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Chris Beard, Ole Miss Basketball Lose Former Blue-Chip Prospect to Transfer Portal

Beard and Co. will reconstruct the roster this offseason, lose a dynamic forward to the free agent market.
Zack Nagy|
Jan 20, 2026; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels forward Corey Chest (1) and guard AJ Storr (2) reacts during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Jan 20, 2026; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels forward Corey Chest (1) and guard AJ Storr (2) reacts during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

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Ole Miss Rebels forward Corey Chest intends to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal after spending the 2025-26 season in Oxford, according to On3 Sports.

Chest made the decision to join Chris Beard and Co. last offseason after spending a pair of seasons with the LSU Tigers - signing with the program out of high school as a Top-100 recruit.

The 6-foot-8, 220-pounder redshirted across his first season with the program prior to a breakout campaign in 2024-25 where he averaged 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 20.1 minutes per game in 26 games played.

From there, Chest made the move to Oxford for a change of scenery where he joined the Ole Miss program for the 2025-26 season - averaging 2.6 points and 3.8 rebounds on 59.4 percent shooting from the field.

Now, with two seasons of eligibility remaining, the Louisiana native will make the move to his third program after revealing intentions of entering the NCAA Transfer Portal once again.

For Beard and the Ole Miss staff, there is an opportunity to reconstruct the roster via the Transfer Portal in Oxford this offseason with the free agent market opening on Monday.

“That’s a good question. Probably not in the mental space to answer that fully now,” Beard said. “Obviously, in college basketball, guys choose to go elsewhere; they choose to come back. Each player on our team will have that decision. It will be their decision. It will be a conversation to make sure that both sides align.

“Our relationship with these players is just getting started, whether we coach them next year or not. That’s one thing you can get in our program: we’re going to have your back for the rest of our lives. These guys, hopefully, every single one of them will outlive me by a million years. Till the day I’m not here anymore, we’ll have their backs.”

Now, all eyes are on which targets the Ole Miss staff locks in on amid a critical offseason in the Magnolia State.

More Ole Miss News:

Ole Miss Football Wide Receiver Earns Unique NFL Comparison Ahead of 2026 Draft

Ole Miss Baseball Skyrockets in Rankings After Series Win Over Kentucky Wildcats

Ole Miss Football Recruiting Buzz: Rebels Poised for Massive Run of Commitments

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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.

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Zack Nagy
ZACK NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Ole Miss Rebels On SI, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Rebel Football, Baseball, Basketball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving Ole Miss athletics. Nagy has covered the Southeastern Conference for over half a decade after being born and raised in New Orleans (La.).

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