Local Transfer Forward Committing to Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball After Starting Career With MAC School

The Bearcats dialed into a local talent as the latest public addition to the team's 2026 transfer portal haul. On3's Joe Tipton reports that Akron small forward Eric Mahaffey is rolling with the Bearcats for his next college stop.

The Cincinnati native and former Archbishop Moeller High School star in town just wrapped an All-Mac Freshman Team season with the Zips after redshirting in 2024-25. The 6-foot-6, 190-pound guard posted 7.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game across 21.9 minutes per game.

Transfer Impact

Mar 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Akron Zips guard Eric Mahaffey (4) drives against Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Christian Anderson (4) in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Mahaffey shot very well from the floor in his first taste of college action (53% overall, 60.2% from inside the arc, 39.1% from deep, 76.3% from the free throw line). According to 247Sports, he is ranked 138th in this transfer cycle and 18th among small forwards.

Jerrod Calhoun is mixing in high-level veterans with young players like Mahaffey in this portal build. He has three years of eligibility left and brings a nice hometown vibe to the roster. Mahaffey fits the offensive rebounding strengths these players are profiling into so far.

The young buck ranked fifth in the MAC with a 10.1% offensive rebounding rate this past season and was sixth in total rebound rate (14.6%). Add in a 102.9 defensive rating (eighth in the MAC), and you get a very intriguing runway for Mahaffey to keep elevating his game to a higher level in a better league.

Expect Mahaffey to be a bench piece to start his Bearcats career, with potential to burst past 15-20 minutes per game at some point.

“Yeah. I mean, I think a lot of coaches make a lot of mistakes, right? So what you do the next two weeks is going to affect an entire fan base, an entire university, affect our team, right?” Calhoun said to WCPO last week. “So we never want to skip those steps. We want to have a very thorough process. We're not going to sacrifice talent over character. Have never done that, and we'll stick to the processes that we always do.

"We have a formula for every position, and then, you know, you have to do a really, really good job when you're communicating with the families. And we really identify guys that talk about winning, at the end of the day, we're all in this to win, right? There's a certainty, a price point, a role point, but to me, it's all about winning.”

Check out highlights from Mahaffey and an interview with Moeller's Barrett Cohen done right after he committed below:

Eric Mahaffey (@EricMahaffey20) isn’t getting NEARLY the attention he deserves.

The 6’6” redshirt freshman is a true Swiss Army knife with plenty of upside. He’s long, athletic, bouncy, and plays with a great feel for the game. Mahaffey is an active cutter, an emphatic finisher,… pic.twitter.com/H0bvwdCGSe
— Matt (@HoopHound5) December 9, 2025

🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨

FULL INTERVIEW: Man of Moeller Eric Mahaffey ’24 is coming home! 🏀
Eric has officially signed with Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun and the Cincinnati Bearcats, bringing his talent back to the Queen City in a huge move for both him and the program.

We caught up… pic.twitter.com/N2c26xfaVp
— 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗵𝗲𝗻 (@BigMoBarrett) April 16, 2026

Bookmark Bearcats Talk for the latest news, breakdowns, and so much more. Be sure to check out our YouTube page as well, starting with the video below.

Also, don't miss the podcast, Bearcat Blitz, wherever you get your shows!

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

Be sure to keep it locked in on Bearcats Talk, as we cover the trials and tribulations of the Big 12!

Follow Bearcats Talk on Twitter: @BearcatsTalk

Like Bearcats Talk on Facebook: Bearcats Talk

Add us as a preferred source on Google