Jalen Bridges Receives Interest From Michigan State, Pitt and Others

On Thursday night, it was reported by Travis Branham of 247 Sports that former West Virginia forward Jalen Bridges has received interest from a list of schools, which includes Michigan State, Pitt and others.

Arkansas, DePaul, Kansas State, Loyola Chicago, Michigan State, Minnesota, NC State, Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, San Diego State, South Florida, Texas A&M and Wake Forest have all reached out to Bridges.

A source tells WV Sports Now that MSU head coach Tom Izzo reached personally out to Bridges.

Bridges entered his name into the transfer portal on Wednesday afternoon after spending two years playing at WVU. The 6-foot-7 forward did mention on Thursday that the decision to leave Morgantown had nothing to do with name, image and likeness money.

“Happiness > NIL $,” Bridges wrote on Twitter.

Bridges, a Fairmont native, spent three years at WVU, playing in two seasons and 61 games. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 8.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks through 33 games this past season.

Bridges moved into the starting lineup halfway through the 2020-21 season after Oscar Tshiebwe left. Bridges helped the Mountaineers solidify their new lineup in the middle of the season as they earned a 3-seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Bridges will have two years of eligibility remaining.