalanced3 ahead
Ccrowded3 ahead · multi-yr
2028
Gcrowded6 ahead
Fbalanced2 ahead · multi-yr
Cbalanced3 ahead
2029
Gopening5 ahead
Fopen2 ahead
Cbalanced2 ahead · multi-yr
2030
Gopen3 ahead
Fopen0 ahead
Copen2 ahead

Projections for 2029, 2030 are low-confidence reads.

Guards in that room (8)
Josh Hubbard6′0″Sr
Tajuan Simpkins6′4″Sr
King Grace6′5″So
Jalyn Collingwood6′7″Fr
RJ Johnson6′4″RS-Jr
Cameren Paul6′7″RS-Fr
Willie Burnett III6′5″Fr
Ashton Magee6′7″So
Forwards in that room (4)
Thomas Bassong6′8″So
Trevor Reed6′8″Sr
ND Okafor6′10″RS-Sr
Kendyl Sanders6′8″So
Centers in that room (3)
Tristan Reed6′10″Fr
Gai Chol7′0″RS-Jr
Tee Bartlett6′11″RS-Fr
Those openings are for the roster in general. See whether your position, size and profile fit them →

If you want to play at Mississippi State

How to get recruited here

For 2027 arrivals the roster projection reads: G crowded (8 ahead), F balanced (3 ahead), C crowded (3 ahead · multi-yr).

Of the latest cycle's 12 arrivals, 5 came straight from high school and 7 from the transfer portal.

Most arrivals come from TX, MS, CA.

10 of 15 recent arrivals held a national ranking — 10 of 15 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

32% of last season's scoring returns.

The roster, as a depth chart

2026–27 · 15 players

Guards 8 of 15

Jalyn Collingwood6′7″Fr
Cameren Paul6′7″RS-Fr
Ashton Magee6′7″So
King Grace6′5″So5.1 PPG
Willie Burnett III6′5″Fr
Tajuan Simpkins6′4″Sr · final yr
RJ Johnson6′4″RS-Jr
Josh Hubbard6′0″Sr · final yr22.1 PPG

Frontcourt 7 of 15 · forwards + centers

Gai Chol7′0″RS-Jr · C
Tee Bartlett6′11″RS-Fr · C
Tristan Reed6′10″Fr · C
ND Okafor6′10″RS-Sr · F · final yr
Thomas Bassong6′8″So · F
Trevor Reed6′8″Sr · F · final yr
Kendyl Sanders6′8″So · F
freshman final year — spot opens returning

Returning production

32%of recorded scoring returns
1 of 5top scorers returning
Top returning scorers
Josh Hubbard22.1 PPG in 2025–26 · returning
King Grace5.1 PPG in 2025–26 · returning

Computed from 12 of 15 players on the 2025–26 roster with recorded stats; "returning" means listed on the 2026–27 roster.

Who actually gets onto this roster?

How players arrive

5from high school7via the portal

8 of 15 roster spots were filled out of high school or held over.

Rankings

10 of 15

10 of 15 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

Best-ranked: King Grace #62.

Where from

TX 5 · MS 4 · CA 2 · MO 2 · NY 2 · AL 1

5 international: Ljubljana, Slovenia; Melbourne, Australia; Dundalk; Juba, South Sudan and 1 more

High schools: Madison-Ridgeland Academy; Shadow Creek HS; Greenforest Mccalep Christian Academy – Ga. and 2 more

Transfer flow

named arrivals and departures

2025–26 → 2026–27 · in

→Tajuan Simpkins
→Thomas Bassong
→RJ Johnson
→Trevor Reed
→ND Okafor
→Kendyl Sanders
→Ashton Magee

2025–26 → 2026–27 · out

←Amier Ali
←Jamarion Davis-Fleming
←Dellquan Warren
←Sergej Macura

How this roster compares

Southeastern Conference (16 programs, 2025–26 medians)
MeasureMississippi StateConference
Average guard height6′5″6′3″+2″
Average frontcourt height6′10″6′9″+1″
Roster size1515
Freshman share33%27%+6pp

The five-year arc

kenpom rank · wins · conference finish
#642021–22#642022–23#342023–24#352024–25#1002025–26
18–16 · SEC 10th21–13 · SEC 7th21–14 · SEC 7th21–13 · SEC 10th13–19 · SEC 16th

Coaching staff

Chris JansHead men's basketball coach
George BrooksAssistant men's basketball coach
David AnwarAssistant men's basketball coach
Dillon ElderAssistant men's basketball coach
Shunn BuchananAssistant men's basketball coach
Corey BarkerAssistant men's basketball coach
Alex BarlowAssistant men's basketball coach
Staff changes5 on-court staff changes in 4 offseasons — 2 before 2024–25, 3 before 2026–27.

Academics

published admissions data
Acceptance rate78%
SAT midpoint1155
ACT midpoint26

How this page is made: Rosters: official Mississippi State rosters, 2025–26 and 2026–27, read from the athletic department's own site · Season: Mississippi State's 2026–27 roster is posted, so this page reads it; the conference comparison uses 2025–26, the newest season every program has on file. · Stats: 2025–26, the last season played — the 2026–27 season has no games yet. · New this season: players not listed on the 2025–26 roster; a newcomer who is not a freshman counts as a transfer addition · Ratings: KenPom, five seasons; conference finish computed among same-conference teams by rating · Openings: Depth Chart's roster projection from listed class years; confidence stated per year · Sample: among players who made a college roster — the data cannot see who didn't. Among players who made a college roster. Model judgments describe positions and cohorts, never a named player's future. Refreshed automatically when the rosters change. Corrections: research@mydepthchart.com.

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