Arizona State's Randy Bennett Lands First Transfer

The Sun Devils saw the first domino fall in the roster building cycle on Friday.

Mar 18, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Saint Mary's Gaels head coach Randy Bennett gives an interview prior to a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Randy Bennett era for Arizona State men's basketball is picking up more than two weeks after being named the 18th head coach in program history on March 23.

A health scare and filling out a staff that will seemingly be entirely new have been early tasks in the infant stages of Bennett's tenure, but the latter worked to his advantage on Friday morning.

Mar 22, 2024; Spokane, WA, USA; St. Mary's Gaels head coach Randy Bennett during the first half in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament against the Grand Canyon Antelopes at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Travis Branham of 247Sports was the first to break news on Friday that former LSU forward Marcus Vaughns would transfer to Arizona State - following freshly minted associate head coach David Patrick to Tempe in the process.

Branham originally hails from Australia and was a four-star prospect who didn't enroll at LSU until January, which resulted in a redshirt season. Now, the dynamic wing reunites with Patrick and has a clear path to carving out a significant role with the Sun Devils in year one under Bennett.

BREAKING: LSU transfer Marcus Vaughn has committed to Arizona State, @JoeTipton reports 🔱https://t.co/3Ieuvabp0I pic.twitter.com/Kw1QM273EO

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) April 10, 2026

How Vaughns Fits on 2026-27 Team

There's a large-scale overhaul going on in terms of roster-building ahead of next season, as Marcus Adams Jr. served as the lone wing to play a substantial chunk of the 2025-26 season. Adams has since departed, which leaves a clear vacancy at the three/four heading into the ramp-up to the season.

Vaughns has an athletic profile (6'8", 221) and skillset that is going to be easily translatable into Bennett's system - having four seasons of eligibility remaining doesn't sting either. There's absolutely a world in which Vaughns earns a starting spot on the team to come, although experience might be prioritized when formulating the top unit as well.

Jan 31, 2026; Spokane, Washington, USA; Saint Mary's Gaels guard Dillan Shaw (11) walks back on defense against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

More on the Way

Another factor that could potentially throw a wrench into a solid role for Vaughns rests in the potential for Bennett to bring former G/F Dillan Shaw over from Saint Mary's to Arizona State. The former four-star wing was a productive player for the Gaels last season and would make a lot of sense in a number of ways. Arizona State is looking to cut its losses from previous portal exits.

Outside of the efforts to build out the wing group that was lacking last season, Bennett will also be tasked with convincing prized players (Noah Meeusen, Santiago Trouet, Massamba Diop) to withdraw their names from the transfer portal to return to Tempe. While the door is open for all three to depart, it isn't shut to a return for any of the three stars.