Same Name Mix Up Leads To Transfer Portal Chaos At Ole Miss

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The NCAA transfer portal is often chaotic.

But rarely is it as chaotic as it was for the Ole Miss Rebels on Tuesday morning.

You see, Ole Miss senior Keyshawn Lawrence officially entered the portal on Tuesday. But Ole Miss senior Key (Keshawn) Lawrence did not enter the portal.

As you can imagine, that led to some confusion.

Initial reports claimed that Key Lawrence, who joined the Rebels from Oklahoma following the 2023 season, had re-entered the portal.

Ole Miss safety Key Lawrence entered the portal. He transferred from Oklahoma. He was a four-star recruit. pic.twitter.com/3Dt043SfGb

— NCAA Transfer Portal (@RivalsPortal) April 16, 2024

But that is not the case! Instead, it was his teammate, a walk-on linebacker from Starkville, Mississippi.

Important clarification: Ole Miss DB Key Lawrence has not re-entered the transfer portal.

Ole Miss walk-on LB Keyshawn Lawrence is the one in the portal. Yes, the Rebels had two dudes with the same name on their roster.

— Max Olson (@max_olson) April 16, 2024

Ole Miss cleaned up in the last transfer portal window, and Key Lawrence (safety) was one of its biggest additions.

“I was just trying to get closer back to home,” Lawrence said of the move. “I was 10 hours away from home, so it was hard for my family to get down there. Plus I wanted to be in the SEC. I saw a lot of guys trickling in, I just wanted to be a part of the team, honestly.”

Lawrence then noted that he hoped to be an impact player for a Rebels team with genuine national title aspirations.

“I was just tying to make my mark. I wasn’t trying to be a leader. I was trying to come in and just work, and hopefully they’ll gravitate toward me. I was just tying to learn the playbook, get the basics down, get in a routine for myself and get comfortable here.”

So it was a huge surprise to fans when it appeared he’d re-entered the transfer portal just months later. Thankfully, he was able to get a laugh out of the situation.