Mississippi State lands big transfer commitment from former C-USA star
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Mississippi State made three consecutive NCAA Tournaments and won 21 games in each of Chris Jans’ first three seasons. Season four wasn’t nearly as successful. The Bulldogs, even with Josh Hubbard finishing second in the SEC and No. 10 in Division 1 in scoring, slumped to a 13-19 mark and a 5-13 record in conference play.
On Sunday, Jans added a big piece of the puzzle to his 2026-27 roster. Guard RJ Johnson, who has spent the last two seasons at Kennesaw State, has committed to the Bulldogs, per his agent through a report from On3’s Joe Tipton.
Johnson was an all-Conference USA first-team performer and was a key member of an Owls team that won the league title en route to a second NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons. Through 34 games (22 starts), he averaged 14.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 28.1 minutes. He was named the MVP of the C-USA Tournament after averaging 17 points, 5.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists through three games.
Mississippi State has seen a total of five players enter the transfer portal. Bringing Johnson in, especially if Hubbard returns for his senior season, could go a long way in getting the Bulldogs back to the Big Dance.
Who will end up winning the 2027 national championship? Kalshi is taking action on predictions.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
