Top College Basketball Transfer Portal Moves: Key Commitments & Players Still Available
Things have settled down a bit since our first transfer portal update two weeks ago, but there's still plenty of big-name players who have found new homes recently, and a number of highly impactful players still looking for their next stop. Today we'll look at how some of these commits fit on their new team, and make some predictions as to where the top uncommitted players could fall.
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Key Players Finding New Homes in the Transfer Portal
Yaxel Lendeborg, F, Michigan
Years of Eligibility Remaining: 1
2024-25 Stats at UAB: 17.2 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.7 SPG
Michigan and Dusty May have been one of the biggest winners in this transfer portal cycle, and the biggest prize was landing the top overall player in Lendeborg. I wrote about his incredible talents in the last update article, but he will be able to effectively replace Danny Wolf on the offensive end and given the Wolverines much more on the defensive side of things as well.
Lendeborg is more than capable of playing the center position at 6-9, but Michigan also went out and picked up 7-3 big Aday Mara from UCLA, who will look to replace some of Vladislav Goldin's production from last season. Mara played a limited role at UCLA, but he's a very talented player that should see a lot more playing time with Michigan, and once again give the Wolverines once of the best frontcourts in the Big Ten alongside Lendeborg.
Michigan will also bring in Morez Johnson from Illinois, who is another powerful big and was a top-40 recruit in the 2024 cycle. Coach May will hope that UNC transfer Elliot Cadeau can shine as the new point man running the show to bring all these pieces together, but Lendeborg is really the anchor that makes Michigan look like a true title contender next season.
Ja'Kobi Gillespie, G, Tennessee
Years of Eligibility Remaining: 1
2024-25 Stats at Maryland: 14.7 PPG, 4.8 APG, 2.8 RPG, 2.4 3PM, 1.9 SPG
Gillespie is a perfect fit for coach Rick Barnes. With the Zakai Zeigler era now over, Tennessee needed another floor leader who can both create shots for himself and others, while also locking up opposing guards on the other end.
Enter Gillespie, who after a standout sophomore season at Belmont where he averaged 17.2 PPG, 4.2 APG, 3.8 RPG and 2.2 SPG, made the move to the Big Ten and put together a terrific campaign for Maryland. Gillespie made nearly 2.5 three-pointers per game and connected at a 40.7-percent clip from deep. He also is great at getting in passing lanes and forcing turnovers.
Maryland's defense down the stretch last season is the biggest reason it became a 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and Gillespie was a big part of that. In addition to losing Zeigler, the Vols also see veteran guards of Chaz Lanier, Jordan Gainey and Jahmai Mashack exit. They will be relying on Gillespie to do a lot for them as things currently stand, with a lot of unproven players in the Tennessee backcourt.
Jayden Quaintance, F, Kentucky
Years of Eligibility Remaining: 3
2024-25 Stats at Arizona State: 9.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG
Coach Mark Pope showed that he could work the transfer portal in last year's cycle, putting together a team that collected a number of big wins in the SEC and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He's off to a great start yet again in this portal cycle, landing four potential starters, the highlight of which is Quaintance.
The 6-9 big man was a consensus top-10 recruit in the 2024 cycle, who landed on the All-Big 12 Defensive Team following a strong freshman campaign with Arizona State in which he averaged 2.6 BPG and 1.1 SPG. Quaintance tore his ACL in late-February, so there is a little concern about when he'll be able to practice with the team at full capacity, but his recovery is reportedly in a good spot, and he remains on track to make it back for the season opener.
Nevertheless, Kentucky needed a better shot-blocking presence, and it got the best interior defender available in Quaintance. He's still somewhat raw on the offensive end, but if anyone is going to be able to unlock that, it would be Mark Pope.
Quaintance and Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe (16.8 PPG, 5.8 APG) could create a dynamic pick-and-roll duo. Kentucky also signed some wings with length in Mouhamed Dioubate (7.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG) from Alabama and Kam Williams (9.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG) from Tulane.
Robert Wright, G, BYU
Years of Eligibility Remaining: 3
2024-25 Stats at Baylor: 11.5 PPG, 4.2 APG, 2.1 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 0.9 3PM
BYU will go from a 6-9 point guard in Egor Demin to a 6-1 point guard in Wright, but don't think that means the level of production will drop. Wright came in last season as a freshman at Baylor and quite honestly outplayed veteran Jeremy Roach, proving he was the best point guard on that team.
Wright should have no issues adjusting to Kevin Young's high-flying offensive system, and should become more of a perimeter threat after hitting just 0.9 three-pointers per contest last season. He did shoot over 35 percent from behind the arc.
Wright will have the keys to an offense that will bring back its top scorer in Richie Saunders (16.5 PPG) and bring in arguably the best prospect in the country in AJ Dybantsa. Wright has three more years of eligibility remaining and will likely be a reliable option for the Cougars for the long-term, provided of course Kevin Young stays in Provo, which I think could be a question if BYU has another stellar season and some top jobs open up.
Henri Veesaar, F, North Carolina
Years of Eligibility Remaining: 2
2024-25 Stats at Arizona: 9.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.1 BPG
After striking out time after time a year ago to land an impact big, the Tar Heels have put that issue to bed in this transfer portal cycle with the addition of Veesaar.
In 2024-25, the combination of Ven-Allen Lubin, Jae'Lyn Withers and Jalen Washington all just barely matched the averages of Armando Bacot combined. Bacot was always going to be a tough player to replace for coach Hubert Davis, but the lack of interior consistency was a big reason why they were just lucky to make the NCAA Tournament last season.
Enter Veesaar, who is a 7-footer from Arizona coming off a strong second half of the 2024-25 campaign. He made only five starts last season, but I thought he was a big reason for Arizona's late-season surge to becoming a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Veesaar has put on a lot more muscle over the last couple years and is not going to be bullied on the interior. He's got range to hit the occasional open three-pointer off a pick-and-pop, and has a lot of good moves to go to in a post-up situation, which UNC desperately missed last season.
The Tar Heels also signed 6-11 forward Jarin Stevenson from Alabama, who will be an excellent complement to Veesaar as a floor spacer. Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans (10.6 PPG, 3.1 APG) and West Virginia transfer Jonathan Powell (8.3 PPG, 2.0 3PM) will hope to fill some of the production voided in the backcourt by R.J. Davis and Elliot Cadeau.
Stay up to date on both the NCAAB transfer portal and NBA Draft declarations with the latest college basketball player news on RotoWire. Our college basketball depth charts are also updated with the latest in roster movement.
Predictions for Uncommitted College Basketball Stars
Darrion Williams, F, Texas Tech
Years of Eligibility Remaining: 1
2024-25 Stats: 15.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.4 3PM, 1.3 SPG
Williams entered the portal and is testing the NBA Draft process, but all signs point to him returning to college for his final year of eligibility.
Williams has spent the last two years at Texas Tech after starting his career at Nevada. This past season was his best yet, and he earned an All-Big 12 First Team selection. He'll be looking to cash in following a standout NCAA Tournament run in which he averaged 21.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.0 SPG and 1.5 3PM. The Red Raiders had Florida on the ropes in the Elite Eight, but just couldn't close it out.
Williams is such a fun player to watch, as he's a little undersized for the power forward spot at 6-6, but he uses leverage well to be able to grab a lot of rebounds on both ends, and is not afraid to let it fly from deep. Williams has a really good feel for the game and is able to consistently find open teammates for good shots. His three-point percentage dropped from 45.8 percent to 34 percent last season, but you would expect that to go back up a bit next season. It's probably the main feedback he's getting from scouts, as he will likely play more small forward at the next level.
The latest buzz around Williams is he will likely be going to another Big 12 school. BYU and Arizona would be the top two teams to watch.
RJ Luis Jr., G/F, St. John's
Years of Eligibility Remaining: 1
2024-25 Stats with St. John's: 18.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.3 3PM
After the Red Storm's season ended with Luis sitting on the bench for much of the final stretch following a tough shooting night, it kind of got you thinking that he might test the transfer portal to see what other opportunities are out there. St. John's also doesn't have the same type of NIL resources as some of the other top CBB programs in the country.
Luis had just a special junior season that saw him take home Big East Player of the Year honors. He can really play anywhere on the court and be successful. He definitely improved his outside shot this past season, but I think he can still take some strides in that area as a senior and turn himself into a solid NBA player in the future.
Luis is testing the NBA Draft process as well, so this decision could take some time. There really hasn't been a lot of noise on where he might land, but Florida or Gonzaga seem like a couple possible landing spots. Todd Golden and Mark Few are two great offensive coaches who who are losing a number of guards going into the 2025-26 campaign.
Jamir Watkins, G/F, Florida State
Years of Eligibility Remaining: 1
2024-25 Stats: 18.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.7 3PM, 1.2 SPG
Watkins was the fourth-leading scorer in the ACC last season at 18.4 PPG. He only hit 32.1 percent of his shots from behind the arc, but was exceptional at getting into the lane and forcing contact. His 7.7 free-throw attempts per game led the conference and ranked inside the top-10 in the country.
Watkins played primarily small forward at Florida State, but I think might be even be best utilized at power forward, where he can use his quickness to get past slower defenders. Some of his defensive numbers went down last season, but the prior year he averaged 1.9 SPG and 0.8 BPG in what was his first year with the Seminoles. The 6-7 Watkins is testing the NBA Draft process, but one more year at a school in the title discussion could do wonders for his stock.
Kentucky, Louisville and Illinois have reportedly been among the top suitors for Watkins. Of the three, Illinois would seem to be the best fit given coach Brad Underwood's ability to develop NBA talent and what the Illini currently have on the roster.
Ian Jackson, G, North Carolina
Years of Eligibility Remaining: 3
2024-25 Stats: 11.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.7 3PM, 0.9 APG
Jackson was a top-10 recruit in last year's cycle, but he had a bit of an up-and-down road in his freshman season with UNC. There were some standout performances, but also just way too many duds where he failed to make much of an impact at all.
Jackson's best stretch came from late-December through mid-January when he had a seven-game stretch where he averaged 22.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.7 three-pointers per contest. The 6-4 guard has a lot of upside, and there will be plenty of coaches out there who would love to get to work with him and help Jackson refine his game.
The heavy favorite at this point to land Jackson is St. John's, as he would likely would be excited to return to his home state and learn under coach Rick Pitino. The Red Storm will also be in need of a scorer on the wing with RJ Luis Jr. in the portal as well. NC State, under new coach Will Wade, has also been rumored to be in the mix for Jackson's services.
Rodney Rice, G, Maryland
Years of Eligibility Remaining: 2
2024-25 Stats: 13.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.2 3PM, 2.1 APG
Rice is the exact type of player that coaches today can never have enough of. He's your prototypical 3-and-D athlete on the wing, but also is able to handle the ball when needed and make the right play within the flow of the offense.
Rice had some big scoring games last season, going for over 20 points on six different occasions. He would be a nice complement to any playmaking point guard in the backcourt.
A potential reunion could be coming for Rice, as he's visited both Tennessee and Villanova. If he chooses the Vols, he would play for the second straight season with point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie, who as I mentioned above is really is lacking other proven backcourt players around him in Knoxville.
If Rice decides to go to Villanova, he would join his coach from last season in Kevin Willard, who accepted the job last month and is trying to rebuild the roster. Rice is also visiting USC this week, who has already put together a strong freshman and transfer class.
