Mississippi State's latest news reminds us the seasons beyond 2026 matter

Plenty of attention will be paid to the roster additions Mississippi State’s new coach Brian O’Connor makes through the transfer portal, rightfully so.

The transfer portal allows for teams to build championship rosters in one offseason, but that’s the equivalent of an NFL team signing a bunch of free agents. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

Yes, the potential transfer portal additions the Bulldogs could make through the transfer portal are important and will be the main reason Mississippi State (potentially) will be seen as a national title contender.

But don’t discount the homegrown-talent route. In the NFL, it’s a lot more cost-effective to draft well and have as many of your own draft picks (or players on rookie contracts) than it is to go into free agency and try to sign all of the best free agents.

ICYMI: Mississippi State Baseball 2025-26 Offseason Roster Tracker

That’s likely going to end up as a best-practice for college programs once the dust settles on revenue sharing, NIL and whatever the federal government ends up doing. Recruit the best players possible, develop them and use the transfer portal to fill holes to build a consistent championship team.

To make things easier, colleges won’t have to worry about big money second contracts…or maybe they will…let’s see how the next few months/years goes.

So, as far as this relates to Mississippi State’s baseball program, don’t discount high school recruit commitments. Especially when they fill a major need.

Pennsylvania high school catcher Hunter Strohm officially changed his commitment to Mississippi State after being committed to Virginia since 2023.