Former Sam Houston Guard Davon Barnes Announces Commitment to Ole Miss Rebels

Ex-Sam Houston Bearkats guard Davon Barnes is now the fourth transfer portal commit the Ole Miss Rebels have received in the last week.

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Rebels men’s basketball team is cranking up the heat on the recruiting trail, as Chris Beard locked up his fourth transfer portal commitment on Thursday afternoon. Former Sam Houston Bearkats guard Davon Barnes announced via social media that he has pledged to Ole Miss with one year of eligibility remaining.

“#Committed❤️💙,” Barnes said via X (formerly Twitter).

Barnes caught Beard’s attention early in the 2023-24 season when Sam Houston visited Oxford for the throwback game at the Tad Smith Coliseum in November. The Bearkats only lost 70-67 thanks to a 22-point performance from Barnes. In 2023, the junior averaged 13.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. His efforts on the hardwood earned him second-team All-Conference honors last season.

The Memphis Tenn., native spent the first two years of his collegiate career with the Texas Southern Tigers, averaging 9.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game from 2021-23.

Barnes joins an Ole Miss portal class that has quickly taken life in the last week. The Rebels first received a commitment from Mikeal Brown-Jones on Saturday, April 13, and have since locked up Malik Dia and Dre Davis. This surge from Ole Miss is coming at the perfect time, as the portal will officially close for men’s hoops on Wednesday, May 1. All three of the aforementioned players averaged at least 15 points per game in 2023.

Since dispelling the rumors that he would be taking the vacant head coaching position with the Arkansas Razorbacks earlier this month, Beard has hit the recruiting trail hard in search of some offensive firepower to complement returning seniors Jaylen Murray and Jaemyn Brakefield.