Biggest surprise, head-scratcher and more from the men’s basketball transfer
-
Jeff Borzello
Close
Jeff Borzello
ESPN Staff Writer
- Basketball recruiting insider.
- Joined ESPN in 2014.
- Graduate of University of Delaware.
-
Myron Medcalf
Close
Myron Medcalf
ESPN Staff Writer
- Covers college basketball
- Joined ESPN.com in 2011
- Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato
Jun 11, 2025, 09:00 AM ET
We’ve checked off every major milestone of the men’s college basketball offseason — the transfer portal window opened and closed, the NBA draft withdrawal deadline has passed — and teams are full steam ahead on preparing for the 2025-26 campaign.
Now that all of ESPN’s top 100 transfers have committed, Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf break down the biggest winners and losers of this year’s cycle.
From the contenders that improved their title hopes the most to the most head-scratching misses and beyond, here are their picks for seven key portal categories.
Single-best player addition
Jeff Borzello: Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan.
PJ Haggerty was No. 1 in my transfer rankings — he was an All-American and won AAC Player of the Year honors over Lendeborg — but it’s hard to top Michigan landing a legitimate first-round pick whom the Wolverines convinced to withdraw from the NBA draft to join them in Ann Arbor. The 6-foot-9 forward has been one of the most productive frontcourt players in the country the past couple of years, averaging a double-double in both seasons with UAB.
The only drawback on his ledger is his relatively limited experience against high-caliber competition, but Lendeborg is an immediate-impact player with two-way ability, range out to the perimeter, passing and court vision, and relentlessness on the glass. His addition single-handedly makes Michigan one of the nation’s top 10 teams.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
Myron Medcalf: Darrion Williams, NC State.
It is easy to forget just how close Florida was to missing its chance to win the national title. The Gators trailed Texas Tech by 10 points late in the Elite Eight before mounting a miraculous comeback over the final six minutes. Walter Clayton Jr. was the best player on the court in that game, but Williams was a close second. And you could make a strong case that Williams (23 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) was the most difficult individual matchup Florida faced in the NCAA tournament.
The versatile 6-foot-6 Williams is the anchor of Will Wade’s impressive recruiting class in his first season at NC State, giving the Wolfpack a legitimate star.
Best overall class
Medcalf: Kentucky.
Jayden Quaintance, F, Arizona State
Jaland Lowe, G, Pitt
Denzel Aberdeen, G, Florida
Kentucky and St. John’s are extremely close in this conversation. Both have question marks about their top transfers — Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance is recovering from a torn ACL, while St. John’s is counting on Bryce Hopkins to be available despite being limited to just 17 games over the past two seasons due to injuries. But the Wildcats have a slightly higher ceiling.
Quaintance could be healthy by the start of the campaign. And if he’s not, Mark Pope will do what he did last season: manage a short-handed roster until Quaintance is ready. Plus, Jaland Lowe and Denzel Aberdeen should produce at a higher level. And when he is healthy, Quaintance could be an NBA lottery pick.
Mark Pope was active in the transfer portal, landing Kentucky one of the best classes of the cycle. Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Borzello: St. John’s.
Bryce Hopkins, F, Providence
Ian Jackson, G, North Carolina
Joson Sanon, G, Arizona State
Oziyah Sellers, G, Stanford
Dillon Mitchell, F, Cincinnati
Dylan Darling, G, Idaho State
Handje Tamba, C, Milligan University
St. John’s gets the slight edge over Kentucky for me. The Red Storm had an incredible campaign in Year 2 of the Rick Pitino era, winning the Big East regular-season and tournament championships. But there was a glaring issue that ended up haunting them in their second-round loss to Arkansas: perimeter shooting. The Johnnies went out and addressed that in the portal — Ian Jackson shot 39.5% from 3 as a freshman at Carolina; Joson Sanon made 36.9% at Arizona State; Oziyah Sellers made more than 40% in each of his past two seasons; and Dylan Darling made nearly 36% of his five-plus attempts per game at Idaho State. Both Jackson and Sanon are capable of getting their own shot consistently, too.
Then there’s Bryce Hopkins, a former first-team All-Big East selection who should be one of the best players in the league if he’s fully healthy. And Dillon Mitchell brings defensive versatility, which undoubtedly appeals to Pitino.
National title contender that improved its chances the most
Borzello: Florida.
The Gators went from losing the entire perimeter rotation from their national championship roster to having a legitimate chance of going back-to-back. All it took was a hint of good fortune toward the end of the spring.
Out the door went Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, Will Richard and Denzel Aberdeen. And although Florida beat out St. John’s for Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee, a two-time All-Ivy selection, the Gators still needed more on the perimeter in a market that was quickly dying up. Enter Boogie Fland, who entered the transfer portal just ahead of the deadline, then ultimately withdrew from the NBA draft before committing to the Gators.
Lee and Fland should form one of the country’s most dynamic backcourts, which combined with a loaded returning frontcourt puts Florida back in the conversation for preseason No. 1.
play
1:58
Xaivian Lee’s top plays of the 2024-25 season
Check out Xaivian Lee’s top plays of the 2024-25 season as the Princeton standout transfers to the University of Florida.
Medcalf: BYU.
For the last two months of the 2024-25 season, BYU had the best offense in the country, an asset that helped the program reach the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 14 years. The top scorer from that group, Richie Saunders, returns. And now AJ Dybantsa, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, arrives in Provo, Utah. But Kevin Young answered the biggest question facing the program — who will run point — when he signed Robert Wright III (Baylor). Kennard Davis, a high-level scorer from Southern Illinois, also helps.
Young’s squad is better at nearly every spot a season after its Sweet 16 run. These additions could turn the Cougars into a Final Four team.
Team that went from below to above .500 with its portal additions
Medcalf: Kansas State.
Jerome Tang’s challenges with one of America’s most expensive rosters highlighted the greater challenges of the transfer portal era: Identifying and recruiting elite players is just the first step, but chemistry is the most important component — and Kansas State didn’t have it last season.
The Wildcats were never in sync on the court, but if Tang can solve that, All-American guard PJ Haggerty should help fix what ailed the program a season ago. Kansas State’s lackluster offense failed to consistently get to the free throw line, connect on shots from the perimeter and play with poise. But Haggerty did all of that and more for Memphis. And mid-major transfers Abdi Bashir Jr. and Nate Johnson are potent scorers, too.
play
0:18
PJ Haggerty knocks down the 3-pointer
PJ Haggerty knocks down the 3-pointer
Borzello: NC State.
When NC State hired Will Wade to replace Kevin Keatts after a disappointing 12-19 campaign, there was an expectation that an influx of talent would follow. That played out this spring, with the Wolfpack taking some big swings — and finally hitting a home run deep into the cycle when they landed former Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams, who was among the best players available. Williams was the marquee addition to a group that includes high-major names Tre Holloman (Michigan State), Ven-Allen Lubin (North Carolina), Terrance Arceneaux (Houston) and Jerry Deng (Florida State), as well as Quadir Copeland and Alyn Breed, who suited up for Wade at McNeese.
Wade won 58 games in two seasons at McNeese with rosters he mostly built via the transfer portal. He’ll look to follow that same formula in Raleigh.
Team that hurt its outlook by not doing enough
Borzello: Ole Miss.
Given how much success Chris Beard has had with transfers — his time in the juco ranks, overhauling Little Rock, rebuilding Texas Tech and going to the Sweet 16 last season with six transfers in his top seven — I expected the Rebels to be more active in the deep end of the portal. They return just one of their top eight scorers from last season, and High Point’s Kezza Giffa is the lone incoming transfer who averaged more than 7.1 points in 2024-25. There were links to the likes of PJ Haggerty, Desmond Claude, Pop Isaacs, Mackenzie Mgbako and others, but none came to fruition.
There’s still a competitive team here, of course. The Rebels did land McDonald’s All-American Niko Bundalo and highly touted international guard Ilias Kamardine. Plus, the chance AJ Storr returns to his All-Big Ten form of two years ago made him worth signing. But I expected a couple more big swings in the portal, especially on the perimeter.
2025 NBA draft
• New mock draft: 2 picks each for Rd 1 teams
• NBA comps for 14 players: Flagg to Tatum?
• We offer potential trades for Mavs, Flagg
• Updated top 100 big board rankings
• Stacking all 30 teams’ draft assets | More
Medcalf: Kansas.
Last season was a disaster for Bill Self, who landed some of the top transfers in the portal but couldn’t stitch the group together. He once again brings in high-caliber talent with Darryn Peterson, a five-star recruit and the potential No. 1 pick in 2026, to go with Illinois transfer Tre White, who should help fortify one of the country’s top backcourts. But the lack of experience in the paint is a real concern for Kansas.
While Flory Bidunga is ready for a starring role after playing behind Hunter Dickinson last season, another experienced big or two would have improved the Jayhawks’ outlook. Bidunga will have to handle his new role for them to reach their goals.
Biggest surprise
Medcalf: NC State.
Will Wade hasn’t had a sub-.500 season since becoming a head coach in 2013. And he won 28 games last season and led McNeese State to the second round of the NCAA tournament, so it’s not surprising that he made an immediate splash at NC State. But it is surprising that he corralled a class that should vie for a spot in the preseason top 25 after winning only 12 games last season.
Darrion Williams was a star in the NCAA tournament and is now the gem of Wade’s first transfer class in Raleigh. Every top team in America coveted Williams, who nearly led Texas Tech to an Elite Eight win over eventual champion Florida. But Wade got Williams, Tre Holloman (Michigan State) and Ven-Allen Lubin (North Carolina) as he aims to accelerate his rebuilding effort with the Wolfpack.
play
0:59
Will Wade: NC State will get ‘best version of me’
Will Wade makes his introductory speech as NC State’s new basketball coach and says he’ll turn the Wolfpack into a consistent winner.
Borzello: Oklahoma.
I was going to pick Iowa, but it shouldn’t be a surprise when a new coach has to go portal-heavy in his first year with a program — especially when one of Ben McCollum’s signees played under him at his past two stops. So I’ll go with the Sooners in what should be a pivotal season for Porter Moser.
Moser clearly recruited with the stakes in mind, getting four ready-made impact transfers who shouldn’t need any time adapting to high-level college basketball. Nijel Pack has started 121 power conference games at Kansas State and Miami, Tae Davis took a huge step forward at Notre Dame last season, Alabama transfer Derrion Reid was a five-star recruit just 12 months ago, and Saint Joseph’s transfer Xzayvier Brown was a first-team All-Atlantic 10 selection with a slew of big-time scoring performances on his résumé.
Perhaps Oklahoma should have also procured a center to round out the starting five, but this quartet should be ready to play right away.
Biggest head-scratcher
Borzello: Missouri’s perimeter group.
Missouri had one of the best offenses in the country last season, ranking in the top 10 nationally in offensive efficiency at KenPom. At the heart of it was an ultra-aggressive team that excelled at getting to the free throw line and balanced it out as one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the SEC.
The Tigers bring back their two highest-volume free throw shooters but lose three 40% 3-point shooters in Caleb Grill, Tamar Bates and Marques Warrick. Dennis Gates’ biggest addition was UCLA transfer Sebastian Mack, who gets to the free throw line frequently but has just 48 made 3-pointers in 66 games. Given its roster construction, Missouri is likely going to trot out ultra-big lineups, but its lack of shooting is a concern that effectively went unaddressed in the portal.
There’s talent on this roster, but I question how all the players fit. In fairness, there were questions last season and the Tigers went from 0-18 in the SEC to a 6-seed in the NCAA tournament, so there should be some level of trust in Gates to figure it out.
Medcalf: Memphis’ frontcourt.
The portal presented a number of shocking decisions, none greater than PJ Haggerty’s move to Kansas State. Penny Hardaway can’t replace an All-American with Wooden Award aspirations in 2025-26, though he did add Dug McDaniel and other strong guards to solidify his backcourt.
Hardaway is an expert at molding guards to fit his system, but his system also demands the presence of active, bouncy and explosive big men. This roster does not appear to have that.
Even though Memphis has always been molded in the image of its top guards under Hardaway, he has relied on his frontcourt to give those perimeter players a chance to shine. His teams have finished in the top 50 in offensive rebounding rate in five of his seven seasons at Memphis. Those players were also the most important components of the Tigers’ defensive presence. Memphis plays fast and lets its guards take control — but that works only with elite frontcourt talent. The Tigers will need their new additions to make quick strides.