Michigan’s run to the national championship shines a light on how to use the transfer portal in this era of college basketball. The Wolverines won the title with a full starting lineup of players who had transferred to the school, with more transfer contributors off the bench.
Dusty May and Co. showed that you can build a championship-caliber roster in one offseason. With more and more elite players entering the transfer portal, that team-building avenue takes on more significance than ever before.
This article will keep track of the top players in the men’s college basketball transfer portal and keep a running log of their commitments.
Michigan and UCLA not only broke the Big Ten’s long basketball title droughts; they showed that the conference is better than ever.
College basketball portal updates
This will be a running log that is updated regularly with transfer commitments.
Monday, 5/4
- Former Wake Forest guard Juke Harris commits to Tennessee. Harris is the top player in a seven-man transfer class for the Volunteers after averaging 21.4 points per game last season.
Tuesday, 4/28
- Former Arizona State big man Massamba Diop commits to Gonzaga. The Zags beat out St. John’s for the top player left in the portal, who averaged 13.6 points and 2.1 blocks per game as a freshman.
Friday, 4/24
- Former Cincinnati center Moustapha Thiam commits to Michigan. Thiam averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in his one season with the Bearcats.
Tuesday, 4/21
- Former Saint Mary’s forward Paulius Murauskas commits to Arizona State. Murauskas, who averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, is Arizona State’s highest-rated transfer portal addition ever.
- Former Wisconsin guard John Blackwell commits to Duke. Blackwell is 247’s third-ranked player to enter the portal after averaging 19.1 points per game on a 59.3 true shooting percentage in 2025-26.
- Former Auburn forward Sebastian Williams-Adams commits to Vanderbilt. Williams-Adams started 21 games for the Tigers as a freshman.
- Former North Carolina State Matt Able commits to North Carolina. Able is the second top-50 commit of the day for the Tar Heels, who poach the guard from their in-state foes.
- Former Utah guard Terrence Brown commits to North Carolina. Brown averaged 19.9 points with the Utes en route to All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors in 2025-26.
Monday, 4/20
- Former Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman commits to St. John’s. Freeman has struggled with some injury issues, but he is a former top-10 recruit in the 2024 class and averaged 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds as a sophomore last season.
Sunday, 4/19
- Former VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr. commits to Tennessee. Hill was a First Team All-A-10 selection as a sophomore with the Rams.
- Former Belmont forward Drew Scharnowski commits to Duke. The Blue Devils add the First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection to their typical top-ranked freshman recruiting class.
Saturday, 4/18
- Former Furman guard Alex Wilkins commits to Kentucky. Wilkins led Furman through the SoCon Tournament and into the NCAA Tournament, where he scored 21 points in a first-round loss to UConn.
- Former Duke forward Nikolas Khamenia commits to UConn. Khamenia is a former five-star recruit who will look to fill out his game with the Huskies.
Thursday, 4/16
- Former Utah forward Keanu Dawes commits to Kansas. Dawes averaged 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game last season, the latter of which ranked fourth in the Big 12.
- Former Hofstra guard Cruz Davis commits to Texas Tech. The CAA Player of the Year scored 20.1 points per game in 2025-26 and is Grant McCasland’s first transfer.
- Former Penn State guard Kayden Mingo commits to Baylor. The freshman averaged 13.7 point per game last season and is a major add to Scott Drew’s backcourt.
- Former Kansas forward Bryson Tiller commits to Missouri. Tiller moves to the other side of the “Border War” after averaging 7.9 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Jayhawks as a freshman.
Wednesday, 4/15
- Former Seton Hall big man Najai Hines commits to UConn. Hines was an instant contributor to the Pirates as a freshman, as he averaged 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.
- Former Washington guard Zoom Diallo commits to Kentucky. Diallo improved in every area as a sophomore with the Huskies, averaging 15.7 points and 4.5 assists.
- Former Notre Dame guard Jalen Haralson commits to Tennessee. Haralson averaged 16.2 points per game and shot 51.5% from the floor, making him one of the most productive freshmen in the country.
- Former Louisville forward Sananda Fru commits to Marquette. Fru led the Cardinals in rebounding and shot blocks, and he also shot 75.3% from the field.
- Former Alabama big man Aiden Sherrell commits to Indiana. Sherrell’s 76 blocks as a sophomore ranked second in the SEC last season.
- Former UAB guard Chance Westry commits to Xavier. Westry broke out in 2025-26 to the tune of 15.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
- BYU guard Robert Wright III withdraws from transfer portal, will return to BYU. Wright averaged 18.1 points and shot 41% from three in his first year in Provo after transferring from Baylor.
Tuesday, 4/14
- Former Georgia guard Jeremiah Wilkinson commits to Arkansas. Wilkinson has proven himself as a power conference scoring guard at both Cal (15.1 PPG as a freshman) and Georgia (17.4 PPG as a sophomore).
- Former SMU big man Samet Yigitoglu commits to Indiana. Yigitoglu has started all 66 games he has played in his collegiate career and gives Indiana a second high-profile transfer in as many days following the addition of guard Markus Burton.
- Former Providence forward Jamier Jones commits to Missouri. Jones was selected to the Big east All-Freshman Team but elected to find a new home after Providence replace Kim English with Bryan Hodgson.
- Former Villanova guard Acaden Lewis commits to Miami. Lewis played well as a freshman and steps into Miami’s lead guard position vacated by Tre Donaldson.
- Former Georgetown guard KJ Lewis commits to USC. A 2026 All-Big east Third Team selection, Lewis returns to the West Coast after starting his career with Arizona and offers the Trojans plenty of versatility.
- Former North Carolina guard Derek Dixon commits to Arizona. Dixon took steps forward when he became a starter in mid-January and projects to step into the Wildcats’ starting five.
- Former Georgia Tech big man Mouhamed Sylla commits to West Virginia. Sylla averaged 9.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 16 games before missing the final 11 contests with an ankle injury.
Monday, 4/13
- Former Notre Dame guard Markus Burton commits to Indiana. Burton led the ACC in scoring as a sophomore in 2024-25 and provides Darian DeVries with a focal point for his offense.
- Former Virginia Tech guard Neoklis Avdalas commits to North Carolina. New Tar Heels head coach Mike Malone gets his first commitment in Avdalas, who stands 6-foot-9 and brings intriguing playmaking and scoring skills for his height.
- Former Kentucky guard Jaland Lowe commits to Georgetown. Lowe was a Third-Team All-ACC selection as a sophomore with Pitt, but he played just nine games with the Wildcats before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.
- Former Oregon big man Kwame Evans Jr. commits to Villanova. Evans is a former 5-star recruit and averaged 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds in 2025-26.
- Former Butler guard Finley Bizjack commits to West Virginia. Bizjack took on more and more responsibility each year with Butler, going from 4.2 points per game as a freshman to 10.3 as a sophomore to 17.1 as a junior.
Sunday, 4/12
- Former Texas Tech guard Jaylen Petty commits to UCLA. Petty stepped up for an injured Red Raiders squad, starting 22 of 33 games as a freshman, and will play a key role for what would have been a thin Bruins backcourt without this addition.
- Former TCU forward David Punch commits to Texas. Longhorns head coach Sean Miller adds an all-conference caliber frontcourt player and top 10 player in the portal per 247’s rankings.
- Former Providence guard Stefan Vaaks commits to Illinois. Vaaks was one of the more productive freshmen in a stacked class and, as an Estonian, continues a strong European pipeline for the Illini under Brad Underwood.
- Former Kansas big Flory Bidunga and former Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad commit to Louisville. Pat Kelsey gets a huge win, adding two of the best players available, including 247’s top-ranked transfer in Bidunga.
Saturday, 4/11
- Former Georgia big Somto Cyril commits to Miami. Cyril earned SEC All-Defensive Team honors and shot 76% from the field as a sophomore.
- Former Bradley guard JaQuan Johnson commits to Iowa State. The 5-foot-11 Johnson was a two-way menace this season, averaging 16.9 points and 2.5 steals per game in the Missouri Valley Conference.
- Former Colorado guard Isaiah Johnson commits to Texas. Johnson averaged 16.9 points per game on 57.3-37.8-82.1 shooting splits as a freshman.
- Former LSU guard Dedan Thomas Jr. commits to Houston. A hand injury limited Thomas to 16 games in Baton Rouge, but he averaged 15.3 points and 6.5 assists as a Tiger.
- Former Cal guard Dai Dai Ames commits to Tennessee. Ames is headed to his fourth school in four years after earning All-ACC Third Team honors in 2025-26.
- Former Kentucky guard Collin Chandler commits to BYU. Chandler was a BYU commit but followed Mark Pope to Kentucky in 2024.
Friday, 4/10
- Former Kansas State guard PJ Haggerty commits to Texas A&M. This will be the fifth team in as many seasons for Haggerty, whose 23.4 points per game ranked fourth in the country.
Tuesday, 4/7
- Former San Diego State wing Miles Byrd commits to Providence. The Friars’ new head coach, Bryan Hodgson, wastes little time making a splash by adding one of 247’s top 10 players available in the portal.
- Former Tennessee big man J.P Estrella commits to Michigan. The 6-foot-11 redshirt sophomore averaged 10 points in just over 18 minutes per game for the Volunteers and continues Michigan’s emphasis on adding talented size through the portal.
Who are the top players in the transfer portal?
Below is 247 Sports’ ranking of the top 50 players in the men’s college basketball transfer portal.
- Flory Bidunga, C, Kansas → Louisville
- Milan Momcilovic, PF, Iowa State → ?
- John Blackwell, SG, Wisconsin → Duke
- Allen Graves, PF, Santa Clara → ?
- Tounde Yessoufou, F, Baylor → ?
- Massamba Diop, C, Arizona State → Gonzaga
- PJ Haggerty, PG, Kansas State → Texas A&M
- Juke Harris, CG, Wake Forest → ?
- David Punch, PF, TCU → Texas
- Paulius Murauskas, PF, Saint Mary’s → Arizona State
- Miles Byrd, SF, San Diego State → Providence
- Aiden Sherrell, PF, Alabama → Indiana
- Moustapha Thiam, C, Cincinnati → Michigan
- Isaiah Johnson, PG, Colorado → Texas
- Stefan Vaaks, SG, Providence → Illinois
- Donnie Freeman, PF, Syracuse → St. John’s
- Dedan Thomas Jr., PG, LSU → Houston
- Jackson Shelstad, PG, Oregon → Louisville
- Terrence Hill Jr., PG, VCU → Tennessee
- Acaden Lewis, CG, Villanova → Miami
- Somto Cyril, C, Georgia → Miami
- Neoklis Avdalas, SG, Virginia Tech → North Carolina
- J.P. Estrella, PF, Tennessee → Michigan
- Markus Burton, PG, Notre Dame → Indiana
- Jalen Haralson, CG, Notre Dame → Tennessee
- Mouhamed Sylla, C, Georgia Tech → West Virginia
- Zoom Diallo, PG, Washington → Kentucky
- Najai Hines, C, Seton Hall → UConn
- Cruz Davis, PG, Hofstra → Texas Tech
- Kayden Mingo, CG, Penn State → Baylor
- Drew Scharnowski, PF, Belmont → Duke
- Jeremiah Wilkinson, CG, Georgia → Arkansas
- Nikolas Khamenia, SF, Duke → UConn
- Bryson Tiller, PF, Kansas → Missouri
- KJ Lewis, SF, Georgetown → USC
- Samet Yigitoglu, C, SMU → Indiana
- Sebastian Williams-Adams, PF, Auburn → Vanderbilt
- Chance Westry, CG, UAB → Xavier
- Sananda Fru, PF, Louisville → Marquette
- Jamier Jones, SF, Providence → Missouri
- Kwame Evans Jr., PF, Oregon → Villanova
- Alex Wilkins, CG, Furman → Kentucky
- Collin Chandler, SG, Kentucky → BYU
- Terrence Brown, CG, Utah → North Carolina
- Matt Able, SG, NC State → North Carolina
- Jaylen Petty, PG, Texas Tech → UCLA
- JaQuan Johnson, PG, Bradley → Iowa State
- Jaland Lowe, PG, Kentucky → Georgetown
- Keanu Dawes, PF, Utah → Kansas
- Derek Dixon, CG, North Carolina → Arizona
Reflecting on atmosphere in Indy for UM-UConn
Christian Odjakjian shares what it was like to attend Michigan’s thrilling win over UConn in the 2026 NCAA men’s college basketball national championship game.
How long is the transfer portal open?
The men’s transfer portal opened on Tuesday, April 7, the day after Michigan won the national championship game. The window closes for entry on Tuesday, April 21, but players already in the portal can still commit to a new school after that date.. Players can only enter the portal after April 21 if there is a coaching change.
Why are so many college players entering the transfer portal?
The rules around transfers became significantly less restrictive in 2021. Before that year’s NCAA rules changes, athletes in high-profile sports like basketball had to sit out for a full academic year if they transferred to a new Division I school (unless they received a hardship waiver from the NCAA). In April 2024, the NCAA removed restrictions on how many times a player can transfer and play immediately.
In short, there is more freedom for players to move around than ever before. That, in combination with the continued development of NIL initiatives, means more and more players can find lucrative deals to play at other schools.
