Kennesaw State Is Reloading: Breaking Down the Owls' 2026 Transfer Portal Class
After an NCAA Tournament appearance, Kennesaw State is building on their momentum. Here's a full breakdown of every transfer addition Antoine Pettway has landed.
We are inching closer and closer to teams finalizing their rosters which means, yes…offseason reviews are just around the corner. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post so you can provide input on what teams we cover first starting in June!
In the meantime, there are plenty of teams that are assembling rosters that are looking like they can make a splash in their conferences next season. We’ve been seeing a ton of positive news around scheduling agreements among mid-major programs, so this season is truly making out to be a special one…even if the tournament is expanded.
Today, we’re going to be looking at who the Kennesaw State Owls have added via the transfer portal. They have a strong set of freshman coming in as well that we’ll save for a full offseason review, but the five players that are coming in via the portal are all showing signs of being able to make positive impacts in their first season with the Owls.
After coming off a no doubt odd season given the gambling probe that impacted the team, the Owls still finished the season 21-14 and even went on a run in the Conference USA Tournament to head to the NCAA Tournament fir the first time since 2023. Antoine Pettway is continuing to build up this program that was restored by the late Amir Abdur-Rahim.
Let’s take a look at who the Owls have added thus far!
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C.J. Beaumont
C.J. Beaumont is a 6’8 junior that is going to be looking to bust out in a big way this coming season. He’s spent the last few seasons with Sam Houston, initially joining the team in 2023 where he appeared in 15 games as a freshman. He ultimately redshirt his sophomore season, but as this past year winded down, he started to show us what he could be made of.
His playing time was sporadic and sparse up until the final few weeks of the season, and he took advantage. On the season, he averaged 3.3 points with 2.4 rebounds, however, over his last six games he averaged 8.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and nearly one steal per game in a shade over 20 minutes per game of action. His best game of his career so far came in the NIT against New Mexico when he finished with 22 points, five rebounds, and one block while shooting 8-14 from the floor overall and 4-6 from beyond the arc.
Looking at his underlying metrics, they show signs of what could be in an expanded role. He finished with a 110.5 offensive rating, 13.8% possession usage, 55% effective field goal percentage, 18.1% defensive rebounding percentage, and a strong 44.4% shooting percentage from three-point against Division I opponents.
While there are still unknowns with what he’ll fully be able to do, if he can take a step forward and grow on what he did over the final weeks of this past season then I believe the Owls might have found themselves a hidden gem.
Anthony Enoh
Enoh is a 6’7 forward from Nigeria that spent his first two seasons in college basketball at Jessup University which was previously NAIA until it transitioned to Division II last season. In his sophomore season for the Warriors, he averaged 11 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 46.6% overall and 38.3% from beyond the arc on 60 attempts.
As he started to garner Division I interest, he landed at Georgia State last season. He finished the year appearing in 30 games, starting 17, and averaging five points and five rebounds per game while shooting 33.8% overall. While there was definitely an adjustment in level of competition that he was playing against this year, he showed some strong glimpses of what could be.
Against Jacksonville State, he finished with 7 points and 12 rebounds. Against App State, he finished with 10 points and 9 rebounds. There’s no doubt that he’s a prolific rebounded and a strong force down low, but there’s plenty of room to grow on the offensive end. He finished the season with a 43.6% true shooting percentage and 37.5% effective field goal percentage.
They Owls will value his defensive capabilities as he featured a 17.1% defensive rebounding percentage which was 437th overall in the nation and a 7.9% offensive rebounding percentage which was 462nd. He also had a 3.1% block percentage which was 403rd in the country, which jumped to 4% in the Sun Belt or 14th best among his peers.
Similar to the others on this list, Enoh is a bit of a raw talent still, however, his defensive abilities are going to continue to get him in the lineup with opportunities. If he can grow on the offensive end, he could turn himself into a consistent double-double player.
Kris Parker
Coming out of high school, Parker was listed as a 3-star recruit, the 41st overall Small Forward and the 20th best overall out of Florida. He’s had a bit of a journey already as he initially committed and enrolled at Alabama his freshman season where he ultimately redshirt. He chose the Tide over DePaul, NC State, Villanova, Georgia, St. Johns, and many other strong power conference programs. Following his freshman season, he transferred to Villanova where he appeared in 27 games, averaged 10 minutes per game along with 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds.
Following his season at Villanova, Parker hit the transfer portal again and landed closer to home with the UCF Knights. His playing time was slashed in half as he appeared in 22 games at 5.8 minutes per game while averaging 1.7 points and 0.7 rebounds per game. His best two games of the season came back-to-back against Texas A&M with 9 points and Oakland with eight points, two rebounds, and one assist which were crucial in the tight 87-83 finish.
With the minimal playing time, it’s difficult to look deep at his metrics, but he did finish with a 59.2% true shooting percentage, 9% defensive rebounding percentage, and a strong 64.7% shooting percentage from inside the arc. This is consistent with his season at Villanova where he featured a 12.6% defensive rebounding percentage, and a 63.3% shooting percentage from inside.
Parker is a raw talent still, but at 6’9 he has a strong body that’s going to be able to provide Kennesaw State with a force down low. This is the type of player that’s looking for an opportunity to see the court and he has a golden chance to take advantage and break out this season.
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Avery Thomas II
There’s something about inter-conference transfers that just really fuel the fire for rivalries. Avery Thomas II spent his first season in Division I with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs last season where he put up solid numbers for a team that won 20 games. He averaged 9.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 40.3% overall and 30% from beyond the arc as a 6’8 sophomore.
He’s a monster on the glass. He had two 15-rebound games, eight 10+ rebound games, and five double-doubles. When he gets hot from beyond the arc, he can become a problem as well. Over the final month of the season, he shot 48% from three-point on 33 attempts in ten games.
In the year prior to Louisiana Tech, he spent the season with a JUCO at Jones College where he dominated. He averaged 14.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He shot 50% overall and 45% from beyond the arc, all of which clearly translated to the next level as he got more comfortable.
Looking at his metrics, he finished the season with a 108.6 offensive rating, 47.9% true shooting percentage, 11.6% offensive rebounding percentage which was 150th overall, a 19.4% defensive rebounding percentage which was 233rd best in the country, a 2.7% block percentage, and a 2.7% steal percentage in which both were ranked nationally as well.
This is a player who is still young and is going to continue to develop into a strong Division I basketball player. He’ll immediately slot into the Owl’s starting lineup this season and I’m excited to see how he grows.
Jacoby Hill
We have another inter-conference transfer! Jacoby Hill spent his freshman season with Jacksonville State who he chose over UAB, North Alabama, Alabama, and Mississippi State. It’s no coincidence either that he was receiving interest from the SEC. The Alabama native finished his freshman season with the Gamecocks averaging ten points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 51.4% overall and 35.5% from beyond the arc.
As the season went on, he kept getting better and better. Over his last five games, he finished averaging 15.8 points, six rebounds, 2.6 assists, all while shooting 66.7% from the floor. His metrics speak highly of his skills as well. He finished with a 113.9 offensive rating which grew to 116.2 in conference play and his shooting metrics were strong with a 54.2% effective field goal percentage and 58% true shooting percentage which both stepped up to 56.5% and 60% each respectively in the Conference USA.
At 6’4, he’s not our traditional shooting guard or combo guard, rather he is a highly impactful strong IQ guard that can slash to the paint and finish strong inside. His 59.1% shooting percentage from inside the arc during conference play was 11th best in the conference. While he isn’t a three point volume threat, he still shot 32.5% on 40 attempts inside the CUSA which is respectable.
Hill is going to blossom into a strong player and he already has one solid season under his belt in the same conference that he’ll be playing in with Kennesaw State. Similar to Thomas II, I believe that Hill will slot immediately into the starting lineup and provide a huge spark for the Owls at the two-spot.
P.S. If you haven’t, check out some of his dunks online…he has some incredible athleticism.
Offseason Reviews
It’s about that time! Starting in June, we’ll be sending out weekly (sometimes twice a week) offseason reviews all the way up till the start of the season. With that in mind, if you have a specific team that you’d like to see covered, send us a message below. We’ll do our best to cover all teams submitted once their roster has been finalized!