Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy enters NCAA transfer portal

On3 imageby:Kaiden Smith•04/10/24•

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Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy has entered the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned.

Murphy enters the portal following three seasons with the Bulldogs, as the 6-foot-10 forward will look for a new program to call home ahead of the 2024-2025 season.

After dealing with various injuries in his first year with Mississippi State, Murphy redshirted in his freshman season. Appearing in 19 games all off of the bench for the Bulldogs in his second year where he averaged 3.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. With highlights including a career-high three blocks versus Omaha followed by a career-high three steals in the following game against Mississippi Valley State. Also recording a season-high 11 points against No. 8 Alabama and 10 points versus Jackson State.

Last season for the Bulldogs, Murphy appeared in 21 games where he averaged 4.7 points and 3.1 rebounds a game off of the bench. Bumping up his field goal percentage to 45.9% in a season where his three-point percentage dropped to 17.9%. Notably scoring in double-figures in all but one of the games he played 20+ minutes headlined by a career-high 18 points against North Texas.

Murphy played high school basketball at Ramsay High School in Birmingham (AL) where he was an unrated, unranked recruit in the 2021 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. But two major sites had him listed as the No. 2 player in the state of Alabama in his class, receiving offers from Auburn, Alabama, UAB, and Western Kentucky out of high school.

He missed some time due to an injury last season, which has unfortunately become a theme throughout his college career. But the athletic and lengthy forward from Alabama will join a new program with 161 career points and 97 rebounds in his college career as a player who can make an impact on both ends of the floor.

Murphy joins Trey Fort, Jaquan Scott, and Shakeel Moore as Bulldogs who have entered the transfer portal so far this offseason. But head coach Chris Jans has received a commitment from former Penn State guard Kanye Clary through the portal as well, who averaged 16.7 points per game for the Nittany Lions last year as the team’s leading scorer.