Auburn Transfer Defensive Lineman Commits To Mississippi State

Mississippi State football dipped back into the transfer portal as it added to the 2024 transfer class.

Wilky Denaud will now be a Mississippi State Bulldog after redshirting in his lone season at Auburn. Denaud was a 4-star prospect coming out of high school. 

The Fort Pierce, Florida native played his prep career at John Carroll High School. In his senior season of his prep career, Denaud made 79 tackles, including five sacks.

Denaud also had offers from Florida, Arkansas, and Florida State coming out of high school before signing with Auburn. The Bulldogs have plenty of needs to fill via the portal, especially on the defensive side, and nobody understands that more than Bulldog defensive line coach David Turner. 

Turner has added two other defensive line prospects via the portal in Purdue transfer Sulaiman Kpaka and North Carolina transfer Kedrick Bingley-Jones.

The Bulldogs lost Jaden Crumedy and Nathan Pickering, who started on the defensive line for MSU. Bulldog freshman Jonathan Davis also entered the transfer portal, so not only does MSU need to replace their starters, but they also need to find depth. 

Denaud projects to play a five-technique in college, and the 6-4 295-pounder is walking into open competition for both starting defensive line spots. At the very least, the Bulldogs needed to use the portal to add depth to the defensive line, and while Denaud has limited playing experience at the college level, the talent is there. 

Coming and Going: Mississippi State 2024 Offseason Roster Tracker