Re-Evaluating Dennis Gates' Transfer Portal Classes; Have Rankings Led to Success?

Rankings for transfer portal and freshmen classes only mean so much. Winning the offseason doesn't bring you any trophies.

Overall, the transfer portal has been a positive for Dennis Gates and the Missouri Tigers. It allowed him to rebuild the program in his first season, and turnaround the team for the 2024-2025 season.

Missouri has made one addition so far through the 2025 portal window, likely thanks to the hometown connection for former Loyola Marymount forward Jevon Porter. But the Tigers will have to be big players in the transfer portal again, losing six out of their top nine scorers from the 2024-2025 season.

With the benefit of hindsight, taking a look back at Missouri's recent transfer hauls provides a glimpse on how Gates may approach another important offseason.

Every Dennis Gates Transfer Portal Class at Missouri:

2024

247Sports Class ranking: No. 13 national, No. 4 Southeastern Conference
Additions: Josh Gray (South Carolina), Mark Mitchell (Duke), Tony Perkins (Iowa), Marques Warrick (Northern Kentucky), Jacob Crews (UT Martin)

2023

Class ranking: No. 40 national, No. 8 SEC
Additions: Connor Vanover (Oral Roberts), Caleb Grill (Iowa State), Tamar Bates (Indiana), Jesus Caralero Martin (Campbell), John Tonje (Colorado State)

2022

Class ranking: No. 8 national, No. 2 SEC
Additions: Isiaih Mosley (Missouri State), Noah Carter (Northern Iowa), Nick Honor (Clemson), DeAndre Gholston (Milwaukee), Sean East (John A. Logan CC), Tre Gomillion, Mabor Majak, and D'Moi Hodge (Cleveland State).

Takeaways

Finding Mainstays in a Rental Store

It's easy to use the transfer portal as a RedBox rental station. And Missouri has been cornered into this before too (see Josh Gray or Jacob Crews). With the rate of underclassmen players that transfer after minimal playing time, it's difficult for teams to build long-term plans for the roster. This often leads to holes on the roster where the only option is a one-year rental.

But, Missouri has also been able to found foundational players through the portal to play for multiple years. The additions of Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill were exciting at the time, and Bates was a rare bright spot in his first year with the team while Grill dealt with a wrist injury that ended his season early.

But in 2024-2025, the duo of Bates and Grill were two of the most reliable players for the Tigers. Grill was the second-highest scorer on the team (13.7), and Bates third (13.3). The two team captains were also the strongest leaders on the team.

Feb. 19, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Tamar Bates (2) celebrates with guard Caleb Grill (31) during a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Mizzou Arena. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

Next up in this category, assuming he doesn't enter the portal again this season, is Mark Mitchell. Being able to add Mitchell was important enough. But adding him while he still had two years of eligibility remaining was especially a benefit for Missouri to have a bridge between its veterans on the way out, and its developing underclassmen.

Trusting the Development Process

Most of what made Mitchell the highest-ranked transfer for Missouri last offseason was the notability he earned as a high school prospect rather than what he accomplished in two years at Duke. He was a full-time starter in both years with the program, but was yet to realize the potential built out for him as the No. 13 prospect in the class of 2022, according to 247Sports.

With Missouri, Mitchell grew throughout the season to be a centerpiece for the Missouri offense. He wound up leading the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game.

Gates believes Missouri's system was a perfect fit for Mitchell's skillset, and one that allowed him to grow as a player.

"He got a lot of work done in the paint off the dribble," Gates said of Mitchell in a press conference ahead of the SEC Tournament. "He was able to get in the lane, drive and kick. Those decision making opportunities allowed his usage rate to move up, and that's where I truly believe there's no other system in this country that allows a Mark Mitchell to showcase the things he showcased."

Nov. 8, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri guard Mark Mitchell (25) makes a drive towards the basket against the Howard Bison.. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

Just like with high school recruiting, being able to land a prospect through the transfer portal is one thing. But developing that talent into a player that can fit and grow in your system is another.

Gates and his coaching staff have shown the ability to turn the potential of highly-ranked prospects, whether out of high school or through the transfer portal, already in their three years with Missouri.

Just like Bates and Grill turned out to be, Mitchell has turned into a foundational piece for Missouri entering the 2025-2026 season, in large part thanks to the development he underwent in his junior season.

Mixed Results for Lower-Level Additions

There's risk involved anytime a player is making the jump from the mid-major level to the SEC.

Both Crews from the Ohio Valley and Marques Warrick of the Horizon League proved to be the valuable depth Missouri was seeking. Through SEC play, Warrick averaged 11.4 minutes and 5.6 points. Crews was Missouri's best shooter in some games this season. He averaged 13.4 minutes and 6.2 points while shooting 33.9% from 3 in SEC play.

Mar 19, 2025; Wichita, KS, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Jacob Crews (35) receives the ball during a practice session at Intrust Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

But Connor Vanover didn't bring the physical defensive presence Missouri needed from the 7-foot-5 center. And Jesus Caralero Martin transferred down to the SWAC with Bethune-Cookman after his brief, uneventful stint with the Tigers.

Tre Gomillion and D'Moi Hodge come with an asterisk as they came over with Dennis Gates, but both played important roles on the 2022-2023 team that earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. So did Noah Carter from the Missouri Valley and DeAndre Gholston from the Horizon League, starting 20 and 22 games respectively in their first year the Tigers.

Carter's weaknesses became more apparent when he was asked to take on a larger role the following season, but overall, he was a valuable add for the Tigers.

From the JUCO level, Sean East II was also a good find for Missouri. He led the 2023-2024 team with 17.6 points per game.

Overall, Gates has had a good eye for what mid-major players will translate well to the SEC. There's been some misses, but those aren't without unexpected circumstances.