Bulldogs and Rebels Going To Work In the Portal

We’ve hit the off-season in college basketball, and the transfer portal is the most active it’s ever been. Teams all over the country are reloading with significant roster changes, both from portal entries and players graduating. In the Magnolia State, both Mississippi State and Ole Miss have been going to work and reloading for the 2025-26 season.

Mississippi State

In Starkville, the Bulldogs have made the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons under Head Coach Chris Jans, but they have yet to pick up a win in the big dance. Every season under Jans involved all-new squads, and this upcoming season will be no different. The key players who’ve transferred out from Starkville are KeShawn Murphy, Riley Kugel, Michael Nwoko and Kanye Clary. Here’s a look at the Bulldogs’ additions from the transfer portal:

Ja’Borri McGhee (UAB), Freshman, PG
In one year at UAB, McGhee averaged 11.1 points on 51.7% shooting along with 2.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds as he helped lead the Blazers to third place in the American Athletic Conference and a third round appearance in the NIT. McGhee looks to be a valuable depth piece for State in the backcourt.

Quincy Ballard (Wichita State), Senior, C
Ballard is the most experienced transfer and possibly the most significant for the Bulldogs. The senior transfer averaged 10 points, 9.2 boards and 1.9 blocks a game this past season for the Wichita State Shockers. Ballard is a great rim runner and protector, and will immediately give State a valuable post presence. He is 1 of 4 players since 1953 to shoot 75% or higher from the field.

Amier Ali (Arizona State), Freshman, G/F
Ali had a strong end to the season for the Sun Devils, averaging 8.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, & 1.3 APG on 44.4% three-point shooting over the last 10 games. As a former class of 2024 top-100 prospect, Ali is a versatile piece for State and will look to continue his development under Coach Jans, showing tons of potential and upside.

Achor Achor (Kansas State), Senior, F
Achor appeared in only seven games for the Wildcats this past season, but the year prior he averaged 16.1 points along with 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks at Samford University. He also shot 43.5 percent from downtown, and will be a significant 2-way piece for State.

Jayden Epps (Georgetown), Junior, G
After starting his college career at Illinois, Epps transferred to Georgetown where he thrived for two years as an elite scoring guard. In his first season with the Hoyas as a Sophomore, Epps averaged 18.5 points per game while putting up seven games with 30 or more points. This past season, Epps averaged 12.8 points while recording five games with at least 20. Epps will join Josh Hubbard in the backcourt create one of the best scoring duos in the nation.

Ole Miss

Head Coach Chris Beard led the Rebels to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001 this past season in his second year. The Rebels’ performance in 2024-25 took the nation by storm as they look to build on their successful season. Ole Miss loses Matthew Murrell, Jaemyn Brakefield, Sean Pedulla, JuJu Murray, Dre Davis, Davon Barnes, and Mikeal Brown-Jones due to their exhausted eligibility. Since then, the Rebels have gone to work adding these players from the portal:

Corey Chest (LSU), Freshman, F
Chest began his collegiate career at LSU where he averaged 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks for the Tigers in 20 minutes per contest. He led LSU in total rebounds, and showed a lot of potential as a glass cleaner. The 6’8″, 220 pound forward will make an immediate impact in the Rebels’ backcourt.

Koren Johnson (Louisville), Junior, G
Johnson only appeared in two games this past season for the Cardinals due to injury. However, he spent the previous two seasons at Washington, where he claimed the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year award in the PAC-12, averaging 11.1 PPG in the process for the Huskies. Johnson adds more depth to the Rebels’ backcourt and could be a significant piece moving forward.

A.J. Storr (Kansas), Junior, G
Storr averaged 6.1 points per contest for the Jayhawks in 2024-25, but he spent the previous season with the Wisconsin Badgers where he averaged 16.8 PPG and was named to the 2023-24 All-Big Ten team. As a Badger, Storr notched 20 or more points in 11 games, including a 30-point performance in the Big Ten Tournament vs. Northwestern. Storr shows a lot of potential for the Rebels as he enters his senior season.

Travis Perry (Kentucky), Freshman, G
Perry spent his freshman season with the Wildcats, where he gained valuable SEC experience in 31 games and will use that to help his development with the Rebels. Ranked as the 80th overall prospect in the class of 2024 top-100, Perry averaged 2.7 points for Kentucky in his first season. He’s shown great potential and upside as a point guard and will develop nicely under Chris Beard.

Author administrator Kellen Walker