Mississippi State wide receiver Zavion Thomas announced that he would be entering the transfer portal with 2 years of eligibility remaining. The 2022 Freshman All-American hails from Woodmere, La. and is also a relative of the great Walter Payton.

Thomas’ stellar freshman season came as a result of his special teams play. As a punt return man, Thomas averaged 13.5 yards on 15 total returns. He brought one punt back for a touchdown, a 63-yarder against Georgia that cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 17-13 right before halftime in 2022.

In ’23, Thomas returned 14 kicks for an average of 11.6 yards and was also featured more predominantly as a wide receiver. After recording just two catches the previous year, Thomas exploded for 40 catches, 503 yards and a touchdown this season. His best performance came against Auburn, where Thomas caught 9 passes for 112 yards and a score.

He also most notably just inked a major NIL deal with Google through MSU’s “Bulldog Initiative.” The deal was reportedly worth upwards of a million dollars.