Texas State added nine new players through the transfer portal, including three from other Sun Belt programs
The Texas State Bobcats are looking to do something the program has not done since the 2021-22 season: follow up a .500 or better campaign with another competitive year.
Head coach Terrence Johnson is entering his sixth season in San Marcos following a 16-16 record overall and 9-9 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. Despite earning the No. 7 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament, the Bobcats fell to No. 10 seed Old Dominion, 64-61, ending their postseason hopes with a first-round exit.
The roster turnover continues — a trend not limited to Texas State but common across mid- and low-major programs. Just three players return from the 2024-25 roster.
Mark Drone returns for his second season. The junior college transfer from Jackson, Mississippi, appeared in 10 games last season, averaging 11.5 points and 2.8 assists per game. His year was highlighted by a career-high 30 points performance against Southern Miss on Jan. 11.
Drone with the corner 3#EatEmUp x @_MarkDrone5 pic.twitter.com/0nrOtLzWUH
— Texas State MBB (@TXStateMBB) March 7, 2025
Kaden Gumbs also returns, bringing back averages of 11.0 points and 4.0 assists per game. Gumbs opened the 2024-25 season with a career-best 27 points against McMurry.
Departures
Like many low- and mid-major programs, the Bobcats saw several players exit via the transfer portal.
The most notable departure was guard Coleton Benson. The Austin, Texas native averaged 10.2 points per game last season before transferring to New Orleans. He played in 22 games last season but started only two.
The Bobcats also graduated several key players, including forward Tylan Pope. The Franklinton, Louisiana, product led the team in scoring and blocks, averaging 16.4 points and 1.4 blocks per game. Pope scored 20 or more points 11 times, including a career-high 28 points against Southern Miss on Jan. 18. Prior to that season, his career high had been 15 points. He was named to the All-Sun Belt second team.
Forward Tyrel Morgan, from Atlanta, added 13.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He and Pope combined to average 4.8 offensive rebounds per game. Morgan entered the season as a Preseason All-Sun Belt third team selection.
Arrivals
Texas State added nine new players through the transfer portal, including three from other Sun Belt programs. The Bobcats also brought in three freshman, headlined by DJ Hall, a three-star recruit out of Plano High School in Plano, TX.
Guard Jalen Bolden transferred from ULM, where he led the Warhawks with 13.2 points per game and a team-high 58 steals. He’s joined in San Marcos by fellow former ULM starter Makai Willis, a center from Tallahassee, Florida, who averaged 10.4 points and 7.3 rebounds last season.
Signed 🖊️
Welcome to San Marcos, Makai Willis!
📰: https://t.co/Sxyll0VKzB#EatEmUp pic.twitter.com/PQ6VPjvpi4
— Texas State MBB (@TXStateMBB) June 9, 2025
Outside the Sun Belt, the Bobcats added junior college teammates Ky Pernell and Dimo Pernell from Jones College out of Ellisville, Mississippi. Together, the Pernell brothers averaged 27.8 points and 10 rebounds per game. Texas State hopes Ky can help replace three-point production lost to graduation.
Dimo is expected to bolster the Bobcats’ free-throw shooting, after shooting 87.5% last season. With Gumbs among the team’s top returning free-throw shooters, Dimo’s presence could be key in close games.
With only three returning players, Johnson and the Bobcats will need to develop chemistry quickly. Nonconference tests against Tulane and Rice, along with a trip to Las Vegas for the Resorts World Classic will challenge the Bobcats as they prepare for their final season in the Sun Belt before leaving for the Pac-12 next season.
Texas State opens the 2025-26 season on the road against Bowling Green on Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. CST as part of the MAC-SBC Challenge. It will be the programs’ first-ever meeting. The game will air on ESPN+.
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