With the transfer portal closed and the talent pool rapidly draining, the panic meter is rising at schools across the country.
Can teams with decimated rosters still turn things around? It’s possible.
Is the window for them to do so shrinking at an alarming rate? Without a doubt.
Look no further than Hoops HQ’s ranking of the top 50 transfers. Most of the players on the list have already found new homes, including 21 of the top 25.
Below are six programs that are likely feeling the pressure right now, including bluebloods in the SEC and Big 12.
Kentucky
Another year, another major rebuild at Kentucky. This time, it’s been tough sledding for Mark Pope, even with the program’s abundance of resources. The Wildcats lost their five leading scorers from the 2025-26 campaign either to graduation or the portal. Seven total players have transferred out, all of whom were in the rotation.
Kentucky should return 7-foot freshman center Malachi Moreno, who is testing the NBA Draft waters but expected to withdraw before the deadline. Pope also landed his new backcourt last week, earning commitments from Washington transfer Zoom Diallo and Furman transfer Alex Wilkins, two top 50 transfers according to Hoops HQ’s rankings. Yet those are the only two additions the program has made via the portal and it has whiffed on several other key targets.
UK was believed to be the favorite to sign 6-foot-1 sophomore guard Robert Wright III and 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Donnie Freeman, but the former returned to BYU and the latter committed to St. John’s. The program is in desperate need of more shooting and interior help for Moreno. It is one of the final contenders to land Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 high school player in the country. However, Stokes is also strongly considering…
Kansas
It’s been a roller coaster in Lawrence since the 2025-26 season ended. First, there was speculation that legendary coach Bill Self might retire, which he ultimately put to rest in early April. Then the Jayhawks’ entire roster fell apart. In addition to losing Darryn Peterson to the NBA and starting wings Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White to graduation, Kansas saw seven players enter the portal, including promising forward Bryson Tiller and reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Flory Bidunga. Tiller’s departure is especially painful because the big man will suit up for archrival Missouri next season.
Kansas has a highly-rated incoming freshman class, headlined by five-star guard Taylor McKinney. Self also made two splashy portal moves this week, landing 6-foot-9 junior forward Keanu Dawes from Utah and 6-foot-1 freshman guard Leroy Blyden Jr. from Toledo. Still, the program has a ton of work to do to build a contender in the Big 12 and time is quickly running out. Another of its targets, Utah transfer Terrence Brown, committed to North Carolina on Tuesday.
Much is riding on Stokes’ decision, which is expected to come soon. The 6-foot-7 forward out of Rainier Beach High School is down to a final three of Kansas, Kentucky and Oregon. KU is believed to be the leader in the race, but Stokes is reportedly monitoring the progress of each school in the portal before making his commitment.
LSU
The shocking hiring of Will Wade in late March reinvigorated LSU fans, but there hasn’t been much to cheer about since. Until Monday evening, when LSU received a commitment from Kentucky transfer Mouhamed Dioubate, Wade’s roster was completely empty. A whopping nine players jumped ship, including highly touted junior guard Dedan Thomas Jr., who landed at Houston.
Wade typically doesn’t have trouble assembling talent, but his options are extremely limited this time around. LSU is in the mix for prominent names like NC State transfer Paul McNeil Jr., Wade’s former player, and Santa Clara transfer Allen Graves. However, both players are weighing several options and have not indicated that they’re learning toward LSU. McNeil could return to the Wolfpack and is also being courted by North Carolina; Graves is going through the NBA Draft process and has heard from Duke.
If the Tigers don’t get some wins in the portal soon, Wade’s first season back in Baton Rouge could be a rocky one.
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Seton Hall
There was another mass exodus from Seton Hall this offseason despite the program’s success in 2025-26. Primary playmaker Budd Clark moved to Ole Miss, promising big man Najai Hines signed with UConn, and talented wings Mike Williams, TJ Simpkins and Elijah Fisher remain in the portal.
Shaheen Holloway has been fighting an uphill battle due to a lack of resources, which makes constructing a team that can contend in the Big East — either through retention or via the portal — an incredible challenge. As he told Hoops HQ in January, Holloway has amended his approach to the portal, prioritizing experience and toughness above all else. Thus far, the Pirates have received commitments from three transfers: 6-foot-4 junior guard Simeon Wilcher (Texas), 6-foot-3 senior guard Roddie Anderson III (Xavier) and 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Del Jones (Radford).
There are still a lot of gaps to fill and limited NIL to work with, but Holloway has worked magic before. Last year’s team was picked to finish last in the Big East and wound up placing fourth.
Colorado
Since joining the Big 12 in 2024, Colorado has gone 10-28 in league play. It will be tough for the program to turn things around in 2026-27 given the current state of the roster. The Buffaloes re-signed standout guard Barrington Hargress but lost nine other players to the portal, including Hargress’ backcourt mate Isaiah Johnson and starting bigs Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak. Johnson, who landed at Texas, was CU’s top offensive weapon (16.9 points per game), and Dak led the team in rebounding and blocks.
Tad Boyle is counting on the returning freshman trio of Jalin Holland, Ian Inman and Josiah Sanders to step up. All three showed promising flashes in limited roles, but that’s a lot to ask in a conference loaded with talented guards. The Buffs still need to make significant moves in the portal, particularly to improve their frontcourt. They signed North Dakota State transfer Noah Fedderson, a 6-foot-10 junior forward who was named Summit League Sixth Man of the Year, on Friday to get the ball rolling.
TCU
Many of the major pieces from a TCU team that went 23-12 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament are gone. Star David Punch transferred to Texas, sharpshooting wing Liutauras Lelevicius went to Clemson, and lead guard Jayden Pierre exhausted his eligibility.
Jamie Dixon has a solid core to build around with returnees Xavier Edmonds, Brock Harding and Micah Robinson, and the program is hoping to strike gold in the JUCO market once again with signees Gavin Murphy (State Fair Community College), Trent Lincoln (Gulf Coast) and Ryan Hunt (Eastern Arizona College). But with so much steady production on the way out, the Horned Frogs could use additional talent via the portal to ensure they have another crack at reaching the dance.
Meet your guide
