John Lewis transfer portal: Top 3 landing spots for Mississippi State LB if he leaves the program ft. Purdue

Linebacker John Lewis will enter the transfer portal after four seasons with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The team struggled this season and has the worst record in the Southeastern Conference. College football insider Pete Nakos reported on Tuesday that Lewis told On3 he plans to leave the team.

Mississippi State (2-10, 0-8 SEC) suffered a 26-14 defeat to the No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels (9-3, 5-3) in Week 14 on Friday. The Bulldogs had a 14-10 lead in the first quarter. However, they couldn't continue the momentum. Ole Miss kept them from scoring or getting in position to get a field-goal attempt. The Bulldogs' defense gave up 16 points between the second and fourth quarters to end their season on a three-game losing skid.

Lewis didn't play in State's final game. The last contest he contributed on defense was a 45-20 loss to the Massachusetts Minutemen (2-10) on Nov. 2, getting four tackles.

The linebacker will be a senior next year and is expected to finish his college career. For his four years with Mississippi State, Lewis has 45 tackles (16 solo). The decision to enter the transfer portal may allow him to get more playing time for another team.

Here are three teams that he could join in the offseason.

#1 Purdue Boilermakers

The Purdue Boilermakers (1-11, 0-9 Big Ten) had a disastrous season as the worst team in their conference. On Saturday, they suffered a 66-0 defeat to the No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers. The Boilermakers ended their year on an 11-game losing streak.

Purdue needs to make offensive and defensive changes to improve. The team is also dealing with multiple players entering the transfer portal. One notable player leaving is linebacker Yanni Karlaftis. He tweeted on Tuesday that he wanted to pursue other opportunities elsewhere for his senior year. His departure will impact the defense as he had 57 total tackles (33 solo).

Lewis could secure a spot on the Purdue roster and play a prominent role.

#2, Ball State Cardinals

The Ball State Cardinals (3-9, 2-6 Mid-American Conference) are trying to rebuild after a challenging year. Ball State finished the season with a 41-21 loss to the Ohio Bobcats on Friday.

On Wednesday, the Cardinals announced that they hired Mike Uremovich for a five-year deal as the team's new coach after firing Mike Neu on Nov. 16. The change in leadership could allow Lewis to join the team and earn a starting role.

He'll have to compete for the role against other linebackers who could return next season, including Keionte Newson and Joey Stemler. Both had more playing time and better stats than Lewis this season. The former Mississippi State linebacker could find himself in a similar position at Ball State if he can't prove why he should have a starting role.

#3, Oklahoma State Cowboys

The Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-9, 0-9 Big 12) are another team that could acquire Lewis from the transfer portal. Oklahoma State ended its season on a nine-game losing streak. On Friday, they had a bad showing in a 52-0 blowout defeat to the No. 23 Colorado Buffaloes.

One of the key issues for the Cowboys was their defense. In 11 games, the opposing team won by 38 or more points. The team may take a chance on Lewis to see if he can make a difference and help them have a better season.