Transfer Portal Rumblings: Who Else Is in the Mix for Kyan Evans, Nolan Groves?

Minnesota's biggest competition in the transfer portal might be its two biggest rivals.

Feb 2, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Kyan Evans (0) brings the ball up the court in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The transfer portal officially opened on Tuesday, and two potential targets for the Gophers immediately stood out. Texas Tech's Nolan Groves and North Carolina guard Kyan Evnas. There are numerous reasons why both players would be great fits at Minnesota, but what other schools are in the mix? Let's break it down.

Nolan Groves

Minnesota and Wisconsin immediately showed strong interest in Groves as a high school prospect when he decommitted from Yale last offseason. Texas Tech seemingly swooped in later in the process with a more intriguing offer that he couldn't turn down.

I fully expect this year's process to be similar. Minnesota and Wisconsin have already shown interest again. The Badgers need to make a splash with John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas already hitting the portal. You can easily make the case why either team would be a better fit for Groves, and it might just come down to his decision. Much like last offseason, there can always be a better offer that comes out of nowhere, but I expect a two-team race.

Kyan Evans

When Niko Medved left Colorado State to come to Minnesota last offseason, Evans immediately became a potential target to follow. He averaged 10.6 points and 3.1 assists per game as a sophomore on 44.6% shooting from three. He introduced himself on a national scale with 23 points in their first-round NCAA Tournament upset against Memphis.

He was a highly-touted transfer portal prospect, and North Carolina likely came in with an offer that Minnesota couldn't compete with. Fast-forward to this offseason, and Evans is coming off a disappointing junior season where he averaged just 4.0 points per game. Medved might now have the best-selling point for him out of any situation in the country this offseason.

Cade Tyson was a highly-touted transfer before a down year at North Carolina. He bounced back with a tremendous 2025-26 at Minnesota, and he's now back on professional radars. Evans seems like a great candidate to do the same in 2026-27 alongside Isaac Asuma in the backcourt, but other programs will be interested.

Iowa has identified Evans as a potential target to replace Bennett Stirtz, and that would certainly be an intriguing selling point for any guard seeing Ben McCollum's recent success. If the money and opportunity are similar, how important is Evans' loyalty to Medved? He had four offers from Missouri Valley Conference teams as a high school prospect, and Colorado State was easily his best opportunity.

There could always be a big-time offer to swoop in late, but it also sounds like it will be a two-team race for Evans.