“If you can’t beat them join them”: College hoops fans react as Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy commits to Bruce Pearl’s Auburn

By Lindsey Ware

Modified Apr 15, 2025 19:41 GMT

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round-Baylor at Mississippi State - Source: Imagn

KeShawn Murphy has decided to play for Bruce Pearl from next season. The 6'10" forward, who began his college career with three seasons at Mississippi State, is heading to Auburn for his senior year.

News of the transfer was posted on Instagram on Tuesday.

College hoops fans flooded the comments with their reactions to Murphy transferring to Auburn. People had mixed feelings about the move, with some expressing frustration about Murphy's lack of loyalty toward Mississippi State.

"If you can't beat em join em," one fan said.

A comment says Murphy joined Auburn because he couldn't beat the team at Mississippi State A comment calls Murphy's transfer "lame"

"Loyaly doesn't exist nowadays," another fan noted.

Others expressed their excitement about Murphy's commitment to Auburn.

"Nah this is 🔥go crazy brudda fr"

"LET'S GOOOOOOO🧡"

"Man u just made my whole day."

"🔥🔥🔥"

What KeShawn Murphy brings to Auburn

Mississippi State is losing an athletic two-way forward in Murphy. He has gotten better in each passing college season and will look to develop his skill set even further at Auburn.

As a junior, Murphy led the Bulldogs in rebounds per game with 7.4, and in blocks with 1.1. He was the squad's second highest scorer with 11.7 average points and even shot the ball at 56.6% from the field.

Auburn will look toward Murphy to replace star forward Johni Broome, who is also an excellent rebounder with two-way abilities.

Murphy, a Birmingham, AL native, has ties with Auburn dating back to high school. Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl had nothing but praise for the 22-year-old when he talked about him this past season.

"KeShawn Murphy's a great story, I think, in the sense that, (he) went to Mississippi State and we liked him a lot," Pearl said. "Knew he was going to be a really good player. But (he) was patient and has been there now three years. Kind of reminds me a little of Jaylin Williams. Played some early, saw signs, now he's a terrific player."

Murphy will look to build off of his standout junior season and aid Auburn as the squads looks for another solid season.

About the author

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey's favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

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Edited by Satagni Sikder