Chris Beard, Ole Miss Rebels Land Belmont Forward Malik Dia via Transfer Portal

The Ole Miss Rebels gained another solid transfer piece on Monday afternoon.

Malik Dia in his time with the Belmont Bruins. / Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports

The transfer portal momentum has begun for Chris Beard and the Ole Miss Rebels, as they secured their second commitment of this cycle in former Belmont Bruins power forward Malik Dia on Monday afternoon.

Dia measures in at 6-foot-9, and he averaged 16.9 points per game a season ago with the Bruins. He concluded an official visit to Oxford on Sunday, and he also has some prior experience in the SEC, having suited up for the Vanderbilt Commodores in his freshman (2022-23) season.

While with Vanderbilt, Dia saw the floor in 20 games without earning a start, and he averaged 2.9 PPG. He obviously saw a bigger role last season with Belmont, starting in 24 of his 33 games played, and he secured a mark of 5.8 rebounds per game, an area that Ole Miss will certainly look to improve upon as a team entering next winter.

READ MORE: Ole Miss Men's Basketball Receives Commitment From Transfer Forward Mikeal Brown-Jones

As a recruit, Dia was rated as a three-star prospect out of Ensworth (Tenn.) School, and he was listed as the No. 5 prospect out of Tennessee and the No. 36 power forward, per On3.

Dia joins another recent portal commitment for Beard & Co. in the form of forward Mikeal Jones-Brown from UNC Greensboro who committed to Ole Miss over the weekend.