Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Earns Commitment From ACC Forward in Transfer Portal

The transfer boosts continued this week for the Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball. Boston College transfer forward Jayden Hastings is playing for Cincinnati this fall to continue his college career. He is the 10th player to join Jerrod Calhoun's roster.

The Florida native appeared in 62 games for the Eagles across the past two seasons, which included 34 starts, 18.8 minutes, 5.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 6.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.5 BPG this season.

Transfer Impact

Mar 3, 2026; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Boston College Eagles forward Jayden Hastings (22) looks to pass the balll as Virginia Tech Hokies center Antonio Dorn (77) defends during the first half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

He should be a nice rotation big man with mostly bench minutes, but a chance to start if he keeps elevating his game. He won't offer an outside shot (zero career attempts), but he was very efficient inside the arc, shooting 61.1% from the floor this past season (50% from the free-throw line).

His addition means Cincinnati is down to five roster spots left to fill on Jerrod Calhoun's first time in Clifton. Hastings has two years of eligibility remaining as a defensive stopper. His block rate ranked third in the ACC last season and he posted the 13th-best defensive rating of any ACC player.

He should immediately help fortify the Bearcats' frontline and lift the floor on the end of things.

“I think this is probably the wildest year,” Calhoun said to WCPO about the 2026 transfer portal. “I think a lot of coaches, a lot of fans, a lot of administrators, kind of thought that the market would go down a little bit. In fact, I think it's actually different. You know, what we're essentially fighting is that we have not been in the NCAA Tournament in seven years. So we are selling our style of play, our recent history. We (as a staff) have 101 wins in four years. We have three postseason appearances, 55 and 15 in two years, and a top 30 in offense. So you're really selling yourself, and then you're selling the style of play. But when you step on this campus, there is a ton to sell, right? I think our facilities are top-notch."

“I think the university as a whole has changed so much since I've been here. I think we have a lot to offer. And I'm very, very happy with my decision. I've been here a couple of weeks. Obviously, it's chaotic, but the theme that I've heard from the fans, from the student body, is that they want one thing: they want to be back in the NCAA Tournament. We don't play college basketball to go to The Crown or to the NIT. You know, as Coach Huggins would say, the not-invited tournament, right? This is a real program, and we need to strive to get in the tournament, but really make runs in the tournament, and we have everything we need to do that here at Cincinnati.”

Check out highlights from Hastings below:

PERFECTION 🤌

Jayden Hastings scores 18 points on 8-8 shooting!@BCMBB | @BCEagles | #ForBoston pic.twitter.com/2ot9hWs8kn
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) March 6, 2025

Welcome to Cincinnati, @JaydenCHastings!

📝: https://t.co/LtBS3OGHBG pic.twitter.com/CL4FPBrPYc
— Cincinnati Men’s Hoops (@GoBearcatsMBB) April 29, 2026

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