Ten Players Virginia Tech Men's Basketball Should Target in the Transfer Portal

Virginia Tech's 2025-26 season ended with a thud -- a 19-13 record, an 8-10 mark in ACC play, and an early exit in the conference tournament at the hands of Wake Forest, followed by the program declining an NIT bid. Now the offseason bleeding has begun. Neoklis Avdalas, Jaden Schtt, Izaiah Pasha and Christian Gurdak are all headed to the portal, stripping the Hokies of four contributors from this past season.

With Amani Hansberry, Ben Hammond and Tyler Johnson expected to return, Mike Young has a core to build around, but he needs to hit the portal hard. Here are 10 players Virginia Tech should be calling.

1. Paulius Murauskas, F — Saint Mary's

Murauskas, a 6-foot-8 forward from Lithuania, earned All-West Coast Conference honors after each of the past two seasons, averaging 18.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists this season, including 15 games of at least 20 points. He's entering the portal after head coach Randy Bennett departed for Arizona State, and he will have one year of eligibility remaining. Murauskas is a skilled, high-volume scorer who can rebound at an elite rate — exactly the wing presence Virginia Tech lost when Avdalas left.

2. Somtochukwu Cyril, C — Georgia

Cyril averaged 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per contest, shooting 76 percent from the field, finished second in the SEC in total blocks, was named to the All-Defensive Team, and led the league in block percentage. He will have two years of eligibility left. Virginia Tech returns Antonio Dorn and Solomon Davis in the frontcourt, but both are still freshmen, finding their footing at the college level. Cyril would immediately solve the Hokies' most glaring structural problem — interior defense and rim protection against ACC frontcourts.

3. Baye Ndongo, F — Georgia Tech

Ndongo started all 27 games he appeared in, led Georgia Tech on the glass with 8.1 rebounds per game, finished second in scoring at 11.8 points, and shot 55.6 percent from the field. He recorded five double-doubles and 19 double-figure scoring games, including three with 20 or more points.A three-year ACC starter and Third Team All-ACC selection, Ndongo is the most proven frontcourt option in this portal class. Paired with Amani Hansberry, he'd give Virginia Tech one of the most physical frontcourt combinations in the league.

4. Sananda Fru, C — Louisville

Fru, a 22-year-old, 6-foot-11 junior from Berlin, Germany, plans to transfer after only one season at Louisville and has one year of eligibility remaining. He shot 75 percent from the floor and swatted 50 shots in 22 minutes per game — elite rim protection numbers at any level. Virginia Tech's frontcourt is young and unproven outside of Amani Hansberry, and Fru is a plug-and-play interior presence who already has ACC experience and would immediately upgrade the Hokies' paint defense.

5. Jaeden Mustaf, G/F — Georgia Tech

Mustaf averaged 10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, and finished his Yellow Jackets career on a high note by hitting double figures in the past six games, including a career-high 28 points against Clemson in the final game of the season. He's a 6-6 wing who can shoot, facilitate, and guard multiple positions, a profile Mike Young has always coveted. With two years of eligibility remaining and on a clear upward trajectory, Mustaf is one of the most appealing long-term pieces in this portal class.

6. Akai Fleming, G — Georgia Tech

Fleming played in 30 games and started 22 with the Yellow Jackets, averaging 10.4 points per game and finishing as Georgia Tech's leading freshman scorer. With a new coaching staff coming in under Scott Cross, Fleming is exploring his options with three years of eligibility left. Virginia Tech's backcourt needs depth, and a proven ACC scorer this early in his career with that much runway ahead of him is exactly the kind of asset Mike Young can develop into something special.

7. Malik Mack, G — Georgetown

Mack transferred to Georgetown after a breakout freshman season at Harvard, where he averaged 17.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds per contest. He started all 66 games over two seasons for the Hoyas and averaged 13.6 points and 4.1 assists this past season. He's a multi-year starter who can score at all three levels and run an offense. Virginia Tech's backcourt needs a reliable lead guard with experience, and Mack's size and playmaking ability at 6-5 make him a natural fit in Young's system.

8. Jaydon Young, G — UNC

Young transferred to Chapel Hill to fulfill a childhood dream of playing for the Tar Heels, but his first season in Chapel Hill didn't replicate his earlier production, as his minutes drastically decreased and he averaged just over seven minutes per game and 1.8 points per contest.He knows Mike Young's system inside and out from his two seasons in Blacksburg and has one year of eligibility left. A motivated player with something to prove, returning to a familiar environment where he already thrived, can be a dangerous thing.

9. Khani Rooths, F — Louisville

Rooths played 31 games for the Cardinals this season, averaging 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and will now look for better opportunities with two years remaining on his college eligibility.A former top-35 overall recruit, the production isn't there yet, but the size, athleticism, and pedigree are real. A defined role in Blacksburg and a coach who develops big men could unlock what scouts have always believed he can become. For a team that needs frontcourt depth, he's a high-ceiling swing worth taking.

10. Jalen Haralson, G/F — Notre Dame

In his first season in the ACC, Haralson showed exactly why he arrived in South Bend as a McDonald's All-American and the program's highest-rated recruit in the modern era, averaging 16.2 points and four rebounds per game on his way to an All-ACC honorable mention. A 6-7 wing shooting 52 percent from the field as a freshman with three years of eligibility left is a rare find in any portal class, and exactly the kind of long-term piece Virginia Tech needs on the wing.