The men’s college basketball transfer portal is officially closed. Players are no longer permitted to enter their names while those currently uncommitted will remain available for recruitment.
However, with a lawsuit pending that could give NCAA athletes additional eligibility, Monday saw a slew of last second transfers hit the portal in hopes of being granted another year. Many other non-seniors were late deciders as well.
Here’s a breakdown from our partners at The Portal Report of the top 10 transfers who entered the portal just prior to its closing, including a look at each of their eligibility criteria.
1. Dawson Garcia, 6-foot-11 senior forward, Minnesota.
Like many others across the country who entered the portal at the last moment on Monday, Gracia will need a waiver from the NCAA to earn an additional season of eligibility. Should he receive it, the former top-100 prospect will instantly become one of the most highly coveted transfers in the country. Garcia averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this past season and was an All-Big Ten selection two out of his three years with the Golden Gophers. He had prior stints at North Carolina and Marqutte with varying degrees of success. While former Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson is yet to announce his next coaching job, we could very well see Garcia try and follow Johnson should he find himself on a high-major bench soon.
2. Ian Schieffelin, 6-foot-8 senior forward, Clemson.
Despite garnering just a single high-major offer out of Grayson High School, Schieffelin took a chance on Brad Brownell and the Tigers. Needless to say, the Atlanta native’s gamble paid off as he started 99 of 134 appearances at Clemson. This season, Schieffelin averaged a career-high in points with 12.4 per contest and matched a career-best with 9.4 rebounds per game. The senior finished with 11 double-doubles, including a 20-rebound performance in a Dec. 3 win over Kentucky. His rebounding average ranked No. 18 in the nation. Schieffelin is currently out of eligibility pending that lawsuit.
3. Jaeden Zackery, 6-foot-1 senior guard, Clemson.
Zackery began his career at the juco level, so he will have an additional season of eligibility, prompting an entry into the portal on Monday. Early success earned him a move to Boston College where he averaged double-digit points for three straight seasons and started 100 out of 102 contests. As a senior at Clemson, Zackery averaged 11.7 points, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game as a 2024-25 All-ACC Defense selection. Those numbers will draw interest from multiple high majors. With former Boston College assistant Anthony Goins now at Georgia, there is potential for Zackery to join the Bulldogs.
4. Jayden Epps, 6-foot-2 junior guard, Georgetown.
Epps committed to Illinois as a four-star recruit out of Combine Academy. After averaging 9.5 points per game for an Illini squad that fell in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Epps enjoyed the best season of his career as a sophomore with Georgetown. The Norfolk, Va. native poured in 18.5 points per game while starting in 28 of 29 games. Although Epps’ numbers declined as a junior, the former top recruit averaged over 12.0 points a game and will attract attention from a variety of high-major programs. Keep an eye on Virginia Tech and newly hired Associate Head Coach Chester Frazier as a potential landing spot. Frazier helped lead the recruiting efforts to land Epps’ commitment to Illinois out of high school.
5. Zeke Mayo, 6-foot-4 senior guard, Kansas.
Three seasons at South Dakota State saw Mayo dominate the Summit League, earning a pair of all-conference First Team awards before being selected as its Player of the Year in 2023-24. Averaging 18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as a junior helped Mayo receive an offer from Kansas. He continued to thrive within the high major ranks and contributed 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game for the Jayhawks this season as an All-Big 12 Third Team honoree. While Mayo himself posted on his social media about his future plans to pursue professional opportunities, he was advised to enter into the transfer portal given the pending NCAA lawsuit.
6. Julian Hammond III, 6-foot-2 senior guard, Colorado.
Following three seasons of coming off the bench for Colorado, Hammond found consistency in the starting lineup and put together a career-best campaign. As a senior, he averaged 12.5 points and 3.2 assists while shooting 38 percent from three-point range in 33 starts. The Denver native has spent all of his collegiate career with the Buffaloes and after a breakout season is likely to have multiple high majors interested. Former Wyoming head coach Jeff Linder, now an assistant coach with Texas Tech, heavily recruited Hammond out of high school. While Hammond will have to wait on the pending NCAA lawsuit for an additional year of eligibility, if granted, that connection could see Texas Tech invest.
7. Trent McLaughlin, 6-foot-6 senior wing, Northern Arizona
McLaughlin was an unheralded prospect out of Basha High School in Arizona before beginning his collegiate career at Central Connecticut State. He struggled for minutes there as a freshman and eventually returned home to join Northern Arizona during the 2022 offseason. Though McLaughlin once again failed to find consistency in his first season with the Lumberjacks, he flourished as a junior starter and averaged 16.9 points per game for an All-Big Sky First Team award. That progressed into averaging 22.1 points per game as a senior, finishing second nationally in scoring and once again being honored as an all-conference First Team selection. McLaughlin entered the portal on Monday as a graduate transfer. Though he’ll need an additional season of eligibility from the NCAA, we’ll likely see dozens of high majors reach out to express interest in the experienced veteran wing.
8. Lamar Washington, 6-foot-4 junior guard, Pacific.
As a four-star prospect at Arizona’s Compass Prep, Washington fielded offers from Auburn, TCU, Washington State, Oregon State and more before committing to join Texas Tech. Two years in Lubbock and a subsequent coaching change saw Washington hit the portal last offseason and end up with Pacific under former Red Raiders assistant Dave Smart. The Portland native proved an all-around effective contributor on the west coast, averaging career-highs of 13.5 points, 5.8 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game across 33 starts. A 2024-25 All-WCC Second Team selection, Washington officially entered the portal late on Monday and should have several high major suitors.
9. Tavari Johnson, 5-foot-11 junior point guard, Akron.
Standing under six feet tall out of Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, Ill., Johnson committed to Akron over mid-majors Northern Illinois, Milwaukee, Illinois-Chicago, Bowling Green and more. In his first two seasons with the Zips, Johnson started 15 of 64 games, averaging under five points per contest. Johnson found his stride early in his junior season and uncorked for a career-high 27 points on 8-of-11 shooting. The floor general surpassed 20 points on seven occasions, helping lead Akron to a 17-1 conference record (28-7 overall). His play earned him a First Team All-MAC selection. After a 15-point outing in a MAC Championship Final, Johnson led the Zips in scoring with 13 in the team’s opening round loss in the NCAA Tournament to No. 4 seed Arizona. With the departure of fellow guard Nate Johnson, a 6-foot-3 junior who committed to Kansas State Sunday, coach John Groce now has two key vacancies to fill in the backcourt.
10. Jayden Stone, 6-foot-4 redshirt senior guard, West Virginia.
As a three-star recruit out of powerhouse Sunrise Christian Academy, Stone committed to Grand Canyon over offers from Auburn, Baylor, Alabama, Illinois and Tennessee. After averaging just over ten minutes per game in two seasons with the Lopes, Stone transferred to Detroit Mercy. There, he excelled under former head coach Mike Davis, averaging a career-high 20.8 points per contest as a senior. Stone committed to West Virginia in the portal following the 2023-24 campaign, but he redshirted the season due to an upper-body injury sustained in preseason practice. Although no official reports regarding Stone’s recruitment have surfaced, keep an eye on past connections to Davis and USF’s Bryan Hodgson. Davis, now an assistant at Memphis, will be searching for a guard following the departure of 6-foot-3 sophomore guard PJ Haggerty. Hodgson, who helped recruit Stone to Alabama out of high school as an assistant, has been on fire in the portal with the additions of 6-foot-9 junior forward Daimion Collins of LSU and 6-foot-2 sophomore guard Wes Enis, a top D-II transfer.
