Mississippi State linebacker John Lewis is going to enter the college football transfer portal as a graduate transfer after playing four seasons in Starkville. His departure from the program makes his bold comments from July even more awkward than they already were.
It’s a tough look for the Bulldogs and their soon-to-be former defensive star…
Lewis, a native of the Magnolia State, was expected to commit to play at Ole Miss as a four-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2021. He ultimately decided to play on the other side of the Egg Bowl and committed to Mississippi State instead.
Fast forward to SEC Media Days earlier this year. Lewis made a very bold claim about the in-state rivalry and roasted the Rebels over their slogan: ‘Come To The Sip.’
Mississippi State LB John Lewis roasted Ole Miss' "Come to the Sip" mantra. "It's overrated. This is our state. Everybody knows that. We run the Sip because we run Mississippi. We've been saying it. They're just following us, so it's OK. They literally want to be us."
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) July 17, 2024
He was either trolling with bait or completely delusional.
First and foremost, not one single person who goes to school or plays college football in Oxford envies the students or athletes in Starkville. Ole Miss actively tries to distance itself from Mississippi State.
Lewis’ claim was also far from the truth in terms of on-field result. The Rebels led the head-to-head series 56-30 when he said what he said. To go even one step further, the rising senior had not made a single tackle against the team he tried to put down.
It gets even worse. Lewis did not record any stats during another loss to Ole Miss in the most recent edition of the Egg Bowl last Friday. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
Saturday passed. Sunday passed. Monday passed.
Come Tuesday, it was reported that John Lewis plans to enter the transfer portal. He is not going to play a fifth and final season at Mississippi State. He announced his decision to leave the school that supposedly “runs Mississippi” just four days after losing to the school that “literally wants to be Mississippi State.” Yikes!