Ole Miss basketball lands commitment from Jackson State forward Jayveous McKinnis

Ole Miss basketball got some much-needed good news Monday afternoon. 

The Rebels landed a commitment from Jackson State forward Jayveous McKinnis out of the NCAA Transfer Portal. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound McKinnis was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year in the SWAC. He was also second in the country in rebounding two years ago. He finished with a double-double against Ole Miss last season.

Ole Miss was 13-19 overall, including its worst SEC record in 27 years. Its 19 losses tied for the fifth-most by the program dating back to 1908. They were the second-most this century.

“I’m honored by the coaches who’ve reached out and shown interest in me while in the transfer portal,” McKinnis wrote, in a commitment statement released via social media. “It wasn’t an easy decision, but I’ve decided to verbally commit to coach Kermit Davis and the Ole Miss Rebels. I look forward to helping the Rebels take over the SEC.”

McKinnis visited Ole Miss over a week ago. 

According to On’s Jamie Shaw, McKinnis heard from, among others, Ole Miss, FIU, Coastal Carolina, Southern Miss, Wichita State, San Francisco, UNCW, Radford, SIU, Pepperdine, Kansas State and Nicholls State. He averaged 12.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game last season.

As first-reported by the Ole Miss Spirit, Ole Miss is expected to retain six, at most, from its current roster. The Rebels are aiming for “three or four” portal additions.

Assistants Ronnie Hamilton (LSU) and Levi Watkins (NC State) have left, and Davis is also purging his roster. Veterans Austin Crowley, Luis Rodriguez and Sammy Hunter have all entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, as have first-year Rebels Grant Slatten and Eric Van Der Heijden.

I’m honored by the coaches who’ve reached out and shown interest in me while in the transfer portal. It wasn’t a easy decision, but I’ve decided to verbally commit to Coach Kermit Davis and the Ole Miss Rebels. I look forward to helping the rebels take over the SEC. 🔴🔵🏆 pic.twitter.com/ww32P5UTZe

— J. (@Jayveous__) April 4, 2022

They likely won’t be the only ones either, assuming Davis sticks to his target number for the spring.

Ole Miss has just one spot open.

Jaemyn Brakfield, previously of Duke, has already used his one-year penalty-free transfer and will return. Jarkel Joiner went through Senior Night and is testing the NBA evaluation process, but he, too, is expected back, at least for now. In such a scenario, he would play a sixth and final season.

Daeshun Ruffin and Matthew Murrell could very well be coveted players in the portal. Davis, though, anticipates both of them remaining at Ole Miss. Robert Allen should to be fully-recovered in time for the season opener — which, as with the 2022 schedule in general, isn’t finalized.

McKinnis meets at least one need laid out by Davis — that of a two-way big with low-post scoring ability, shot-blocking and rim-rolling to pair with rim-attackers and bucket-getters Ruffin and Murrell.

Ole Miss has reached out to double-digit transfers. 

Others are guards Dylan Penn (Bellarmine), Will Richard (Belmont), Desmond (Nevada) and Devan (Auburn) Cambridge, Erick Stevenson (South Carolina) and Quincy McGriff (JUCO), as well as forwards, Jaylan Gainey (Brown), Jason Roche (Citadel), Fardaws Aimaq (Utah Valley), Jalen Graham (Arizona State), Noah Carter (Northern Iowa), Will Richard (Belmont) and Alex Tchikou (Alabama). 

The Rebels signed three high school players in November, and they recently committed Top 100 2022 guard Amaree Abram. 

“We’ve got to add some really good size and depth in the portal,” Davis said, in a previous interview with the Spirit. Ole Miss would like to get a play-making wing and another stretch four. “You do those things, and we think we can be right in the middle of it. We’re very positive. We’ve just got to go to work, get our team better and get healthy.”