The 2025-26 men’s college basketball season ended less than a week ago and already several of the biggest names in the sport have found new homes via the portal.
With more than 2,000 players transferring this offseason, it’s incredibly difficult to keep track of all the movement. That’s where Hoops HQ and our partners at The Portal Report come in.
Below is a list of the top transfers who have committed so far, including a star out of Lawrence, the reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and a pair of former Kentucky standouts.
Flory Bidunga, 6-foot-10 sophomore forward, Kansas to Louisville
The No. 1 big man in the portal according to Hoops HQ’s rankings is off the market. Bidunga, who has been with the Jayhawks since 2024, committed to Louisville on Sunday. A dominant paint presence on both ends of the floor, Bidunga averaged 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in 2025-26, earning All-Big 12 First Team and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors. His 91 total rejections tied for the sixth-most in a single season in KU history. Bidunga was also reportedly considering Duke, Louisville’s ACC rival, so the signing is a major win for Pat Kelsey. And it wasn’t the only splashy move the Cardinals made over the weekend…
Jackson Shelstad, 6-foot-1 junior guard, Oregon to Louisville
Louisville bolstered its interior with Bidunga and its perimeter with Shelstad, one of the best guards in the portal. A hand injury forced him to miss the last few months of the 2025-26 campaign, but Shelstad averaged 15.6 points, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals when healthy. Last season, he was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team and led the Ducks to a 25-10 record. Kelsey still has gaps to fill, but Shelstad and Bidunga — who are represented by the same agency and visited Louisville together — make the Cardinals an ACC title contender.
Stefan Vaaks, 6-foot-7 freshman guard, Providence to Illinois
After a run to the Final Four, Illinois is already reloading. The program will lose star Keaton Wagler to the NBA, but Vaaks is a huge addition that makes perfect sense in Brad Underwood’s three-point heavy offense. The sharpshooting guard from Estonia averaged 15.8 points as a freshman with the Friars. He knocked down at least four threes in nine different outings. During the Big East Tournament in mid-March, he dropped 28 against Butler and 23 against the stellar defense of St. John’s, combining to shoot 13 of 22 from behind the arc.
PJ Haggerty, 6-foot-4 junior guard, Kansas State to Texas A&M
The No. 4 overall player in Hoops HQ’s ranking of the top 50 transfers, Haggerty has been among the top offensive weapons in college basketball for multiple seasons. It was a disastrous year for K-State, which dismissed coach Jerome Tang in February, but Haggerty lived up to lofty expectations, averaging a career-high 23.4 points to go along with 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Texas A&M, which is just a two-hour drive from where Haggerty grew up (Crosby, Texas), will be the rising senior’s fifth school in five years. The former All-American should fit well in Bucky McMillan’s fast-paced, high-octane system known as “Bucky Ball.”
Miles Byrd, 6-foot-7 junior guard, San Diego State to Providence
The Bryan Hodgson era is off to an encouraging start. Providence earned commitments from NBA G League forward Dink Pate and San Diego State wing Miles Byrd, who is arguably the best perimeter defender in the country. Byrd averaged 10.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.2 blocks this season and was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. He should be right at home in the Big East, a conference known for its tough, defensive-minded brand of basketball. The Friars still have a lot of work to do, but with Pate and Byrd on board, they have a solid foundation to build around.
Isaiah Johnson, 6-foot freshman guard, Colorado to Texas
Sean Miller landed one of the top prizes in the portal in Johnson, who averaged 16.9 points and 3.0 assists while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from three for the Buffaloes this season. An overlooked prospect out of high school (294th in the 247Sports Composite), Johnson was among the most productive freshmen in a loaded 2025-26 class. With guards Jordan Pope, Tramon Mark and Chendall Weaver graduating, the Longhorns were in desperate need of another talented playmaker to pair with returning big man Matas Vokietaitis.
Dedan Thomas Jr., 6-foot-1 junior guard, LSU to Houston
Considering Kingston Flemings is likely off to the NBA, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan are out of eligibility, and Isiah Harwell has gone portaling, this is a massive get for Kelvin Sampson. An exceptional floor general, Thomas was limited to just 16 games this season due to a foot injury but averaged 15.3 points and 6.5 assists (against just 1.6 turnovers). He will run the show for a Houston team that’s returning defensive centerpiece Joseph Tugler and bringing in two high-profile freshmen in Ikenna Alozie and Arafane Diane, as well as fellow transfer…
Delrecco Gillespie, 6-foot-8 senior forward, Kent State to Houston
No one in Division I had more double-doubles than Gillespie this season (22). In his fourth year with the Golden Flashes, the big man averaged 17.7 points and 11.3 rebounds to earn All-MAC First Team honors. He registered 20-plus rebounds twice and scored at least 25 points in eight outings. With his dominance in the paint and on the glass, Gillespie is an ideal fit on the Cougars. He’ll join forces with Tugler and Diane, a 7-foot-1 center who was ranked 17th nationally according to the 247Sports Composite, to give Houston another superb frontcourt.
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JP Estrella, 6-foot-11 sophomore forward, Tennessee to Michigan
Estrella was a key piece of a Tennessee team that made it all the way to the Elite Eight before getting annihilated by… Michigan. The reigning national champs might be losing their entire frontcourt — Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. — to the NBA, so landing Estrella early in the offseason was critical. Dusty May has an impressive track record of recruiting and developing bigs, including Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf two years ago. Estrella averaged 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in just 18.3 minutes per game this season. He and returning senior Elliot Cadeau, the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, should form an exceptional one-two punch.
Collin Chandler, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard, Kentucky to BYU
A native of Utah, Chandler is returning home to play for the Cougars after two seasons at Kentucky. He initially signed with BYU out of high school in 2021 but never suited up for the program. After a two-year LDS mission, he followed Mark Pope to UK. The sharpshooting wing is coming off an impressive campaign in which he averaged 9.7 points and shot 41.0 percent from behind the arc. Kevin Young still needs to find a primary playmaker in the portal with AJ Dybantsa turning pro and Rob Wright III transferring out.
Denzel Aberdeen, 6-foot-5 senior guard, Kentucky to Florida (Pending NCAA Waiver)
Aberdeen is technically out of eligibility, but there’s a chance he receives a waiver to play next season. (He only appeared in 12 games and logged 41 total minutes as a freshman.) If he’s approved by the NCAA, Aberdeen will be back in the orange and blue for his final year of college hoops. The dynamic wing played a key role on Florida’s 2024-25 championship team, backing up guards Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard. In his sole season at Kentucky, Aberdeen averaged 13.5 points and 3.4 assists. Given his familiarity with the staff, system and university, he should transition seamlessly to UF if granted the waiver.
Jaquan Johnson, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard, Bradley to Iowa State
The reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Year is heading to a program known for its consistent greatness on that end of the floor. Nicknamed “Bully” for his hard-nosed, physical style, Johnson and Iowa State are a match made in heaven. The scrappy guard stepped into Bradley’s starting lineup this season and averaged 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 38.3 percent from three. He should assume a prominent role on the Cyclones alongside returning guard Killyan Toure, helping to fill the massive void left by Tamin Lipsey’s graduation.
Gavin Doty, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard, Siena to Syracuse
As expected, Doty — a unanimous All-MAAC First Team selection — followed Gerry McNamara from Siena to Syracuse. The New York native averaged 18.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals this season. He almost led the Saints to a historic upset of No. 1 overall seed Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, dropping a team-high 21 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 2 steals. The Orange also earned a commitment from McNeese transfer Garwey Dual, a 6-foot-5 junior guard, and will bring back promising freshman Kiyan Anthony.
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