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Appalachian State transfer quarterback AJ Swann is committing to Mississippi State out of the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 has learned. He’ll have one year of eligibility remaining this coming season.
A former highly touted recruit, Swann spent three seasons inside the SEC. First, he was at Vanderbilt for two years, where he threw for over 2,700 yards and 22 touchdowns combined in 2022 and 2023. Then, LSU was his next stop, where he saw action in just games with a total of four pass attempts.
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Appalachian State was up next. In 2025, Swann passed for 1,495 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading the Mountaineers to 5-7 on the season. All in all, the quarterback has thrown for 4,236 yards with 32 touchdowns.
Swann played high school football at Cherokee (Canton, GA), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 445 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted algorithm that compiles all major recruiting media services.
The 2025-26 college football transfer portal will last 15 days, spanning from Jan. 2 to Jan. 16, the NCAA decided. While players have just over two weeks to enter the portal, they’re not under a deadline to commit when they enter. Traditionally, the cut-off for committing has been how late a school can enroll a player through admissions, so it varies throughout the sport.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
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More on the Mississippi State Bulldogs
When AJ Swann joins Mississippi State, he’ll look to help bring the Bulldogs offense to prominence. He’ll have the help of former Kentucky offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan, who will be working for head coach Jeff Lebby as the Associate Head Coach for Offense.
“Welcome to StarkVegas, @BushHamdan!” Mississippi State Football said via X. “A veteran offensive coach with 17 years of experience in college football and the NFL, Coach Hamdan brings a reputation for innovation, development, and high-level production.”
Hamdan spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons with Kentucky, the final two years of the Mark Stoops era. This past year saw him work with quarterback Cutter Boley, guiding the Wildcats to an overall productive season. Mississippi State has KaMario Taylor waiting for Hamdan on the other side, along with Swann now. The hope is that quarterback development continues to be a positive trend for the new Bulldogs staffer.
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Kentucky finished 13th in the SEC this season in scoring, putting up an average of 23 points per game. Running the ball was the better avenue of the two, going for 139.2 yards per game, good enough for 10th within the conference.
Of course, change from athletic director Mitch Barnhart meant Hamdan found himself back on the open market. SEC experience is there, being employed by the Florida Gators in 2012 as the wide receivers coach. He also worked for Eli Drinkwitz‘s initial staff as the wide receivers coach and quarterbacks coach. Next stop — Mississippi State to be the Associate Head Coach for Offense.
— On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this article.
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