Chris Beard, Ole Miss Basketball Linked to Coveted Transfer Portal Guard

The Rebels continue their pursuit of available transfers, highly-touted West Virginia guard on their radar,

Mar 1, 2025; Provo, Utah, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Jonathan Powell reacts after a rebound against the Brigham Young Cougars during the first half at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Chris Beard and the Ole Miss Rebels remain on the prowl for elite-level talent via the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason.

The Rebels have been active in the transfer portal to this point with a critical stretch ahead for the program in Oxford.

Ole Miss has hosted a myriad of the top talents available in the portal, with Creighton point guard Pop Issacs and Utah Valley forward Carter Welling visiting Oxford on Monday.

Now, there's a new target on the Rebels radar.

West Virginia guard Jonathan Powell is the next priority prospect for Ole Miss this offseason, with Powell set for a Zoom interview with Chris Beard and Co. this coming Wednesday, according to On3 Sports.

West Virginia transfer Jonathan Powell completed an official visit to Ohio State today, he tells @On3sports.

The 6-6 freshman says he has a Zoom scheduled with North Carolina tomorrow and a Zoom with Ole Miss on Wednesday.https://t.co/bFbokJjnqL pic.twitter.com/yslcexy26i

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 1, 2025

The true freshman from Dayton, Ohio is listed at 6-foot-6, 180 pounds where he can make an instant impact at the next program of his choosing.

Powell finds himself as one of the bigger end of guards in the portal, which combined with his upside has made him into a priority target for multiple Power Four programs.

The West Virginia transfer has drawn interest from the likes of Ohio State and North Carolina, having taken an official visit to Ohio State this past Monday, and scheduled a Zoom interview with the Tar Heels on Tuesday.

Powell was rated as a four-star prospect while playing shooting guard in high school. He was ranked as the No. 30 shooting guard in the country, and the 137th best player in the class of 2024.

He has tremendous upside, appearing in 32 games for West Virginia this past season, averaging 30.8 minutes per game.

On the season, Powell averaged 8.3 points per game while shooting 37.8 percent from the floor and 35.2 percent from three-point range, as well as grabbing an average of 3.1 rebounds per game. It's respectable numbers for anyone in the Big 12, but even more so for a true freshman.

He can be best described as a 'Swiss Army Knife', being able to fill multiple roles on the floor, being able to shoot the ball from the perimeter and also has the intangibles to score inside.

Although Powell is listed as a shooting guard, he will frequently drive the ball to the basket, often times passing up open shots. He shows impressive strength for someone of his weight, and is not afraid to rise to the rim.

While his inside scoring is strong, Powell is also a terrific spot-up shooter, frequently beating defenses down the floor in transition and getting in position for an open shot.

With many programs running up-tempo offenses, the ability to score in transition has become even more important, and Powell excels at exactly that.

Now, the West Virginia transfer has become one of the most sought-after talents available in the transfer portal, and for good reason.

And while Chris Beard and Co. are just one of many of Powell's suitors, they will look to separate themselves from the pack this coming Wednesday with an important meeting between both parties.

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.