Cincinnati transfer Dan Skillings Jr. commits to Baylor

Skillings reportedly drew interest from the Bulldogs when he entered the portal, according to ESPN

Cincinnati Bearcats transfer Dan Skillings Jr. (0) committed to the Baylor Bears. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Next season's to-be-determined matchup between Baylor and Gonzaga is going to look much different than when the two met at the Spokane Arena last November.

The Bears acquired their seventh player via the transfer portal on Tuesday when Cincinnati wing Dan Skillings Jr. committed to Scott Drew and company for the 2025-26 season. Skillings' decision comes after he reportedly drew interest from a handful of schools, including Gonzaga, upon entering his name into the portal on April 7.

During his visit with Baylor on Tuesday, Skillings Jr. snagged a photo with the national championship trophy the Bears claimed by beating the Zags, 86-70, in the 2021 title game from Indianapolis.

Skillings earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors this past season with 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He shot 44.0% from the field, including 29.9% from downtown, and 61.2% from the free-throw line. Besides his 3-point numbers, all those averages are down from what Skillings posted his sophomore season in 2023-24, when he put up more than 12 points and grabbed 6.4 rebounds per game. A knee injury that forced him to miss six of the team's first seven games certainly didn't help him going into his junior year.

Cincinnati transfer Dan Skillings Jr. has committed to Baylor.

The 6’6” junior guard appeared in 29 games, averaging 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.

Skillings averaged 12.9 points, and 6.4 rebounds per game during the 2023-24 season. pic.twitter.com/01kWMgDdRd

— PortalUpdates (@portal_updates) April 15, 2025

A former four-star recruit in the 2022 class, Skillings was the second-best high school senior in the state of Pennsylvania when he committed to play for Wes Miller, according to 247Sports. Skillings made 28 starts across his 100 appearances with the Bearcats, averaging 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists during his three seasons with the team.

The Zags could be in the market for another wing player after they lost two rotational players at that position to the portal already in 6-foot-6 Dusty Stromer (Grand Canyon) and 6-foot-7 Michael Ajayi (Butler). Jalen Warley, a 6-foot-7 wing who joined Gonzaga in the middle of last season after transferring from Virginia; and Davis Fogle, an incoming freshman and highly touted 6-foot-6 wing, are two notable newcomers to the 2025-26 squad who could play meaningful minutes right away.

While both are far from finalizing their respective rosters, the Zags and Bears are projected to look much different than when they opened the 2024-25 season from the Spokane Arena on Nov. 4. Josh Ojianwuna became the eighth Baylor player to enter the portal when he put his name in on Monday. Sophomore guard Omar Adegbola, freshman forward Jason Asemota, senior guard Jalen Celestine, freshman center Marino Dubravčić, point guard Kaleb Jackson, junior guard Langston Love and freshman stud Robert Wright III are also in the portal. Norchard Omier and Jeremy Roach have expiring eligibility, while VJ Edgecombe is likely headed for the NBA draft in June.

In addition to Skillings, Baylor has reeled in Wyoming's Obi Agbim, Tennessee's Cameron Carr, Rice's Caden Powell, Oregon State's Michael Rataj and Omaha's J.J. White in the transfer portal.

For the Bulldogs, Dusty Stromer (Grand Canyon) and Michael Ajayi (Butler) have found new homes via the portal. Jun Seok Yeo also entered his name into the portal following his sophomore season. Gonzaga is also set to graduate Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, Khalif Battle and Ben Gregg. Mark Few and his staff have yet to land a commitment in the portal, though Gonzaga is still in the running to land Marlyand transfer Rodney Rice.