As portal mania winds down and the NBA Draft approaches, we can start to look ahead to the 2026-27 college basketball season with a lot more clarity. Most available players are off the market; most rosters are close to full; and most teams are beginning to pivot from recruiting to chemistry-building.
The entire landscape of the sport has shifted since the end of the 2025-26 campaign, as more than 2,700 players entered the portal during the two weeks it was open. The amount of offseason action has decreased significantly, but we’ve still seen some critical moves in recent days. Hoops HQ’s No. 1-ranked transfer made his highly anticipated commitment, Will Wade and LSU finally started rolling and some preseason top 25 programs added more firepower. Below is a rundown of the top headlines since Sunday.
Tennessee Lands Superstar Guard
One of the portal’s top prizes is headed to Knoxville.
Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris, a 6-foot-7 sophomore guard, committed to Tennessee on Monday, choosing the Volunteers over Michigan and North Carolina.
Harris, who withdrew from the NBA Draft, was rated as the No. 1 overall player in the portal by Hoops HQ. A highly talented scorer with elite positional size and versatility, he averaged 21.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals for the Demon Deacons, earning ACC Most Improved Player honors. His 730 total points were the second most ever recorded by a Wake Forest player in a season. “He’s a great player, but he can get better,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes told Hoops HQ. “We think that’s why he chose to come here.”
With Harris’ commitment, Tennessee has the No. 2-ranked portal class in the country, according to 247Sports. Barnes has built arguably his most talented — and offensive-minded — roster since taking over the program in 2015. In addition to Harris, the Vols have signed the following six transfers:
6-foot-5 senior guard Tyler Lundblade (Belmont): 15.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 40.6-percent shooting from three
6-foot-7 freshman forward Jalen Haralson (Notre Dame): 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 51.5-percent shooting from the field
6-foot-3 sophomore guard Terrence Hill Jr. (VCU): 15.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 46.6-percent shooting from the field and 37.0 percent from three
6-foot-2 junior guard Dai Dai Ames (California): 16.9 points, 2.2 assists, 46.4-percent shooting from the field and 37.6 percent from three
6-foot-10 junior center Miles Rubin (Loyola Chicago): 11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 58.- percent shooting from the field
6-foot-9 sophomore forward Braeden Lue (Kennesaw State): 10.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 45.2-percent shooting from the field
That incredible haul should guarantee Tennessee a spot in the top 10 of the preseason AP poll.
Best on the Board: Top 10 Transfers Still in the Portal
Flory Bidunga and Juke Harris are gone. Remaining are a mix of Draft ‘maybes’, uniques skillsets and guys waiting for the right school. We rank the top 10.
LSU Finally Gets Going
LSU made headlines in late March when it re-hired coach Will Wade, who was with the program from 2017-22 before a high-profile investigation into recruiting violations led to his firing. Since then, it’s been mostly crickets in Baton Rouge. As teams across the country scrambled to rebuild via the portal during the first month of the offseason, LSU did virtually nothing. In fact, as recently as April 18, the Tigers had zero players on their roster.
Wade has been more aggressive on the recruiting trail since the calendar flipped to May, receiving a pair of notable commitments in the last few days. First, the program landed 23-year-old Brazilian forward Marcio Santos, who was also being courted by Kentucky. The 6-foot-9 big man has been playing professionally for the esteemed Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv. He averaged 6.9 points and shot 40 percent from three in significant EuroLeague action. Wade is heavily focused on the international market, so expect the Tigers to sign more foreign pros in the coming weeks.
LSU also made two important moves in the portal, adding 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Divine Ugochukwu from Michigan State and 6-foot-7 junior guard Abdi Bashir Jr. from Kansas State. Ugochukwu’s 2025-26 season was cut short due to a foot injury, but the two-way wing started 12 of the 22 games he appeared in and averaged 5.1 points in 16.1 minutes. His college career began at Miami, where he posted 5.3 points and 2.3 assists per contest. Bashir, who transferred from Monmouth to K-State a year ago, was one of the best shooters on the market. In one season with the Wildcats, he averaged 13.2 points and connected on 44.4 percent of his 8.4 three-point attempts per game.
Kansas Signs Another Mid-Major Star
The tides have turned at Kansas in a dramatic way. A week after earning a commitment from Tyran Stokes, the nation’s No. 1 high school recruit, Bill Self landed another key piece via the portal on Thursday: 6-foot-6 junior guard Dennis Parker Jr. from Radford.
Parker, a former four-star prospect, spent his first two college seasons at NC State, playing a limited role off the bench for Kevin Keatts. He averaged 15.5 minutes on the 2023-24 Wolfpack team that made a run to the Final Four. In one year at Radford, Parker earned All-Big South honors with averages of 18.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from three. The prolific scorer dropped a program record 53 points in a 107-77 win over Coppin State on Dec. 14.
Parker is the third mid-major standout to sign with the Jayhawks this offseason, joining 6-foot-1 freshman guard Leroy Blyden Jr. from Toledo (16.4 points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game) and 7-foot-2 junior center Christian Reeves from Charleston (11.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game). Blyden was named MAC Rookie of the Year, while Reeves ranked second in the CAA in blocks and third in double-doubles.
Virginia Adds to Loaded Core
Ryan Odom hasn’t had to do much work in the portal this offseason, as Virginia retained seven players from a team that went 30-6, including four who averaged more than 21 minutes per contest (freshman forward Thijs De Ridder, junior wing Sam Lewis, freshman center Johann Grunloh and freshman point guard Chance Mallory). During an appearance on The Hoops HQ Show in late April, Odom teased that the program would be adding a few transfers soon.
Less than a week later, the Cavaliers landed 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Jurian Dixon, who averaged 15.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists at UC Irvine. They made their second splashy portal move on Tuesday, receiving a commitment from 6-foot-6 junior guard Christian Harmon from Arkansas State. Harmon made the All-Sun Belt Third Team with averages of 12.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He ranked fifth in the conference in three-point field goals per game (2.6), connecting on 34.6 percent of his attempts.
Dixon and Harmon should compete for one of UVA’s open starting spots. Either way, the duo gives an already loaded team even more versatility and offensive firepower.
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