Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard is starting to put work in the transfer portal after committing his future to the Rebels, with Texas A&M looking to snatch him away. Oxford has seen several players visit this past week, with Beard looking to build the 2025-26 season roster.
One player Ole Miss has missed out on is power forward Carter Welling, who has chosen to transfer to the Clemson Tigers over the Rebels. The WAC Defensive Player of the Year averaged 13.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 1.9 BPG in 2024-25 for Utah Valley.
The Rebels pushed hard early for Welling and were down to his last two. However, the Tigers and head coach Brad Brownell won the battle.
In last season's portal, Ole Miss didn't land their first transfer until April 13, so there is plenty of time for Beard. Over several days, the Rebels landed five top players who all contributed this past season. One of those is Malik Dia, who looks like he will stay with the Rebels for the 2025-26 season.
Creighton's Pop Isaacs and LSU's Corey Chest have all visited this past week, with the former heavily linked to transferring to Oxford. On3 portal analyst Joe Tipton made a prediction that he would land with Chris Beard, a player who would be a solid replacement for Sean Pedulla.
Chris Beard and the Ole Miss Rebels are currently hosting #LSU transfer Corey Chest for a multi-day stay to Oxford.
— Ole Miss Rebels On SI (@OleMissOnSI) April 2, 2025
The former 4-star prospect remains a coveted target in the portal with the Rebels landing an official visit.
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Fairleigh Dickinson guard Terrence Brown is considering Ole Miss, as is Troy's Tayton Conerway. Plenty of top players are still available, as it's very early. We have seen what Beard can do in year 2: utilize the portal to make a post-season run. He also has two top freshmen from the 2025 class heading to the roster.
Next week may be significant for Ole Miss and Beard with decisions from transfer portal players. Can he create the magic he had from last season?