Mizzou Misses out on Top-Rated Transfer to SEC Foe

The Tigers couldn't land what would have been their best transfer portal pick-up of this offseason cycle.

Jan 18, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Jayden Quaintance (21) drives to the basket as he is fouled by Cincinnati Bearcats forward Aziz Bandaogo (55) in the second half at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Former Arizona State forward and Missouri transfer target Jayden Quaintance has announced his commitment, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Quaintance was an inital recruiting target of Dennis Gates and the Tigers coming out of high school, now missing on him twice.

NEWS: ASU transfer Jayden Quaintance, a projected top-5 pick in 2026, has committed to Mark Pope and Kentucky, his father Haminn, told ESPN.

Quaintance decommitted from Kentucky precisely a year ago after John Calipari left for Arkansas.

STORY: https://t.co/BXza2vhqzX pic.twitter.com/woe1gvYD6T

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 8, 2025

Sources told PowerMizzou of 247Sports that Missouri was expected to be involved in the recruitment of Quaintance the second time around. Gates and his staff had as good a shot to land him as any coming out of high school, where he initially committed to Kentucky, backed out of that commitment and pledged to Arizona State.

Quaintance averafed 9.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this season for the Sun Devils, while also averaging 2.6 blocks per game. His solid freshman season cemented him as one of the best in his class and also earned him the title of being a projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA draft.

Simply put, Quaintance was a fun idea and an optimistic reach to land him. He was always going to command a high price of NIL money and top teams in the country always seemed like the most realistic landing spots. Now, the Tigers again will look to pivot to another option in the portal.

However, pinpointing who that guy is seems like a challenge, at least for right now. Missouri has already added Jevon Porter and Luke Northweather at the forward spot, so Quaintance wasn't a neccesity. That being said, neither Porter or Northweather jump off the page as potential superstars.

That's the hardest part about missing out on Quaintance. He has superstar potential and is bound to be a top draft pick two draft's from now. That's a guy you always want on your team, regardless of the price.