Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard is returning for senior season

In this new age of non-stop roster turnover in college athletics, it’s nice to see someone sticking around at the place where it all started.

And that’s exactly what Mississippi State point guard Josh Hubbard is doing. A homegrown product out of Madison, MS, Hubbard announced on Friday that he is returning to the Bulldogs for his senior college season. The talented 5-foot-10 scorer has been named All-SEC in all three seasons so far with MSU. He’s on pace to become the program’s all-time leading scorer during the 2026-27 campaign.

There are Kentucky fans out there who have not been shy about their desire to see Hubbard enter the portal and transfer to play for the Wildcats, but there’s something to be said about him remaining loyal to the school that gave him his first chance. Respect.

NEWS: Mississippi State star guard Josh Hubbard will return next season, he told @On3.

The 6-foot junior and Mississippi native is firmly on track to become the program’s all-time leading scorer.https://t.co/yoWKl2ry2X pic.twitter.com/FgSF0EhX3l

— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 17, 2026

A four-star high school recruit out of Madison-Ridgeland Academy (MS), Hubbard made an immediate impact for Mississippi State under head coach Chris Jans. Hubbard averaged 17.1 points per game as a true freshman across 35 appearances, taking on a full-time starting spot for the final 16 games of the season. He was tabbed to the All-SEC Second Team (only the second MSU freshman to earn that honor) and the All-SEC Freshman Team.

Hubbard’s numbers improved as a sophomore in 2024-25: 18.9 points and 3.1 assists in 31.9 minutes per outing while starting all 34 games played. That landed him another spot on the All-SEC Second Team. He turned in arguably his most productive season as a junior in 2025-26, posting per-game averages of 22.1 points and 3.6 assists in 33.3 minutes. He landed on the All-SEC Third Team as a result. Hubbard is now up to 1,947 career points, ranking fourth all-time in MSU history and only 196 points away from becoming the all-time leader.

The Big Blue Nation has seen Hubbard take on Kentucky four times throughout his college career. Mississippi State lost all four matchups, but Hubbard put up big numbers in three of them, including a 34-point outburst (7-14 3PT) against the Wildcats during the 2024-25 season. This past season was a down year for MSU, but with Hubbard still in the fold, the Bulldogs could be a team to watch in the SEC in 2026-27.

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