STARKVILLE — One of Mississippi State basketball’s transfer portal commitments will not be playing for the Bulldogs.
Michigan forward Sam Walters signed with SMU on April 22, according to reports from On3 and 247Sports. Walters committed to the Bulldogs on April 17.
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Walters played one season at Michigan, averaging 5.0 points per game as a sophomore while playing 12.7 minutes per game off the bench.
He played at Alabama as a freshman and was a four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
It leaves MSU and coach Chris Jans with four transfer commits: wing Achor Achor (Kansas State), guard/forward Amier Ali (Arizona State), center Quincy Ballard (Wichita State) and guard Ja’Borri McGhee (UAB).
MSU’s roster is experiencing heavy turnover from last season’s team that reached a third consecutive NCAA tournament. Leading scorer Josh Hubbard declared for the NBA draft while retaining his college eligibility. If he doesn’t return, the Bulldogs will lose eight of their top scorers from last season.
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Mississippi State played at SMU last season and won 84-79. According to the game contract obtained by the Clarion Ledger, they will play each other again at Humphrey Coliseum in the 2025-26 season. The date for that game hasn’t been announced.
MORE: What we learned from Mississippi State baseball’s SEC series loss to Florida
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: Sam Walters flips to MSU | Report
