Three UCF Knights Who Could Leave in The Transfer Portal
In this story:
With its loss to UCLA in the first round of March Madness on Friday, a new offseason has begun for the UCF Knights men's basketball program.
Last time around, coach Johnny Dawkins and his staff assembled a nearly entirely new squad from the transfer portal. Considering they led that squad to a 21-12 (9-9 Big 12) and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019, these new players could very well find some greener pastures in the transfer portal once again, thanks to their success in Orlando.
So, here are three UCF players who could test the transfer portal market this offseason:
1. Jordan Burks
Of the three Knights players who scored over 400 points this season, forward Jordan Burks is the only one with more eligibility remaining, as this season serves as his junior year. He arrived in Orlando after one season at Kentucky and then at Georgetown last season.
Burks might not have been as much of a factor on the glass as Jamichael Stillwell or John Bol were, with his 4.8 average rebounds per game coming behind the two, but he contributed in other areas on the court. He led the team with 34 steals. However, his calling card was the three-pointer.
No player on the Knights took more three-point shots this season than Burks, going 60 of 161, which helped him average 13.3 points per game. He also shot for 78.2% from the free-throw line, a mark second only to guard Themus Fulks for the highest on the team that shot more than 50 times from there. These offensive marks gave Burks the highest scoring average of any UCF player eligible to play college basketball again next season.
With such a combination of size and scoring prowess, Burks is a player who could once again draw interest in the transfer portal.
2. Carmelo Pacheco
Guard Carmelo Pacheco was brought in from Mt. St. Mary's to do one thing: shoot threes. Of the 118 shots the redshirt sophomore took this season, 109 of them were from beyond the arc.
While Pacheco’s 482 minutes on the court this season are not as many as the starting five or even fellow bench player Chris Johnson, he still led the team by shooting 39.5% from three-point range. He also kept the ball safe, giving up just five turnovers the whole season, fewer than players like George Beale Jr., Jeremy Foumena and Kris Parker, despite Pacheco being on the court hundreds of minutes longer than them.
He might not be the most multi-faceted player on the court, but coaches knew what Pacheco was good at and let him do his thing. With three-point shooting always a hot commodity in a basketball player, the transfer portal could see him end up as another three-point specialist on the bench for an interested college basketball power next season.
3. John Bol
You can’t teach size, and Bol certainly has that as a 7-foot-2 center that arrived in Orlando from Ole Miss last offseason. It could also be what ends up leading him to decide to enter the transfer portal.
This season was Bol’s first time playing a full season of college basketball, and the sophomore used that time to his advantage to lead the team with 35 blocks and average 5.5 rebounds per game, only coming behind forward Jamichael Stillwell. He also shot 71.7% from the floor, leading the team.
Now that Bol has gained some meaningful college basketball experience, the question is how much interest it could generate from other schools.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
Players Who Won't Be on the UCF Knights' Roster For 2026-27
Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
Follow itsBrysonTurner