Two weeks, more than 2,500 entries and a complete reshuffling of the college basketball landscape. Welcome to transfer portal season.
This year’s edition has featured even more movement than anticipated. Since the 2025-26 campaign ended on April 6, many of the sport’s biggest names have changed teams, including reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Flory Bidunga (Kansas to Louisville), former All-American PJ Haggerty (Kansas State to Texas A&M) and All-Big Ten guard John Blackwell (Wisconsin to Duke).
Powerhouses like UConn, Tennessee and Duke have reloaded, while bluebloods such as Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina are still scrambling to piece things together after seeing their rosters fall apart.
The portal is now officially closed, but the fireworks continue. Here’s a rundown of the top storylines from an eventful last few days.
Juke Harris and John Blackwell Updates…
The No. 1 player in the portal according to Hoops HQ’s rankings remains on the market. It could be a while before Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris makes his final decision, as the 6-foot-7 sophomore is also going through the NBA Draft process. Harris averaged 21.4 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Demon Deacons this season, winning ACC Most Improved Player. North Carolina, Michigan and Tennessee are reportedly the top three contenders to sign him. Wherever he lands, Harris will enter the 2026-27 campaign as an All-American candidate.
The other top guard came off the board on Tuesday: former Wisconsin star John Blackwell committed to Duke. As a junior with the Badgers, the 6-foot-4 floor general earned All-Big Ten honors with averages of 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 38.9 percent from three. Blackwell picked the Blue Devils over UCLA, Louisville, Arizona, Alabama and Illinois. “It felt right from the jump,” Blackwell told The Field of 68. “When I got on campus, it just confirmed everything that I was looking for.”
More Crucial Developments at Duke and UConn…
NBA prospects continue to favor returning to school over turning pro because of the substantial NIL contracts on the table. Over the weekend, 6-foot-6 freshman guard Braylon Mullins announced that he is going back to UConn for his sophomore campaign. Mullins was projected as a mid-to-late first-round pick but multiple NBA scouts suggested he’d be wise to spend another year developing at the college level. That wasn’t the only big news out of Storrs: UConn also landed highly coveted Duke transfer Nikolas Khamenia, a 6-foot-8 sharpshooting freshman who should fit perfectly in Dan Hurley’s system. Those commitments are especially important considering 6-foot-4 junior guard Solo Ball has already been ruled out for the 2026-27 season due to a wrist injury.
Duke not only won the Blackwell sweepstakes — the program is returning 6-foot-11 sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II, who averaged 10.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Like Mullins, Ngongba was likely to be a first round pick if he entered the NBA Draft. The Blue Devils made another strong addition to their frontcourt via the portal, receiving a commitment from Belmont transfer Drew Schararnowski, a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward. Schararnowski averaged 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 blocks for the Bruins.
Tennessee’s Major Haul
In early April, Tennessee’s roster was a wreck. Six players had hit the portal, star point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie was out of eligibility and the presumption was — and still is — that forward Nate Ament was bound for the NBA. Working with a blank canvas, Rick Barnes has put together arguably the nation’s best portal class.
Barnes has assembled a team that looks, at least on paper, like an offensive juggernaut, which is not the usual identity of his teams. Below are the five players who have committed to Tennessee so far, along with their numbers from the 2025-26 season. Keep in mind that the program remains in the mix to land Juke Harris.
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, 58.5-percent shooting from the field
Kentucky’s New Backcourt
Like Tennessee, Kentucky entered the offseason with a lot of work to do. Seven of the program’s players, including four of the top five scorers, transferred out. The rebuilding process has been slower in Lexington than in Knoxville, but Mark Pope did manage to find a new backcourt over the weekend. Kentucky earned commitments from 6-foot-5 freshman guard Alex Wilkins (Furman) and 6-foot-4 sophomore guard Zoom Diallo (Washington) — Nos. 36 and 43 in Hoops HQ’s transfer rankings, respectively.
Wilkins shined on a Furman team that reached the NCAA Tournament, finishing his rookie campaign with averages of 17.8 points and 4.7 assists. He put up 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting in the Paladins’ Round of 64 game against eventual national runner-up UConn. Diallo thrived as Washington’s primary floor general, averaging 15.7 points, 4.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds. Together, the new duo brings tremendous athleticism, playmaking and shot creation.
Since Diallo operates mostly in the midrange, Kentucky is counting on Wilkins to improve his efficiency from behind the arc (32.8 percent). Look for the Wildcats to add a few three-point specialists in the coming weeks as well.
St. John’s Big Steal
Speaking of Kentucky, Pope’s team was believed to be the favorite to land Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward who averaged 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds this season. But the momentum swung to St. John’s over the last 48 hours, and Freeman committed to Rick Pitino — who coached Pope at UK in the mid-1990s — on Monday night.
It’s a massive steal for St. John’s, which lost a bulk of its rotation to graduation or the portal. According to a report from The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, Pitino was a huge factor in Freeman’s decision. The Johnnies have also picked up three international players: 6-foot-5 point guard Quinn Ellis (Olimpia Milano), 6-foot-7 wing Djordje Jovanovic (KK Budućnost) and 7-foot center Lazar Stojković (Crvena Zvezda).
Kansas’ First Splash
It was quiet in Lawrence during the first wave of portal commitments, but the program finally made some additions to its decimated roster in recent days. Bill Self landed two highly-rated transfers: 6-foot-9 junior forward Keanu Dawes (Utah) and 6-foot-1 freshman guard Leroy Blyden Jr. (Toledo). Dawes, who averaged 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds for the Utes, came in at No. 19 in Hoops HQ’s transfer rankings. Blyden was named the MAC Rookie of the Year with averages of 16.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals.
While Kansas’ roster remains full of holes, those are two quality moves to get the ball rolling. The program appears to be in pole position to sign Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 high school player in the country. Stokes, who won MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic on Saturday, is deciding between a final three of Kansas, Kentucky and Oregon.
Villanova’s Bounce Back
It was looking bleak for Villanova when backcourt standouts Acaden Lewis and Bryce Lindsay decided to hit the portal in early April, but the program has bounced back in spectacular fashion. After landing bigs Kwame Evans Jr. (Oregon) and Devin Royal (Ohio State) — Nos. 17 and 32 in Hoops HQ’s transfer rankings, respectively — the Wildcats earned commitments from a pair of talented guards to open this week: 6-foot-2 junior guard Elijah Crawford (UIC) and 5-foot-10 senior guard Daryl “Buddy” Simmons II (St. Bonaventure).
Crawford, a former top-100 prospect who began his career at BYU, earned All-MVC honors with averages of 14.1 points, 4.9 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals. Simmons led the Bonnies in scoring (16.4 points per game) and shot 42.5 percent from three.
With those two in the mix, Nova’s transfer class is arguably the best in the Big East and should have the program near the top of the conference once again.
Florida’s Frontcourt
There’s a chance that Florida will have its entire frontcourt back for the 2026-27 campaign, in addition to lead guard Boogie Fland.
Both 6-foot-9 junior forward Thomas Haugh and 6-foot-11 junior forward Alex Condon announced that they will return to Gainesville, while Rueben Chinyelu is testing the NBA Draft process and maintaining his eligibility. If Chinyelu, the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, opts to withdraw before the late May deadline, Florida will once again have the best front line in America and be among the favorites to claim the 2027 national title.
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