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Former Washington State center ND Okafor flios from Ole Miss and signs with Mississippi State

Paul Jones Mississippi State Bulldogsby: Paul Jones05/01/26PaulJonesOn3

Mississippi State continues to check off boxes this offseason with the transfer portal and added another major need on Thursday. Former Washington State center ND Okafor signed with head coach Chris Jans and his staff to become the fifth transfer addition thus far.

The 6-foot-10 and 250-pound Okafor is the second frontcourt transfer headed to Mississippi State, joining former Utah power forward Kendyl Sanders. Okafor earned honorable mention All-West Coast Conference honors this past season.

Okafor initially committed to Ole Miss in mid-April but never signed with Ole Miss. He was also pursued by Georgetown, St. Mary’s, Notre Dame and DePaul among others. The Ireland native spent his first two seasons at California, including a medical redshirt year in 2023-24, before spending the past two seasons at Washington State in the West Coast Conference.

This past season at Washington State, Okafor saw his production greatly increased and he averaged 11 points and 5.7 rebounds a game along with 46 blocked shots, which ranked second in the WCC. Starting all 32 games, Okafor shot 62.3% from the field and 64.4% from the foul line. In his first season at Washington State, Okafor averaged 5.6 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 62.3% from the floor.

With the addition of Okafor, Mississippi State now has three spots remaining to fill on the 2025-26 roster. The Bulldogs are also hoping to add another forward with the rest of the spots likely to be filled by best available.

Transferring In

G RJ Johnson – Kennesaw State
F Kendyl Sanders – Utah
G Taquan Simpkins – Seton Hall
SF Thomas Bassong – Florida State
C ND Okafor – Washington State

PG Dellquan Warren (McNeese State)
SF Amier Ali (California)
C Jamarion Davis-Fleming (Alabama)
F Sergej Macura (UCLA)
C Gai Chol

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