Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Lands Former Utah State Guard Out of 2026 Transfer Portal

The Bearcats basketball team brought in another former Utah State player onto Jerrod Calhoun's roster this week. The program announced on social media that transfer guard Elijah Perryman is rolling with the Bearcats for the 2026-27 season.

The freshman has three years of eligibility left after posting four points per game and three rebounds on 44% FG/ 29.8% 3FG/80% FT splits.

Transfer Impact

Jan 23, 2026; Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; Utah State Aggies guard Elijah Perryman (1) controls the ball as Colorado State Rams forward Kyle Jorgensen (35) guards in the first half at Moby Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Perryman didn't get to play much during his opening college season, but his per-40 numbers at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds are very strong. He posted 12.8 points, a nasty 8.8 assists, and 2.2 steals per game per 40 minutes.

“Elijah has incredible feel for a point guard,” Calhoun said in a press release. “He’s a young man who has great promise and, obviously, there’s significant familiarity for him with our system and for our staff with his game. Elijah can really grow here. He sees the floor well and players love playing with him. Elijah can get downhill, play out of pick and rolls and is a wonderful kid.”

He should be a strong rotation player with a chance to break into the starting lineup eventually if he keeps developing well following his move east. Perryman got acquainted quickly in Salt Lake City and could do the same in Clifton.

“I thought I was going to maybe redshirt,” Perryman said in a press conference last season. “That was in my mind. I just tried to keep learning and get better day by day. Coach saw that, trusted me and put me into the rotation. It was kind of shocking hearing from old coaches and people that have played college basketball that most freshmen don’t get to play. It’s a blessing to be doing what I’m doing right now.”

Cincinnati also added his former teammates Adlan Elamin and David Nweze, another player with a long runway to develop in Calhoun's proven system at multiple levels.

"David, I saw him in Salt Lake," Calhoun said about Nweze in 2025. "It was last November. And I remembered driving back to Logan, saying, 'Oh, why did we sign this guy. This guy is not any good, guys. We obviously made a really, really bad mistake.' I think he fouled out; he had like two points. So then the season went on, he came in for the summer workouts, and I'm like, 'There's no way we can redshirt this guy. What happened to this kid?' He did a 180. He's cut up, he's running, he's jumping and blocking shots.

"He called our strength coach, Brandon Buskey, and really, really got himself on a plan. His AAU coach is a very good friend of mine, and he's not the easiest guy to play for; he makes me look like a saint sometimes. He loves David and pushes him; they did two or three workouts a day, and he came back, and I just laughed. I'm like, 'This guy is a monster.' We both kind of concluded on redshirting him. There are a lot of days, probably six out of seven, where I'm like, 'Ah, I wish I had him.' But, we have to do what's right for each guy, and that's the tough part."

Cincinnati now has eight roster spots filled with seven to go after also landing North Dakota State guard Trevian Carson on Monday.

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