LSU transfer forward Corey Chest commits to Ole Miss, Chris Beard out of the portal

LSU transfer forward Corey Chest has committed to transfer to SEC rival Ole Miss, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. Chest will have three seasons of college eligibility remaining in Oxford after spending the last two seasons in Baton Rouge.

Ole Miss has lost a couple of players to the portal thus far, with forward John Bol and guard TJ Caldwell both entering to this point. The Rebels, at the time of this writing, had not gained a transfer commitment during this cycle.

Chest started in 19 of his 26 games as a redshirt freshman in 2024-25, averaging 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 20.1 minutes per game while shooting a consistent 60.7-percent from the floor this past season.

The LSU big man had his best game of last season against Alabama, when he erupted for a career-high 18 rebounds, 12 points and three blocks in an 80-73 loss to the Tide on Jan. 25 in Tuscaloosa. Chest was held off the score sheet in his first game against Ole Miss in January, but had a big day with five points and 12 rebounds in a rematch in February, playing 30 minutes.

Ole Miss went 24-12 this season, finishing 10-8 in SEC play, tied for sixth in the league. The Rebels went on a run to the Sweet 16, just the second in program history.

Chest joining the Rebels will help them replace some of the lost production from this past season. Ole Miss will replace four starters, all of which were seniors.

Chest landed at LSU as a four-star prospect out Link Academy (Branson, Missouri), where he was the No. 103 overall player and No. 17 power forward in the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.