Who's In? and Who's Out? Texas Tech Basketball transfer portal recap so far
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It once again has been a busy offseason, and here is a look at who transferred in and out for Texas Tech this spring.
Lubbock, Texas - It's been just over a month since the 2026 college basketball transfer portal opened this offseason. In that span, the Texas Red Raiders have had an overhaul of their 2025/26 roster, with 10 different players either running, leaving eligibility, or hitting the transfer portal. Tech has added players via the portal to help replace what they lost. Players who are still in the portal can still commit and find a new landing spot, but with major talent diminishing in the portal, here's who’s in and who’s out since the portal has opened for Texas Tech.
Who’s OUT
Starting with the players out of eligibility, with one exception, next season. Guard Donovan Atwell, Guard Tyree Byrant, and Guard Jack Francis are all out of eligibility. Francis, out of the three, was the only player to play his entire collegiate career in Lubbock. Atwell and Byrant were part of last season's incoming transfer class.
While Bryant started his career hot, finishing in double figures in three out of his first five games, his numbers dwindled after the turn of the new year. Atwell is one of the gems of the class, finishing third on the team in points per game with 13.5 and making the second most 3-pointers in the country, shooting close to 46% from deep. Atwell played a key role late in the season, averaging 19.5 points per game for the Red Raiders after junior forward JT Toppin was injured late in the year. He hit a season high of 26 points in a 100-72 win over Kansas State in that five-game span. The one expectation for sophomore guard Christian Anderson, who is entering the draft after his best season in Lubbock, is that he will be selected.
After playing a pivotal role in the rotation as a freshman, Anderson exploded into one of the team's pivotal pieces in the starting five during his sophomore season. Anderson put up a career-high 18.5 points per game while leading the Big 12 in assists per game, averaging 7.4. Anderson consistently played big minutes and had giant performances en route to Tech’s 23-11 season at the point. There were many noteworthy moments for Anderson in 2025. He dropped 27 against No. 3 Duke in Tech's 82-81 win at Madison Square Garden, scored 19 while playing 45 minutes when Tech knocked off No. 1 Arizona in Tucson, or even late in the year when the Red Raiders needed him most, he dropped a season high 31 in an 80-68 win over Cincinnati after Toppin's injury. It is widely expected at this point for Anderson to go in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
When it comes to the transfer portal, six different Tech players entered when it opened. While many of the younger players, including sophomore guard Leon Horner, freshman guard Nolan Groves, and freshman guard Jazz Henderson, jumped into the transfer portal. Some of the biggest losses for Tech were freshman guard Jaylen Petty, junior forward LeJuan Watts, and sophomore forward Luke Bamgboye.
Starting with Petty, the 6’1 freshman had a strong season off the bench. Petty put up a career-high 24 points in Tech's opening-round NCAA Tournament win over Akron, while ending his nights in double figures at various points throughout the season. Petty gave Tech another scorer off the bench who could hit big-time shots from both mid and long range during his time in Lubbock. Petty committed to UCLA during the opening days of the portal being open.
Continuing, LeJuan Watts finds himself back in Washington, this time with the Washington Huskies, after a lone season in Lubbock, after transferring from Washington State. Watts was a big piece of the front court for Head Coach Grant McCasland’s team. Watts averaged 11.8 points and six rebounds during his time with the Red Raiders, providing another option as a scorer in the paint for Texas Tech. Watts' value came in grabbing rebounds, operating as a ball carrier, and general versatility across the court and around the rim. Watts had many high-scoring games with Tech. He had a season high of 36 against Northern Colorado just before the holidays in December. He also finished the season in double figures in each of Texas Tech’s postseason games. Watts did have more of an impact in rebounding, rim scoring, and post defense after Toppin’s injury, which is also where he really shone as a Red Raider. With Watts gone, his departure leaves a sizable hole in the front court. However, Watts was not the only loss to the front court.
Sophomore Luke Bamgboye also hopped into the portal, landing with TCU just last week. In his only season after transferring from VCU in West Texas, Bamgboye played a key role as the second big man off the bench behind JT Toppin. After Toppin went down, Bamgboye stepped up for McCasland's side, grabbing rebounds and being active around the rim on offense. He had three games in double figures, two of which came after his role was elevated. Despite the numbers, the other side is that Bamboye was a key piece in Tech's frontcourt rotation. Nonetheless, Tech still has a lot of viable options across both the front and back court heading into next season.
Who’s IN
The biggest returner for Texas Tech (pun intended) is junior forward JT Toppin, who is returning to Lubbock for his senior season. Toppin was Tech’s leader in points per game and rebounds before he suffered an ACL tear late in the year. With a healthy Toppin back, he continues to be the big centerpiece for Tech going forward on both sides of the court. The depth of the rest of the front court remains a significant factor as we move forward.
Sophomore forward Josiah Mosley, who debuted midway through the year due to injury, played some big minutes toward the tail end of the season and in the post for McCasland's side. Mosley finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in Tech's win over No. 4 Iowa State at the end of February. Before, in the postseason, putting up a season high of 16 points against Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite the losses, the frontcourt depth remains deep, thanks to Mosley's return and the upcoming return of freshman forward Marial Akuentok and redshirt freshman LaTrell Hoover.
The backcourt has been where Tech has really focused its efforts this offseason. Nearly 80% of its players who either ran out of eligibility, jumped in the portal, or declared for the draft were in the front court.
Starting with the most experienced guard of the bunch, Tech picked up former Illinois and UNLV guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn to head to Lubbock for his senior season. In his lone season with the Runnin’ Rebels, he led the Mountain West in scoring and was 21st in the country with 20.7 points per game. He was second in the Mountain West in shooting with 41.4% from beyond the arc and was seventh nationally while also leading UNLV in made field goals. He heads to Lubbock with career highs in shooting numbers with a lot of value across the board. Tech also added two Texas natives to its guard depth.
BREAKING: UNLV transfer guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn has committed to Texas Tech, @JoeTipton confirms🌵
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) April 23, 2026
Lawhorn averaged 20.7 points per game this past season.https://t.co/XUB6fPMjdt pic.twitter.com/uSZGiAuQdI
Tech added Plano native and former Hofstra and St. John's guard Cruz Davis and former Wyoming and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi guard Damarion Dennis. Davis was Tech’s first pick up through the portal who averaged a career high 20 points per game in Hempstead. He was named CAA Player of the Year once again, adding more proven veteran presences to the guard room. While with Dennis, he scored in double figures in 19 games for Wyoming last season, shooting 54% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc. Those were the only additions via the portal thus far for Texas Tech.
NEWS: Hofstra transfer guard Cruz Davis, the CAA Player of the Year, has committed to Texas Tech, source told @On3.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 17, 2026
The 6-3 junior averaged 20.1 points and 4.7 assists per game this season while shooting 40% from three.https://t.co/D70ioRgQSo pic.twitter.com/SL20C9Y9z6
With the basketball season a while from now, Tech has time to continue to evaluate the remaining talent to fill out its remaining roster spots for next season. It’s the common trend across major collegiate athletics to have a lot of turnover in the era of the transfer portal. However, it leaves the question of how Tech will continue to add to its needs during the offseason.
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Josh Ortega is a beat writer covering Texas Tech On SI. Josh earned a degree from the University of North Texas in Sports Journalism and Communications. At UNT, Josh appeared on air, covering both collegiate and professional athletics for the on-campus television station North Texas Television. Ortega brings in-depth analysis combined with a passion for storytelling, delivering fans insight beyond the final whistle.
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