Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Men's Basketball signs nine to 2026-27 roster
5/29/2026 2:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – In preparation for the 2026-27 campaign, Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball has added nine student-athletes to its roster. The incoming class features players with a wide range of experiences, from the Power 4 level to top high schools. With four student-athletes who call Tennessee home and two from international destinations, the group is set to join the five returners in Murfreesboro, ready to get to work in summer sessions.
"I am very pleased with the recruiting class that we were able to put together this spring," said head coach Nick McDevitt. "The staff did a great job identifying high-character individuals that fit our culture and playing style. The group is a balanced mix of experienced players (4 NCAA, 1 JUCO) and newcomers (4 freshmen) and addresses the needs that we had. Combined with our returning players, our team will have good size and length to go along with skill sets that will allow us to have quality depth throughout the lineup."
Eli Rice | G | 6-8 | Gallatin, Tenn. | Penn State
Rice is set to transfer in after most recently spending two seasons at Penn State. His first year in Happy Valley was cut short after a season-long injury, but he came back strong his redshirt sophomore campaign, seeing time in 29 contests. Rice averaged 6.7 points while bringing in 1.7 rebounds per game. He amassed 10 double-digit scoring games, including his first 20-point game at Ohio State on six made three-pointers. Rice dished out a season-high three assists at home against the Buckeyes in addition to two rebounds and a steal.
The Gallatin, Tenn., native spent his true freshman season at Nebraska, appearing in 17 games that campaign while averaging 4.2 points and 1.6 rebounds. Rice tallied three double-digit scoring, while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and scoring a season-best 16 points against Florida A&M. He was rated as a top 200 prospect after playing a prep year at IMG Academy, helping the school to a 23-4 record and quarterfinal appearance in the National Prep Championship. The guard averaged 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists per contest at the academy while shooting 35 percent from three-point range.
Quintero Barnett | G | 6-4 | Brunswick, Ohio | Walsh University
Barnett spent two years at Walsh College before transferring to Middle Tennessee. The guard started in all 33 games his sophomore season, averaging 14.64 points and 3.97 rebounds, leading the team in points, assists, steals and three-point percentage. He shot 52.5 percent from the floor and 41.4 percent from behind the arc. As an integral piece of the starting five, he helped lead Walsh to a 29-4 record, a Great Midwest Athletic Conference championship and a NCAA DII Midwest Regional Championship appearance while garnering All-G-MAC First Team honors with 27 double-figure scoring games, eight of those being 20+.
His freshman season with the Cavaliers, the Ohio native saw time in 26 games, averaging 9.5 points and 3.2 rebounds while starting in six contests. He amassed 13 double-digit scoring games and shot nearly 40 percent from the field as a true freshman. Barnett came close to tallying his first collegiate double in a 14-point, 8-rebound performance in a win over West Virginia Wesleyan.
His high school career saw the guard compete at Brunswick High where he averaged 20 points per game. He was named to the All-Ohio Team, Medina County MVP and the state tournament MVP, while guiding his team to the Elite Eight and competing in five all-star games in Ohio.
Kevin de Kovachich | G | 6-4 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | North Alabama
De Kovachich joins the Blue Raiders from North Alabama, where he spent the opening two years of his collegiate career. In his freshman season, he played in 22 games off the bench, averaging 3.4 points per game. He scored a season-high 23 points against Dalton State, going 4-for-4 from behind the arc and dishing out three assists in 22 minutes of game action. He shot 55.6 percent from the floor and 53.3 percent from behind the arc, helping the Lions to 24 wins, an Atlantic Sun Championship Finals appearance and a trip to the National Invitation Tournament.
In his second season as a Lion, he started in all 30 contests for UNA, averaging 11.8 points on 41.3 percent shooting from the floor. He opened his sophomore campaign with seven double-figure scoring games, including a standout game with 18 points and five assists in a home victory over Lane, while amassing 19 throughout the season. He tallied a season-best 23 against Queens at home, nailing four threes with three assists. On the road at Queens, the guard went a perfect 10-for-10 from the courtesy stripe to collect 15 points. He averaged 79.3 percent from the line as a mainstay in the North Alabama back court.
Ofri Naveh | F | 6-7 | Neot Golan, Israel | Oral Roberts
Naveh is set to venture to Murfreesboro following a one-year stint at Oral Roberts. As a redshirt sophomore in the 2025-26 season, he started in all 32 games for the Golden Eagles, averaging 11.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He shot 46.8 percent from the field to score in double figures on 19 occasions. Naveh recorded his first double-double of his collegiate career against Omaha, scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 boards, and tallied his second less than a month later at St. Thomas with a 17-point, 12-rebound performance.
Prior to Oral Roberts, the forward spent two years at West Virginia, playing his true freshman year before redshirting his sophomore season. As a freshman, he was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team, playing in 24 games and earning seven starts. With 2.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest, Naveh averaged 13.8 minutes per game. He grabbed a season-high seven rebounds against Virginia at the Fort Myers Tip-Off and recorded a campaign-best 11 points versus Pitt.
Naveh competed with Israel in the summer of 2023 at the FIBA U18 European Championships, averaging 11.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.9 steals in seven games played. He shot 54 percent from the field, 47 percent from 3-point range and 67 percent from the courtesy stripe, netting double-digit points in contests against Lithuania, France, Greece, Sweden and Turkey. In his club career, he suited up for the Maccabi Playtiki Tel Aviv U18 team.
Kaleb Siler | C | 6-10 | Fayetteville, N.C. | Gaston College
After stops at Western Carolina, USC Aiken and Gaston College, Siler arrives in Murfreesboro following a storied redshirt sophomore season. At Gaston, he was named as an NJCAA All-American and the Region 10 Player of the Year, leading the team to become regular season champions with one of the school's best seasons in program history. Gaston's first All-American tallied 17 double-doubles while averaging 18.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, both marks being second in the region. The best scoring mark for the big man was 29 points at Wake Technical Community College in a 13-point victory, while his best rebounding performance saw him bring in 16 boards, seven on the offensive side and nine on the defense, versus Richard Bland College in another win.
Siler averaged 5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19 games during his redshirt freshman campaign at USC Aiken, while earning four starts. He posted his first ever double-figure scoring game with 12 points in a win over Washington Adventist and his first collegiate double-double with a 12-point, 12-rebound performance against Claflin.
Prior to his year at USC Aiken, he took a redshirt season at Western Carolina a year removed from graduating from Carmel Christian School. Siler played in 61 games as a Cougar, averaging 5.6 points and 3.1 rebounds during his prep year, 5.0 points and 2.7 rebounds his senior year and 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds his junior season.
Aiden Bolden | F | 6-5 | Bolivar, Tenn. | Calvary Christian
Bolden, a three-star recruit according to 247Sports, comes to Murfreesboro from Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He averaged 14.2 points with 6.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks per game with the Eagles, helping lead the team to a 24-1 record. Under head coach Cilk Mcsweeney, Bolden was named to the All-State Team, All-Broward First Team, Sun Sentinel First Team and Miami Herald First Team. In a triumphant march to become Florida 3A and Bass Pro Shop Tournament of Champions victors, he was named to the all-tournament team for the latter competition.
Landyn Colyer | G | 6-6 | Tampa, Fla. | IMG Academy
Colyer is set to begin his collegiate career in Murfreesboro, venturing north from IMG Academy. The 6-6 guard was ranked a three-star recruit by 247Sports and is considered a top-30 recruit from the state of Florida. In his senior campaign, Colyer tallied 17.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game, showcasing his ability to contribute in every aspect of the game. He shot 57 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line, notching numerous 25+ point scoring performances. As a freshman, he was named to the Freshman First Team and was named the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, earning those titles during his sophomore campaign as well.
Garrison White | G | 6-0 | Chattanooga, Tenn. | McCallie School
Incoming freshman White joins Middle Tennessee following a successful career on the varsity team at McCallie School. He led the school to its first win in the Tennessee Division II-AA state tournament since 2018 in a 67-66 win over Brentwood Academy, pouring in 17 points in the victory. Under guidance from head coach and father Kenneth White, the guard heavily contributed to the Blue Tornado achieving 22 victories in his senior season.
Braylin Davis | G | 6-3 | Nashville, Tenn. | University School of Nashville
Davis will travel south from Nashville to join the Blue Raiders for the 2026-27 season. In his senior year with the University School, he averaged 33 points per game as a combo guard, while leading his team in scoring. He achieved a season-best 58 points in a single for head coach Gregory Eubanks. Davis averaged 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.5 steals during his final year with the Tigers.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook (/MTMensBasketball), X (Twitter) (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
"I am very pleased with the recruiting class that we were able to put together this spring," said head coach Nick McDevitt. "The staff did a great job identifying high-character individuals that fit our culture and playing style. The group is a balanced mix of experienced players (4 NCAA, 1 JUCO) and newcomers (4 freshmen) and addresses the needs that we had. Combined with our returning players, our team will have good size and length to go along with skill sets that will allow us to have quality depth throughout the lineup."
Eli Rice | G | 6-8 | Gallatin, Tenn. | Penn State
Rice is set to transfer in after most recently spending two seasons at Penn State. His first year in Happy Valley was cut short after a season-long injury, but he came back strong his redshirt sophomore campaign, seeing time in 29 contests. Rice averaged 6.7 points while bringing in 1.7 rebounds per game. He amassed 10 double-digit scoring games, including his first 20-point game at Ohio State on six made three-pointers. Rice dished out a season-high three assists at home against the Buckeyes in addition to two rebounds and a steal.
The Gallatin, Tenn., native spent his true freshman season at Nebraska, appearing in 17 games that campaign while averaging 4.2 points and 1.6 rebounds. Rice tallied three double-digit scoring, while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and scoring a season-best 16 points against Florida A&M. He was rated as a top 200 prospect after playing a prep year at IMG Academy, helping the school to a 23-4 record and quarterfinal appearance in the National Prep Championship. The guard averaged 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists per contest at the academy while shooting 35 percent from three-point range.
Quintero Barnett | G | 6-4 | Brunswick, Ohio | Walsh University
Barnett spent two years at Walsh College before transferring to Middle Tennessee. The guard started in all 33 games his sophomore season, averaging 14.64 points and 3.97 rebounds, leading the team in points, assists, steals and three-point percentage. He shot 52.5 percent from the floor and 41.4 percent from behind the arc. As an integral piece of the starting five, he helped lead Walsh to a 29-4 record, a Great Midwest Athletic Conference championship and a NCAA DII Midwest Regional Championship appearance while garnering All-G-MAC First Team honors with 27 double-figure scoring games, eight of those being 20+.
His freshman season with the Cavaliers, the Ohio native saw time in 26 games, averaging 9.5 points and 3.2 rebounds while starting in six contests. He amassed 13 double-digit scoring games and shot nearly 40 percent from the field as a true freshman. Barnett came close to tallying his first collegiate double in a 14-point, 8-rebound performance in a win over West Virginia Wesleyan.
His high school career saw the guard compete at Brunswick High where he averaged 20 points per game. He was named to the All-Ohio Team, Medina County MVP and the state tournament MVP, while guiding his team to the Elite Eight and competing in five all-star games in Ohio.
Kevin de Kovachich | G | 6-4 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | North Alabama
De Kovachich joins the Blue Raiders from North Alabama, where he spent the opening two years of his collegiate career. In his freshman season, he played in 22 games off the bench, averaging 3.4 points per game. He scored a season-high 23 points against Dalton State, going 4-for-4 from behind the arc and dishing out three assists in 22 minutes of game action. He shot 55.6 percent from the floor and 53.3 percent from behind the arc, helping the Lions to 24 wins, an Atlantic Sun Championship Finals appearance and a trip to the National Invitation Tournament.
In his second season as a Lion, he started in all 30 contests for UNA, averaging 11.8 points on 41.3 percent shooting from the floor. He opened his sophomore campaign with seven double-figure scoring games, including a standout game with 18 points and five assists in a home victory over Lane, while amassing 19 throughout the season. He tallied a season-best 23 against Queens at home, nailing four threes with three assists. On the road at Queens, the guard went a perfect 10-for-10 from the courtesy stripe to collect 15 points. He averaged 79.3 percent from the line as a mainstay in the North Alabama back court.
Ofri Naveh | F | 6-7 | Neot Golan, Israel | Oral Roberts
Naveh is set to venture to Murfreesboro following a one-year stint at Oral Roberts. As a redshirt sophomore in the 2025-26 season, he started in all 32 games for the Golden Eagles, averaging 11.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He shot 46.8 percent from the field to score in double figures on 19 occasions. Naveh recorded his first double-double of his collegiate career against Omaha, scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 boards, and tallied his second less than a month later at St. Thomas with a 17-point, 12-rebound performance.
Prior to Oral Roberts, the forward spent two years at West Virginia, playing his true freshman year before redshirting his sophomore season. As a freshman, he was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team, playing in 24 games and earning seven starts. With 2.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest, Naveh averaged 13.8 minutes per game. He grabbed a season-high seven rebounds against Virginia at the Fort Myers Tip-Off and recorded a campaign-best 11 points versus Pitt.
Naveh competed with Israel in the summer of 2023 at the FIBA U18 European Championships, averaging 11.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.9 steals in seven games played. He shot 54 percent from the field, 47 percent from 3-point range and 67 percent from the courtesy stripe, netting double-digit points in contests against Lithuania, France, Greece, Sweden and Turkey. In his club career, he suited up for the Maccabi Playtiki Tel Aviv U18 team.
Kaleb Siler | C | 6-10 | Fayetteville, N.C. | Gaston College
After stops at Western Carolina, USC Aiken and Gaston College, Siler arrives in Murfreesboro following a storied redshirt sophomore season. At Gaston, he was named as an NJCAA All-American and the Region 10 Player of the Year, leading the team to become regular season champions with one of the school's best seasons in program history. Gaston's first All-American tallied 17 double-doubles while averaging 18.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, both marks being second in the region. The best scoring mark for the big man was 29 points at Wake Technical Community College in a 13-point victory, while his best rebounding performance saw him bring in 16 boards, seven on the offensive side and nine on the defense, versus Richard Bland College in another win.
Siler averaged 5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19 games during his redshirt freshman campaign at USC Aiken, while earning four starts. He posted his first ever double-figure scoring game with 12 points in a win over Washington Adventist and his first collegiate double-double with a 12-point, 12-rebound performance against Claflin.
Prior to his year at USC Aiken, he took a redshirt season at Western Carolina a year removed from graduating from Carmel Christian School. Siler played in 61 games as a Cougar, averaging 5.6 points and 3.1 rebounds during his prep year, 5.0 points and 2.7 rebounds his senior year and 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds his junior season.
Aiden Bolden | F | 6-5 | Bolivar, Tenn. | Calvary Christian
Bolden, a three-star recruit according to 247Sports, comes to Murfreesboro from Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He averaged 14.2 points with 6.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks per game with the Eagles, helping lead the team to a 24-1 record. Under head coach Cilk Mcsweeney, Bolden was named to the All-State Team, All-Broward First Team, Sun Sentinel First Team and Miami Herald First Team. In a triumphant march to become Florida 3A and Bass Pro Shop Tournament of Champions victors, he was named to the all-tournament team for the latter competition.
Landyn Colyer | G | 6-6 | Tampa, Fla. | IMG Academy
Colyer is set to begin his collegiate career in Murfreesboro, venturing north from IMG Academy. The 6-6 guard was ranked a three-star recruit by 247Sports and is considered a top-30 recruit from the state of Florida. In his senior campaign, Colyer tallied 17.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game, showcasing his ability to contribute in every aspect of the game. He shot 57 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line, notching numerous 25+ point scoring performances. As a freshman, he was named to the Freshman First Team and was named the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, earning those titles during his sophomore campaign as well.
Garrison White | G | 6-0 | Chattanooga, Tenn. | McCallie School
Incoming freshman White joins Middle Tennessee following a successful career on the varsity team at McCallie School. He led the school to its first win in the Tennessee Division II-AA state tournament since 2018 in a 67-66 win over Brentwood Academy, pouring in 17 points in the victory. Under guidance from head coach and father Kenneth White, the guard heavily contributed to the Blue Tornado achieving 22 victories in his senior season.
Braylin Davis | G | 6-3 | Nashville, Tenn. | University School of Nashville
Davis will travel south from Nashville to join the Blue Raiders for the 2026-27 season. In his senior year with the University School, he averaged 33 points per game as a combo guard, while leading his team in scoring. He achieved a season-best 58 points in a single for head coach Gregory Eubanks. Davis averaged 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.5 steals during his final year with the Tigers.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook (/MTMensBasketball), X (Twitter) (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
Former Head MBB Coach Kermit Davis - 10th Anniversary of NCAA win over MSU
Wednesday, March 18
Nick McDevitt LIVE: Presented by The Boulevard Bar & Grille (Video) - 3.2.26
Monday, March 02
MTSU Men's Basketball Post Game Press Conference vs NMSU 2/28/26
Saturday, February 28
MTSU Men's Basketball Post Game Presser 2/26/26
Thursday, February 26
