Mississippi State football loses first players to transfer portal after Zach Arnett firing

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football lost a pair of players on Wednesday, with running back Simeon Price and wide receiver Jacoby Bellazar sharing social media posts from On3 announcing their entrance into the transfer portal.

The departures come two days after Zach Arnett was fired as coach following a 4-6 start to the season.

Price appeared in nine games this season, earning five carries for 41 yards. As a redshirt sophomore, he was expected to hold a bigger role, particularly after Dillon Johnson left for Washington in the offseason. Price had seven rushes for 68 yards in January's ReliaQuest Bowl.

However, with senior Jo'Quavious Marks back, along with the additions of freshman Seth Davis, junior college signee Jeffery Pittman and Penn State transfer Keyvone Lee, Price was lost in a deep running backs room.

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Bellazar was in his junior season at MSU, though he appeared in just two games, marking the first appearances of his career. He caught one pass for 13 yards in Week 1 against Southeastern Louisiana.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State football: Simeon Price, Jacoby Bellazar to transfer