Houston Transfer Portal Tracker: Additions, Departures & Updated Roster
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The Houston Cougars ultimately came up short of the goal that many expected them to reach, which was being positioned as one of the final teams standing in the NCAA Tournament once the dust settled and being crowned as national champions.
However, the Cougars ended the season far from that expected goal as their season was ended in the Sweet Sixteen by the Illinois Fighting Illini, as Houston ended the season with a 30-7 record to go along with a 14-4 record in the Big 12.
Now, as head coach, Kelvin Sampson and his staff look forward and ahead to the 2026-27 season, the main objective of the offseason will be to reload the Cougars squad as they look to be big-time players in this year's transfer portal.
And with roster turnover being at an extreme level nowadays in college basketball due to the portal, here's a tracker of each player the Coogs are adding and losing to the transfer portal.
This article will be updated once more portal news surrounding the Houston basketball team rolls in.
All Incoming Transfers to Houston Cougars
Player | Postion | Old School | Eligibility (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
All Departures from Houston via the Transfer Portal
Player | Position | New School |
|---|---|---|
Isiah Harwell | Guard | |
Cedric Lath | Center | |
Jacob McFarland | Center |
The most notable Cougar that will enter his name into the transfer portal is freshman guard Isiah Harwell, who played in 32 contests and averaged 3.6 points per game while shooting 27.9 percent from the field, 27.1 percent from three-point range, and 61.3 percent from the free throw line to go along with two rebounds per game.
Harwell was a five-star prospect in the Cougars 2025 recruiting class, which featured multiple five-star recruits, with guard Kingston Flemings and forward Chris Cenac Jr. also being a part of the 2025 cycle, both of whom played big parts in the Coogs 2025-26 season.
The Cougars are also losing a pair of frontcourt players to the transfer portal, with center Cedric Lath and, most recently, Jacob McFarland both set to enter their names into the portal.
This year, Lath, a redshirt junior, saw action in 21 games for the Coogs while averaging just four minutes per game. McFarland played in only four games for Houston this season as the redshirt sophomore continued to recover from a serious injury suffered in the 2024-25 season.
Updated Roster Headed into 2026-27
The Cougars are set to lose plenty of talent headed into next season, with the likes of Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan both out of eligibility, and the duo of freshmen in Flemings and Cenac Jr. both have decisions on going pro and head to the NBA Draft.
Houston does bring back a pillar of its team from last season in defensive anchor Joseph Tugler, sticking around for his senior season. And other notable players that found a role this season and will be back next season include sophomore guard Mercy Miller and freshman forward Chase McCarty.
And before the Coogs start adding players out of the transfer portal, they'll have some new faces on next season's roster out of the high school ranks as part of their 2026 recruiting class, which features the No. 1 center in the class in five-star Arafan Diane and four-star guard Ikenna Alozie.
