With more than 2,000 names already in the portal, it’s easy to lose track of the guys who aren’t transferring or making the leap to the NBA. Careers like that of UConn forward Alex Karaban, who spent four years with Dan Hurley and the Huskies, are increasingly rare, but there are prominent players who prefer to stay put rather than test the open market.
Here’s a look at 10 players who officially have announced that they will return to their respective schools, including the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, an elite lead guard in the SEC, a defensive stud in the Big 12 and more.
Note: This list excludes players who are expected to resign but have not yet made it official, such as Duke’s Caleb Foster and Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr.
Elliot Cadeau, 6-foot-1 junior guard, Michigan
The Final Four Most Outstanding Player has agreed to return to the Wolverines for his last dance. Cadeau was the perfect floor general for the national champs, averaging 10.5 points and 5.9 assists while shooting a career-best 37.6 percent from three. Michigan may lose its entire starting frontcourt — forward Yaxel Lendeborg, forward Morez Johnson Jr. and center Aday Mara — to the NBA, but Dusty May already has received a commitment from one of the top bigs in the portal: 6-foot-11 sophomore forward J.P. Estrella, from Tennessee. He and Cadeau will form a terrific one-two punch in Ann Arbor.
Boogie Fland, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard, Florida
After his team lost in heartbreaking fashion in the NCAA Tournament, Todd Golden received some positive news to begin the offseason: Fland, who averaged 11.6 points, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals, is returning to Gainesville. He steadily improved throughout his debut season with the Gators and should be one of the top guards in the SEC in 2026-27. If Florida can keep its frontcourt partially intact, it should be ranked in the preseason top 10.
Joseph Tugler, 6-foot-8 junior forward, Houston
The anchor of Kelvin Sampson’s defense isn’t going anywhere. Tugler, who was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, had another impressive season, averaging 8.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals. Freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. is off to the NBA, but with Tugler and incoming five-star center Arafan Diane, a 7-foot-1, 290-pounder from Guinea who played at Iowa United Prep, the Cougars should have another superb frontcourt. Houston just needs to find a new floor general via the portal to replace Kingston Flemings, who will turn pro alongside Cenac.
Joshua Dent, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard, Saint Mary’s
For the first time in 25 years, Saint Mary’s has a new coach. Longtime assistant Mickey McConnell has taken over for Randy Bennett, who’s now at Arizona State. The Gaels lost leading scorer Paulius Murauskas to the portal but were able to re-sign Dent, a sharpshooting combo guard. After stepping into the starting lineup this season, Dent averaged 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals and knocked down 40.4 percent of his threes, earning first-team All-WCC honors.
Nigel James Jr., 6-foot freshman guard, Marquette
This is a massive win for Shaka Smart and the Golden Eagles. Despite Marquette’s struggles this season, James was sensational, earning Big East Rookie of the Year honors with averages of 16.4 points, 4.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals. The former four-star prospect was one of just two freshmen in the country to average at least 19.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game in conference play (Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. was the other).
Malachi Moreno, 7-foot freshman center, Kentucky
Kentucky has been decimated by the portal, but Mark Pope likely will have his starting center back. While Moreno is currently testing the NBA Draft waters, he already has announced he will return to Lexington should he withdraw from the draft, which is the expected outcome. A former McDonald’s All-American, Moreno averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks as a freshman. With an expanded role in 2026-27, he should contend for All-SEC honors.
Trey Green, 6-foot sophomore guard, Saint Louis
Saint Louis announced Thursday that a whopping nine players are returning to the program after the Billikens advanced to the second round, where they lost to Michigan. Even with Robbie Avila gone, the Billikens are positioned to win another A-10 crown. This spot could have gone to Quentin Jones, Amari McCottry or Kellen Thames, but Green gets the nod because of how important his shooting has been to Josh Schertz’s high-octane offense. In his first season at SLU, Green averaged 10.7 points and connected on 44.2 percent of his 6.2 three-point attempts per game.
Marcus “Smurf” Millender, 5-foot-11 junior guard, Georgia
Georgia ranked 16th nationally in offensive efficiency this season, and Millender was a major reason. The electrifying guard made the jump from UTSA to UGA look seamless, averaging 12.0 points and 4.1 assists in his first season at the high-major level. With leading scorer Jeremiah Wilkinson transferring out, Millender should have the ball in his hands a lot more next season. If Mike White sticks with the same run-and-gun system, Smurf should put up some big numbers.
Omer Mayer, 6-foot-4 freshman guard, Purdue
Mayer didn’t have the splashy freshman season many were anticipating, but he’ll have a much bigger role next season with standout guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer gone. Before joining the Boilermakers, Mayer played for the EuroLeague club Maccabi Tel Aviv and represented Israel in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland, where he averaged 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals across four games.
Kiyan Anthony, 6-foot-5 freshman guard, Syracuse
This one wasn’t much of a surprise, considering new Syracuse coach Gerry McNamara was a teammate of Carmelo Anthony, Kiyan’s dad, on the 2002-03 Orange team that won a national championship. Kiyan showed flashes as a freshman, averaging 8.0 points in 18.7 minutes per contest. “(Gerry) is going to bring something out of Kai,” Carmelo said on his podcast, 7PM in Brooklyn. “And the first way he’s going to do that is giving him that confidence that he needs, so I’m excited about that.”
Meet your guide
