5 Transfer Portal Targets Illinois Should Pursue Immediately

Illinois’ 2025-26 season wrapped up on Saturday night with a 71-62 loss against UConn in the Final Four. And following the national title game on Monday – which pits UConn vs. Michigan – every program in the nation will have seen their campaign come to a close. In other words: transfer portal season is upon us.

The most chaotic time of the year officially begins Tuesday (when the portal technically opens), but hundreds of players have already announced their “plans” to enter the portal. With that in mind, we’ll take a look at the top soon-to-be available portal prospects who fit Illinois’ needs.

First, a brief glance behind the curtain to reveal our rationale: among rotation players, both guard Kylan Boswell and forward Ben Humrichous are out of eligibility. We’ll also make just one assumption: freshman guard Keaton Wagler will likely declare for the NBA draft.

That leaves Illinois, for now, with three holes on the roster to fill – two in the backcourt and one in the frontcourt (or, arguably, on the wing). Here are five prospects the Illini should pursue to get whole for the 2026-27 season:

Five potential transfer portal targets for Illinois in the 2026 offseason

Neoklis Avdalas, guard

Former school: Virginia Tech
Remaining years of eligibility: three

At Virginia Tech, Neoklis Avdalas started all 31 games this past season, averaging 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists as a shooting guard. He shot just 38.6 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from deep (hit 1.6 per game) in his first year of college basketball.

Two things leap out about Avadalas: his positional size and playmaking. At 6-foot-9, Avdalas is a massive guard who has the ability to both see and shoot over the top of defenders. He’s a gifted and extremely willing playmaker (happy to make the extra pass) and is more than comfortable operating out of ball screens or playing off the ball in a spot-up role. Currently tabbed as the No. 9 overall player in the portal (per 247Sports), Avdalas would be a dream find for the Illini.

Juke Harris, guard

Former school: Wake Forest
Remaining years of eligibility: two

Brad Underwood loves an athletic bucket-getter – a mold Juke Harris fits to a tee. At Wake Forest, Harris averaged 21.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists. A 6-foot-7 wing Harris showcased his three-level scoring ability, knocking down 2.5 threes per game (on 33.2 percent) yet still found a way to excel as a scorer at the rim. Physical, athletic and ultra-aggressive as a shooter, Harris is always looking to get his own – but is a capable passer.

Toss in the excellent rebounding numbers and a physical package that speaks to defensive upside, and Harris should be a primary target for Illinois. (It's worth noting that Harris also plans to go through the NBA Draft process.)

Jackson Shelstad, guard

Former school: Oregon
Remaining years of eligibility: at least one (maybe two with medical redshirt)

Listed at 6-foot flat, Shelstad, strictly from a size vantage point, isn’t the usual Underwood target. But his skill set – namely long-distance shooting and playmaking – paired with his three years of college experience make him a potential target.

Shelstad is a buttery-smooth lead guard with deep range and downhill ability. In terms of his creation for others, he appeared to be blossoming this year (4.9 assists per game) but played just 12 games because of injury. Again, his size may be a red flag for the Illini, but he’s still a name worth monitoring.

Thomas Dowd, forward

Former school: Troy
Remaining years of eligibility: one

Here’s all Underwood needs to know about Thomas Dowd: at 6-foot-8, he averaged a Sun Belt-best 10.1 rebounds per game. Oh, and not to be glossed over: He hit 1.9 threes per game at a clip of 33.3 percent. Somehow, it gets better: Dowd also averaged 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks.

That's tough Thomas 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/FG9ZvFKpzv
— Troy Trojans MBB (@TroyTrojansMBB) February 28, 2026

Thomas AGAIN. pic.twitter.com/1n5b1R7X0R
— Troy Trojans MBB (@TroyTrojansMBB) January 17, 2026

Fairly athletic, constantly seeking contact and delivering 100 percent effort at all times, Dowd is a coach’s dream on the glass, and he’s also solid around the rim and boasts that feathery jumper from deep. Dowd would, theoretically, provide the Illini with exceptional depth in the frontcourt.

Sam Orme, forward

Former school: Belmont
Remaining years of eligibility: two

As a sophomore at Belmont, Sam Orme did a little bit of everything en route to 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Orme is the prototype off-ball player, connecting on 39.7 percent of his threes (1.7 per game) but was also a great back-cutter and a physical downhill driver in transition and on rip-and-go situations.

Sam Orme for THREE‼️#ItsBruinTime pic.twitter.com/GBpWsXilyB
— Belmont Basketball (@BelmontMBB) November 20, 2025

Defensively, Orme is extremely solid, guarding a variety of positions, keeping the ball in front and even adding value in help-side (0.7 blocks per game). At the high-major level, the 6-foot-8 forward could slide seamlessly into any lineup and won’t take anything off the table. As an additional plus, he has those two years of eligibility remaining, and isn’t in jeopardy of being plucked by the NBA after just one season (as other players on this list are).