Jose Perez to visit Ole Miss following entering the transfer portal

Former West Virginia Mountaineers guard Jose Perez is looking for a new home for the upcoming 2023-2024 season. And according to a recent report, he is considering joining a former rival coach from the Big 12 at their new destination.  

On3’s Joe Tipton revealed on Wednesday that Perez would visit with the Ole Miss Rebels and their newly acquired head coach, former Texas Longhorns headman Chris Beard. 

The news of Perez’s visit to the Ole Miss campus came shortly after it was announced that he intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal. The six-foot-five senior guard from Bronx, NY, has scheduled his visit with the rebels for Friday, October 13. Inter interim head coach Josh Eilert removed Perez from the team earlier in the offseason. 

Jeff Goodman of The Messenger originally broke the news that the fifth-year guard was no longer with the team in late September. Perez was one of many West Virginia players who entered into the transfer portal following the resignation of longtime head coach Bob Huggins. However, instead of leaving for greener pastures like those at other elite programs that recruited him, such as Oregon, Gonzaga, and Michigan, he decided to remain at West Virginia with Eilert.

This upcoming season would have been Perez’s first opportunity to see the court as a Mountaineer. He transferred into the program prior to last season but was unable to receive a waiver to play from the NCAA. The last season Perez saw action on the court was in 2021-2022 at Manhattan. There, for the Jaspers, the super senior combo guard finished the year averaging 18.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.

Perez released statement with his intent to enter the transfer portal

Perez addressed his release from West Virginia in a rather open statement. And the former Mountaineers guard had a lot to say about the situation from the initial fallout.

“Gave me your word to comeback, I went to bat for you in all meetings went behind the scenes to get recruits recruited/hosted every player since I’ve been here then got thrown to the street like a dead animal…,” Perez wrote in a statement posted to social media. “25 years old as a grad student in undergrad classes after I graduated never accepted being put in undergrad classes but people wanted me eligible, only disagreement was not going to study hall and that’s where the decision was made nowhere else.

“Literally nowhere to go don’t make it seem like I’m the bad person cause I truly wanted to play here and was one of the reasons I came back because the ‘boss’ gave me his word he would have my best interest now I am once again entering a phase of depression and I can’t play the sport I love it’s been 2 years since I suited up and I still decided to comeback. Good luck wish nothing but the best to Mountaineer nation.”