Ole Miss added size on Tuesday, even if it didn’t add the kind of game-changer fans are still waiting on.
Pepperdine center Stefan Cicic committed to the Rebels out of the transfer portal, giving Chris Beard a true 7-footer for next year’s roster. And in a portal cycle where options are drying up fast, adding a 7-footer is never a bad thing.
BREAKING: Pepperdine transfer center Stefan Cicic has committed to Ole Miss, @PeteNakos reports.https://t.co/MorD1lSVIl pic.twitter.com/LcpiCVrdNt
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) April 28, 2026
Cicic is the second commit of the week after St. Joseph’s guard Dasear Haskins. At 7-foot and 260 pounds, he brings the kind of physical presence Ole Miss simply didn’t have on the roster. The production hasn’t matched the frame yet, but the staff needed another big body and he checks that box.
Last season at Pepperdine he averaged 4.5 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 53 percent from the field. He played in 32 games with five starts. Before that he redshirted at Tulane after being recruited by Georgia Tech and Miami out of high school.
The numbers don’t jump off the page, but there’s at least a little upside. Cicic closed the season with a breakout game against Washington State, finishing with 23 points and 10 rebounds on 63 percent shooting.
No one should expect that kind of night in the SEC, but it’s a reminder that he has tools worth developing. And again, adding a 7-footer is rarely a bad idea.
His high school career showed more of that potential. As a senior at Riverside Brookfield he averaged 19 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks while shooting nearly 67 percent. He was a two-time Class 4A All-State selection, scored more than 1,300 points in two seasons, and led his team to back-to-back conference titles.
Cicic joins Haskins, Roman Siulepa, Christian Brown, ND Okafor, and Adam Clark in Ole Miss’s transfer class. Beard has added pieces, and the class is starting to take shape, but the Rebels still haven’t landed the kind of difference-maker that changes the ceiling of the roster.
With the portal window closed, there aren’t many left to chase. It might already be too late.
For now, Ole Miss gets size, depth, and another option in the frontcourt. But the big swing the fan base is waiting on still hasn’t arrived.
Ole Miss Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker
Men
Outgoing
- Niko Bundalo, F, 6-10, Fr.
- Augusto Cassiá, F, 6-8, Jr. (UTEP)
- Corey Chest, F, 6-8, So.
- Hobert Grayson IV, G, 6-4, Sr.
- Eduardo Klafke, G, 6-5, So. (Butler)
- Koren Johnson, G, 6-2, Jr.
- Tylis Jordan, F, 6-9, Fr. (Georgia Tech)
- Travis Perry, G, 6-1, So. (Dayton)
- James Scott, F, 6-10, Jr.
Incoming
- Christian Brown, F, 6-8, Fr. (James Madison)
- Stefan Cicic, C, 7-0, Fr. (Pepperdine)
- Adam Clark, G, 5-10, Jr. (Seton Hall)
- Dasear Haskins, G, 6-8, So. (St. Joseph’s)
- ND Okafor, F, 6-7, Jr. (Washington State)
- Roman Siulepa, F, 6-6, Fr. (Pittsburgh)
Women
Outgoing
- J’Adore Young, 6-4, C, Soph.
- Sira Thinenou, 6-1, F, Soph.
- Tianna Thompson, 5-10, G, Soph. (Baylor)
Incoming
- Maya Anderson, 6-1, G/F, So. (San Jose State)
- Jaida Civil, 6-0, G, Fr. (Tennessee)
- Talaysia Cooper, 6-0, G, Jr. (Tennessee)
- Knisha Godfrey, 5-9, G, Sr. (Florida)
- Emily Howard, 6-5, C, Jr. (Boise State)
- Rachael Okokoh, 6-4, C, Fr. (Penn State)
- Jada Richard, 5-7, G, So. (LSU)
- Jade Tillman, 6-1, F, Jr. (UMBC)
- Doneelah Washington, 6-1, F, Jr. (Illinois State)
