MSU Notes: Watts Signs, Women's Hoops Welcomes Farley & Football Kickoff Times

The State basketball teams are welcoming new faces and football now knows when its first three games will be played.

Rocket Watts is now officially a Mississippi State Bulldog.

The transfer guard from Michigan State has signed his Athletic Scholarship Agreement with Mississippi State, the school announced on Thursday. Watts revealed back on May 22 that he planned to be a Bulldog.

“We’re very thrilled about Rocket’s commitment to our program," State head coach Ben Howland said in a school release. "He’s an outstanding player who works extremely hard on both ends of the floor. Rocket possesses a high level of experience, is an excellent scorer and a tough defender. He’ll be a great addition to our team from the first day he steps foot on our campus.”

Watts averaged 7.6 points per game and had 76 assists last season as a sophomore for Michigan State. This followed a freshman season in which he averaged nine points per game and had 45 assists on the way to becoming an All-Big Ten Freshman selection.

Watts originally joined Michigan State as one of the country's top recruits. He was rated as the No. 27 prospect in the nation in the Class of 2019, per ESPN.

Farley Joins Women's Team

Mississippi State's women's basketball program also officially announced an addition on Thursday as graduate transfer forward Raven Farley joined the Bulldogs.

Farley comes from St. John's. She'll provide depth in the post for Mississippi State after averaging 6.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.3 assists per game last season.

"I'm really excited about having Raven as part of our team," State head coach Nikki McCray-Penson said in a release from MSU. "She is going to bring depth in the post immediately with her size, strength and athleticism. She has the ability to shoot the three as well as pass the ball. She's very familiar with the SEC. Mississippi State was one of her top schools in high school, so she knows the program and the fanbase well."

Out of high school, Farley was rated as a five-star recruit and was the No. 19 player in her class per ESPN. She also earned McDonald's All-American status as a prep player.

Kickoff Times Announced

The following is courtesy of MSU media relations:

Game times and TV networks for Mississippi State’s first three football games on the 2021 schedule were announced by the Southeastern Conference on Thursday.

Coach Mike Leach and the Bulldogs will open the program’s 122nd season of football at 3 p.m. CT on Sept. 4 against Louisiana Tech inside Davis Wade Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

The following week, MSU will host ACC opponent NC State at 6 p.m. CT on Sept. 11 on ESPN2 or ESPNU.

State will close out a stretch of three straight non-conference games to open the 2021 campaign at Memphis at 3 p.m. CT on Sept. 18. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

With Thursday’s announcement, MSU has now learned four of its kickoff times for the upcoming season.

On May 13, the SEC announced that the annual Battle for the Golden Egg between MSU and Ole Miss will be played on Thanksgiving night for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. This season's game will be played on Nov. 25, in Starkville with a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff on ESPN.

Additional game times will be determined as the season progresses.

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