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Murrell’s long Ole Miss road ends with Jazz deal — and Grillehouse dinner

Ben Garrettby: Ben Garrett06/27/25SpiritBen
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Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell and second-year head coach Chris Beard (Photo credit: Ole Miss Basketball/X)

Chris Beard made a deal with Matthew Murrell back during the NCAA Tournament. 

Ole Miss was a 6-seed back in March Madness and first drew 11-seed North Carolina as slight underdogs. Beard and Murrell agreed if the Rebels pulled off the win — the first for the program in the tournament in a decade — Beard would take Murrell out for dinner sometime after the season at a restaurant of Murrell’s choosing. 

Ole Miss led by as many as 22 in the game and eventually held on for a 71-64 win. Murrell ultimately decided on Oxford Grillehouse. Beard made good on his word on Thursday, the second and final night of the 2025 NBA Draft.

Murrell didn’t hear his name called, but a day later signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Utah Jazz, who’d brought him in for a pre-draft workout. 

Murrell played hurt all last season and spent the draft process recovering and limited.

He had surgery on his right knee, which began giving him trouble against Arkansas in January. He’s feeling better and finally on the path to an eventual clean bill of health. Murrell feels good, even if the draft didn’t necessarily go how he wanted or expected. 

Murrell has no regrets. He stayed five years at Ole Miss despite myriad options and opportunities to leave. He also never gave a single thought to sitting out for any extended amount of time last season.

The injury zapped his explosiveness, especially going to the rim, but he still started 31 of the 32 games in which he appeared. He averaged 10.8 points and 3.5 rebounds. Ole Miss won 24 games and matched the program’s greatest-ever single-season accomplishment in reaching the Sweet 16.

Murrell led Ole Miss in scoring each of the previous two years. 

“Murrell is an outstanding defender, who might be the most explosive athlete in this draft,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony wrote in announcing Murrell’s deal with Utah. “Missed the pre-draft process with an injury.”

NCAA Tournament breakout star Sean Pedulla signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the Portland Trailblazers on Friday.

Pedulla was All-SEC in his only Ole Miss season and following a transfer from Virginia Tech. He was named to the All-Tournament team at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and earned an invite to the G-League Elite camp. 

Pedulla will compete in summer league with an invite to training camp. He played and started in all 36 games for Ole Miss, tied for most games played in a single season in school history. He led the Rebels in scoring (15.4 points per game).

Murrell finished his Ole Miss career seventh in program history in career scoring (1,788 points). He’s the all-time leader in career games (153) and minutes (4,452) played and fourth in career 3-point field goals (261). Murrell is tied for fourth in career steals (179). He had 58 last season, tied for the sixth-most at Ole Miss. His 10 against Troy in 2023 tied an SEC record.

“It means everything,” Murrell said prior to the NCAA Tournament run. “Being hurt, and being able to go out there and still battle, affect winning with this team at a high level, it means everything. I praise God for allowing me to be able to continue to play without further damaging myself.”

Now he finally gets his shot at the next level. He’ll be able to put his best foot forward, too, sooner rather than later.

“Just being able to be a part of the change, it’s definitely been something special,” Murrell said. “Ole Miss wasn’t really on the national map a couple years back, and we felt like we’ve been able to grow it throughout the years. Ole Miss will be here to stay.”

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