D.J. Jeffries transferring to MSU from Memphis

Jeffries returning to play in his home state

For the second time in under a week, the NCAA transfer portal has proved to be incredibly beneficial for Mississippi State men's basketball.

After former North Carolina forward Garrison Brooks announced his intentions to head to Starkville last week, fellow forward D.J. Jeffries did the same on Monday, revealing he plans to transfer from Memphis to MSU.

Jeffries is a former four-star prospect, per 247Sports. He has three years of eligibility remaining. Jeffries – a native of Olive Branch, Mississippi – originally considered coming to MSU out of high school. And while he ultimately settled on Memphis, he now lands in maroon and white after all.

Jeffries played in 28 games, including 11 starts, for Memphis last season. He averaged 9.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures 13 times for the year, including in the NIT championship game against MSU when Jeffries totaled 15 points to go along with five rebounds to help the Tigers defeat the Bulldogs.

All this followed what was a strong freshman year for Jeffries at Memphis before it got derailed. In the 2019-20 season, Jeffries averaged 10.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He was unable to play the final 11 games of that year though as he was sidelined due to a knee ailment.

Now after his time in Memphis, Jeffries comes to MSU where the Bulldogs appear to be putting pieces in place for a possible return to the NCAA Tournament in the season ahead. Along with Jeffries and Brooks, State has also added freshmen KeShawn Murphy, Alden Applewhite and Camryn Carter to a roster that showed promise a season ago by going 18-15 overall and coming up short in the aforementioned NIT title game.

D.J. Jeffries, who previously played at Memphis, is transferring to Mississippi State. (Photo by Ben Ludeman-USA Today Sports)

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