Revisiting Top 10 Men’s College Basketball Transfer Portal Classes

The transfer portal is all the rage in men’s college basketball these days, given that it’s a quicker way for both contending teams to fill needs and downtrodden programs to jumpstart rebuilds.

At this time roughly eight months ago, Kentucky and St. John's were seen as two of the consensus winners of the transfer portal, flying higher than other programs who had also been busy in the portal, like USC and Indiana. Three-plus months into the college basketball season and some of these preseason projections remain intact while others have changed greatly.

With March Madness looming a month away, let’s revisit some of the top transfer portal classes in men’s college basketball.

Reranking Top 10 Men’s College Basketball Transfer Portal Classes

1. Michigan Wolverines
Preseason Rank: No. 3 at ESPN, No. 2 at 247Sports

Michigan full transfer portal class

Position	Player Name
Forward	Yaxel Lendeborg
Guard	Elliott Cadeau
Forward	Morez Johnson Jr.
Center	Aday Mara

There’s no doubt about who gets the top spot now. Guard Elliott Cadeau, forward Yaxel Lendeborg and center Aday Mara comprise three-fifths of the Wolverines’s starting rotation, a unit that has powered the program to its first No. 1 overall ranking in the AP Top 25 since 2013. The Wolverines’ three leading scorers are transfers.

2. St. John's Red Storm
Preseason Rank: No. 1 at ESPN, No. 1 at 247 Sports

St. John's full transfer portal class

Position	Player Name
Guard	Oziyah Sellers
Forward	Bryce Hopkins
Forward	Dillon Mitchell
Guard	Joson Sanon
Guard	Ian Jackson
Guard	Dylan Darling
Center	Handje Tamba

The fingerprints of Rick Pitino’s transfer class are all over the program’s starting five, which contains four transfers. Forward Dillon Mitchell has arguably been the team’s most versatile defender and a presence on the glass, Bryce Hopkins has formed a valuable two-way presence in the frontcourt next to Zuby Ejiofor and guards Oziyah Sellers, Ian Jackson and Joson Sanon give this team an offensive punch it didn’t have in 2025.

3. Louisville Cardinals
Preseason Rank: No. 4 at ESPN, No. 3 at 247 Sports

Louisville full transfer portal class

Position	Player Name
Guard	Ryan Conwell
Guard	Isaac McKneeley
Guard	Adrian Wooley

Coaches bring in transfers to fill needs. Few coaches achieved better results to that end than Pat Kelsey. Last year’s Cardinals team knocked down 9.4 three-pointers per game (48th in the country) at a 32.8% clip (244th). This year’s squad, powered by sharpshooting transfers Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely, ranks fifth and 86th in those same categories.

4. Florida Gators
Preseason Rank: No. 5 at ESPN, No. 6 at 247 Sports

Florida full transfer portal class

Position	Player Name
Guard	Boogie Fland
Guard	Xaivian Lee
Guard	AJ Brown

Florida’s class takes a bit of a hit due to transfer AJ Brown deciding to redshirt after missing part of the offseason due to a shoulder surgery. But transfer guards Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee have combined to form arguably the country’s best two-way backcourt. It was stellar guard play that propelled the Gators to a title last year. Could that same blueprint lead them to a repeat title?

5. USC Trojans
Preseason Rank: No. 9 at ESPN, No. 7 at 247 Sports

USC full transfer portal class

Position	Player Name
Guard	Rodney Rice
Forward	Jacob Cofie
Guard	Chad Baker-Mazara
Forward	Ezra Ausar
Guard	Amarion Dickerson
Guard	Jordan Marsh
Center	Gabe Dynes
Forward	Jaden Brownell
Guard	Ryan Cornish

The Trojans have a case to be higher were it not for injuries to Rodney Rice and Amarion Dickerson. Even still, coach Eric Musselman added some serious defensive brawn to this roster in the form of forwards Jacob Cofie, Ezra Ausar and 7' 5" backup center Gabe Dynes. The experienced Chad Baker-Mazara is one of the better two-way players in the nation. The result is a Trojans team that ranks 31st in adjusted defensive efficiency, a marked improvement over last year’s squad.

6. Indiana Hoosiers
Preseason Rank: No. 10 at ESPN, No. 10 at 247 Sports

Indiana full transfer portal class

Position	Player Name
Guard	Lamar Wilkerson
Forward	Tucker DeVries
Guard	Conor Enright
Guard	Tayton Conerway
Guard	Nick Dorn
Forward	Sam Alexis
Forward	Reed Bailey
Guard	Jasai Miles
Forward	Josh Harris
Guard	Jason Drake

First-year coach Darian DeVries has the Hoosiers poised to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2022–-23. If wondering why, look no further than his transfer portal class led by guard Lamar Wilkerson, one of the best shooters and scorers in the country. There are quicker, more athletic teams out there, but DeVries’s portal haul, which constitutes the bulk of the Hoosiers’ rotation, plays remarkably well together.

7. Iowa Hawkeyes
Preseason Rank: No. 10 at ESPN, No. 8 at 247 Sports

Iowa full transfer portal class

Position	Player Name
Guard	Bennett Stirtz
Guard	Kael Combs
Guard	Tavion Banks
Forward	Alvaro Folgueiras
Guard	Isaia Howard
Forward	Cam Manyawu
Guard	Brendan Hausen
Forward	Joey Matteoni

Hawkeyes first-year coach Ben McCollum brought six players from a Drake team that stunned last year’s sixth seed Missouri in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Stirtz has picked up right where he left off, simultaneously raising the ceiling of this Iowa team and his NBA draft stock. One of McCollum’s sneakiest additions? Guard Isaia Howard, who leads the team in steals per game and defensive box plus/minus.

8. NC State Wolfpack
Preseason Rank: No. 13 at ESPN, No. 14 at 247 Sports

NC State full transfer portal class

Position	Player Name
Forward	Darrion Williams
Guard	Qadir Copeland
Forward	Ven-Allen Lubin
Guard	Tre Holloman
Guard	Alyn Breed
Guard	Terrance Arceneaux
Forward	Jerry Deng
Forward	Colt Langdon

First-year coach Will Wade was unsurprisingly among the most aggressive coaches in the transfer portal. And it’s difficult to argue with the results. Forward Darrion Williams is a proven star while the likes of Tre Holloman and Ven-Allen Lubin, each of whom also carries tourney experience from prior stints with blue bloods, have entrenched themselves as starters. The Wolfpack rank 30th in Bart Torvik’s power rating.

9. Auburn Tigers
Preseason Rank: No. 12 at ESPN, No. 9 at 247 Sports

Auburn full transfer portal class

Position	Player Name
Forward	Keyshawn Hall
Guard	Kevin Overton
Guard	Elyjah Freeman
Forward	KeShawn Murphy
Center	Emeka Opurum
Guard	Abdul Bashir

Former Tigers coach Bruce Pearl constructed last year’s Auburn team, which made it to the Final Four, largely with transfers. Like father, like son, as Steven Pearl has done the same in his first season as head coach on The Plains. UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall, disciplinary issues aside, has thrived in the SEC and has been one of the most efficient scorers in the country, shooting at a near 50/40/90 clip. Meanwhile, guard Kevin Overton has provided valuable defense and the ability to spell Tahaad Pettiford at point guard. Mississippi State transfer KyShawn Murphy has been the Tigers’ best rebounder.

10. Kentucky Wildcats
Preseason Rank: No. 2 at ESPN, No. 5 at 247 Sports

Kentucky full transfer portal class

Position	Player Name
Guard	Denzel Aberdeen
Forward	Mouhamed Dioubate
Guard	Kam Williams
Guard	Jaland Lowe
Forward	Jayden Quaintance
Forward	Reece Potter

Kentucky’s transfer portal class generated considerable buzz, but things haven't exactly gone according to plan. Pittsburgh transfer Jaland Lowe flashed in nine games for the Wildcats, but underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in January. Fellow transfers Jayden Quaintaince, who hasn’t played since Jan. 7 due to a troublesome knee, and Kam Williams, who broke his foot in January, have also been plagued by injuries. Guard Denzel Aberdeen, the team’s second-leading scorer, has been one of the bright spots.

Which transfer portal class will be most impactful in NCAA tournament?

Michigan Wolverines

Michigan’s size—7' 3" center Mara, and 6' 9" forwards Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. comprise the frontcourt—and versatility—they’re the only team to rank in the top five in both Bart Torvik’s adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency—could give teams fits in March.

St. John’s Red Storm

Last year’s Red Storm team flamed out in the second round of the NCAA tournament with a horrendous offensive showing in a loss to Arkansas. This year’s team has a more reliable offense. Hopkins gives Ejiofor a much-needed running mate in the frontcourt while guards Sellers, Jackson, Sonon and Dylan Darling have helped St. John’s become a much-improved three-point shooting team.

Florida Gators

The Gators are loaded in the frontcourt but it’s the backcourt of transfers Fland and Lee, each of whom have scored in double figures and recorded at least one steal in five straight games (all Florida wins), that has talk of a repeat swirling around the Gators.

Indiana Hoosiers

Wilkerson’s game is made for the NCAA tournament. The Indiana guard has taken over multiple games this year, scoring 32 points in a narrow January loss to Nebraska and 41 points in a Feb. 9 win over Oregon. It’s not hard to envision Wilkerson taking over and leading the Hoosiers on a run come March.