With the number of Division I entrants already exceeding 2,000, the transfer portal continues to set new records each offseason.
Former top recruits and leading scorers headlined crucial portal departures and commitments last week. With the dead period ending — a week-long stretch (April 3-10) where in-person contact between a program’s staff and recruits was prohibited — visits have begun to ramp back up.
Here are the winners and losers from the past week in the portal, via a partnership between HoopsHQ and The Portal Report.
WINNERS
BYU
Coach Kevin Young landed a portal commitment from 6-foot-1 freshman guard Robert O. Wright III, from Baylor. Wright should form a lethal pick-and-roll duo with A.J. Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 forward widely viewed as the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class. Dybsanta, from the Boston area, played at Utah Prep in Hurricane, Utah.
Wright started 21 games and played in 35 this season, averaging 11.5 points and 4.2 assists; he also shot 34.9 percent from three-point range. Wright scored a career-high 22 points on Dec. 4 against UConn, and he had 19 in the Bears’ 75-72 win over Mississippi State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Wright reportedly agreed to a NIL deal with the Cougars worth $3.5 million. Young and his staff figure to remain active in the portal, with BYU reportedly showing interest in 6-foot-3 freshman guard Martin Sommerville of UMass Lowell and 6-foot-3 junior guard Chas Kelley III, who played three seasons at Boston College.
Texas Tech
Despite the departure of 6-foot-6 junior forward Darrion Williams, the Red Raiders’ second-leading scorer, to the transfer portal (he also declared for the draft), a key returnee and an important transfer commitment have things looking good for Tech.
It started when 6-foot-9 sophomore forward JT Toppin, the Big 12 Player of the Year, announced his intention to return to Lubbock for next season after averaging 18.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
In the portal, coach Grant McCasland earned a commitment from 6-foot-5 guard Tyeree Bryan. A native of Orlando who played at Olympia High with Cincinnati’s Jizzle James and new Virginia signee Jacari White (a transfer from North Dakota State), Bryan began his career with a season at Charleston Southern before playing the past two for Santa Clara. He delivered his best performance against the Broncos’ toughest competition, going for 35 points on 7-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc in a Jan. 18 win at Gonzaga. Bryan shot 42.9 percent from three-point range (he was 66-of-154) this season.
Tech hosted 6-foot-6 sophomore forward LeJuan Watts for an official visit Friday. Watts, a native of Fresno, Calif., was the 2022-23 Big Sky Freshman of the Year as a redshirt freshman at Eastern Washington. This season, he was one of Washington State’s best players, averaging 13.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals for the Cougars. Like Williams, who is 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, Watts is a bulky guy (6-foot-6, 233 pounds).
Miami
Following the departure of coach Jim Larrañaga just 12 games into the season, Miami finished with its worst win total (7-24) since 1993-94. But with new coach Jai Lucas, who had been a Duke assistant, attacking the portal, there is hope for a quick turnaround in Coral Gables.
First, 6-foot-9 junior forward Malik Reneau, an Indiana transfer who went to high school in Fort Lauderdale, committed to the Hurricanes. Reneau was one of the most coveted frontcourt players in the portal after averaging 13.3 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Hoosiers this season.
The next day, another Big Ten transfer announced his intention to play for Miami in 6-foot-3 junior guard Tre Donaldson, who played at Michigan this season. (Donaldson, coincidentally, went to Florida State University High in Tallahassee, Fla., the lab school for FSU’s School of Education.) He began his career with two seasons at Auburn, then moved on to Michigan. Donaldson, who hit a big shot in the final minute of the Wolverines’ second-round win over Texas A&M in the NCAA tournament, averaged 11.3 points and 4.1 assists.
Shortly thereafter, 6-foot-11 junior center Ernest Udeh Jr. of TCU committed to Miami. Like Reneau and Donaldson, Udeh is returning to his home state; he played at Dr. Phillips High in Orlando, where he teamed with Florida’s Denzel Aberdeen and new UCF signee Riley Kugel (a Mississippi State transfer). Udeh, a former national top-35 prospect, started his career with a season at Kansas before spending the past two with the Horned Frogs.
Finally, Tru Washington, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard who averaged 11.1 points per contest for New Mexico this season, signed with Miami on Friday. He played at powerhouse Compass Prep in Phoenix.
LOSERS
North Carolina
Hubert Davis will need to replace a plethora of talent that hit the portal.
Following a loss to Ole Miss in the first round of the NCAA tournament, 6-foot-1 sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau, from West Orange, N.J., announced his intention to transfer. Michigan officially announced the signing of Cadeau on Thursday. With RJ Davis out of eligibility, that means the Tar Heels’ starting backcourt is gone.
To make matters worse, 6-foot-4 freshman guard Ian Jackson, a former national top-10 recruit, also left via the portal. Jackson is from The Bronx and has planned a visit to St. John’s for Sunday and Monday. Expect Red Storm coach Rick Pitino, who rebuilt St. John’s quickly with adroit use of the portal, to make a strong push for Jackson.
New Mexico
Soon after Richard Pitino announced his intention to take the coaching job at Xavier, 6-foot-2 junior guard Donovan Dent entered the portal. Dent was the Mountain West Player of the Year, averaging 20.4 points and 6.4 assists. He committed to UCLA on March 28; he is an L.A. native.
Soon after, the aforementioned Washington, the Lobos’ third-leading scorer, hit the portal. He started 33 games this season and scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor in a first-round upset of Marquette in the NCAA tournament.
South Carolina
After a 2023-24 season in which South Carolina reached the SEC tournament final and the NCAA tournament as a No. 6 seed, the Gamecocks were 12-20 this season, including 2-16 in the SEC.
Lamont Paris, the SEC’s coach of the year two seasons ago, has a lot of work to do to rebuild the roster. Collin Murray-Boyles, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, has not announced his NBA decision; he is seen as a potential top-10 pick by some draft analysts. Regardless, the Gamecocks lost 5-foot-11 senior guard Jamarii Thomas and 6-foot-10 senior forward Nick Pringle, the team’s second- and third-leading scorers, respectively, to the portal.
Thomas, a native of Greensboro, N.C., who played two seasons at UNC Wilmington and one at Norfolk State before joining South Carolina, averaged 13.2 points and a team-high 3.0 assists. Pringle is headed to his fifth school; he played at Wofford, Dodge City (Kan.) CC and Alabama before moving to South Carolina this season. Pringle, from Seabrook Island, S.C., started every game for the Gamecocks, averaging 9.5 points and 6.3 rebounds.
For more information on the transfer portal, check out The Portal Report’s Transfer Portal Fan Tracker here
