Chris Beard said he wanted to overhaul the roster after a disappointing 2025-26 season. On Friday, he added another piece that makes that mission look a lot more believable.
Micah Handlogten, the former Florida center who spent the summer in eligibility limbo, has committed to Ole Miss. The news was first reported by On3’s Joe Tipton.
BREAKING: Former Florida center Micah Handlogten has committed to Ole Miss, @JoeTipton reports🦈https://t.co/V9JKfjZMan pic.twitter.com/9CLwbWGDNg
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) August 28, 2026
Handlogten is able to return to college thanks to one of the many injunctions and temporary restraining orders that have granted certain athletes another year of eligibility, even after signing professional contracts.
For Ole Miss, it’s a straightforward win. The Rebels needed size, experience and someone who has played real SEC minutes. Handlogten checks all three boxes.
He entered the portal back in April while also signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Utah Jazz. Instead of going down the professional path, he’ll take advantage of the legal window that allows him to play a fifth college season. And he’ll do it in Oxford.
Handlogten played in 34 games for Florida last season, averaging 4.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in 14.8 minutes. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but they came in a year where he was still working back from the devastating leg injury he suffered in the 2024 SEC tournament.
Florida originally planned to redshirt him in 2024-25, but he returned in February and helped the Gators win a national championship.
Ole Miss saw him up close last season. In a Feb. 21 game in Oxford, Handlogten played 16 minutes off the bench, scoring two points, grabbing three rebounds and forcing three turnovers.
He wasn’t dominant, but he was disruptive. And that’s exactly the kind of presence Ole Miss has lacked inside.
His commitment also continues a clear trend. Of the eight transfer additions Beard has made this offseason, seven are forwards or centers. Handlogten is the first former SEC player to join the group, and he arrives with a résumé that suggests he can help immediately.
Ole Miss needed talent. It needed depth. It needed someone who has played in big games and understands the physicality of the league. Handlogten gives them all of that.
There will be time later to sort through the broader debate about pro contracts, eligibility rules and what this moment means for college sports. Today is simpler.
Ole Miss got better. And after last season, that’s the only part that really matters.
