Deivon Smith enters transfer portal

Deivon Smith showed flashes of an incredibly promising future this past season as he played in all of Mississippi State's 33 games as a freshman. But now, the guard is looking to live up to his incredibly high potential somewhere else.

Smith has entered the NCAA transfer portal, sources have confirmed to Cowbell Corner. The news was first reported by 247Sports. Smith becomes the second MSU men's player to enter the portal since the conclusion of the season, joining Keondre Montgomery.

The loss of Smith is certainly a blow to the Bulldogs as he had already begun to play a key role with State. He started in eight of MSU's 33 games in 2020-21. He averaged 5.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Smith scored in double figures in five games, including notching a career-high 17 in the NIT championship game against Memphis this past Sunday.

Smith originally came to MSU as one of the top recruits of the head coach Ben Howland era. He was the eighth ESPN Top-100 prospect to sign with Howland at Mississippi State. And this past year as he began getting his feet wet, he looked to be part of a young core of Bulldogs ready to lead State into the future.

Now though, while MSU basketball might still have bright days ahead, it appears Smith won't be a part of it all as he joins the many players around the country that have chosen to explore options courtesy of the portal.