STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football coach Jeff Lebby was able to utilize the transfer portal after his hiring in November to assemble a roster. As he embarks on his first spring practice with the Bulldogs, Lebby has a chance to evaluate the team he has put together before addressing needs when the next transfer window opens April 15-30.

However, Lebby isn’t comfortable yet identifying which positions should be a priority in that upcoming window.

“I want to see where we’re at after Day 10, Day 11 − after I’ve gotten a great sample size of what do we have at (each) position,” Lebby said Thursday after the team’s fifth spring practice. “We’ve put so much on these guys in a matter of five days. I think it’s really hard to tell where some guys are at.”

With some players, Lebby knows what he’s getting. The Bulldogs return key pieces such as sixth-year defensive lineman De’Monte Russell while adding senior quarterback Blake Shapen from Baylor out of the transfer portal.

However, Mississippi State has a plethora of young talent meshed with newcomers who didn’t have a lot of playing time at previous stops. Evaluating where those players stand after the spring and into the regular season will be a focus across the upcoming weeks.

MORE MSU FOOTBALL: Early spring practice takeaways, including new quarterback Blake Shapen

“I’m going to wait and see a few more practices before I make that decision,” Lebby said.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State football's Jeff Lebby discusses next transfer window