College basketball transfer portal winners and losers: Kentucky, Louisville thrive; North Carolina struggles
College basketball's 2025 transfer portal cycle isn't quite done yet. There are still a handful of stragglers out there waiting to make their final decisions, and there are plenty of programs that still have spots they could choose to fill. But most of the hay is in the barn following another offseason of significant player movement.
As we get further along in the player compensation era, it's no surprise to see deep-pocketed programs with deep institutional commitments to basketball landing impressive transfer hauls. Among the big winners from this cycle were programs like Kentucky, Louisville and UConn. It makes sense, considering there are no major men's professional sports franchises in those states. College basketball is king, and fan/donor investment is channeled primarily to college basketball in places like Connecticut and Kentucky in ways that it never will be in many places.
But things didn't go perfectly for all of the blue bloods. As of the end of May, the rosters for Kansas and North Carolina still looked a bit lean on high-end, championship-level talent. With the portal mayhem nearing a close, we're taking a peak at the winners of the 2025 transfer cycle.
Winner: Kentucky lands five of top 60Kentucky went shopping in the luxury aisle and came away with some high-end portal additions to reinforce a roster that is losing five double-figure scorers to due to the expiration of eligibility. Five of the additions are ranked among the top-60 transfers, headlined by No. 12 Jayden Quaintance. After shining as a shot-blocking freshman at Arizona State last season, Quaintance will combine with ex-Alabama forward Mo Dioubate to give the Wildcats a ferocious front court. Jaland Lowe (Pitt) will run the show at point guard after averaging 5.5 assists for the Panthers, while Denzel Aberdeen (Florida) and Kam Williams (Tulane) will add perimeter pop. Year 1 under coach Mark Pope showed proof of concept, and now the Wildcats are poised to keep building after a strong offseason.
Loser: North Carolina lacks sizzleGiven the hullabaloo made over North Carolina's hiring of respected NBA agent and UNC alum Jim Tanner for the role of general manager, you might've thought the Tar Heels' 2025-26 roster was going to be plated in gold. As of late May, it looks more like an incomplete puzzle. There's enough here to make UNC competitive, as additions like Jarin Stevenson (Alabama) and Henri Veesaar (North Carolina) will certainly improve the front court. But this season is about more than just being competitive for fifth-year coach Hubert Davis. Where are the obvious future all-ACC performers? Where are the assertive scorers who are ready to take the mantle from RJ Davis and Ian Jackson? It would behoove the Tar Heels to make a splash before the summer months end.
Winner: St. John's reloadsSt. John's made its grand arrival in Year 2 under Rick Pitino, and the 2025 portal cycle proved the Red Storm are here to stay. After ranking No. 347 nationally in 3-point shooting — and going 31-5 anyway — St. John's is going to be markedly improved from the outside. Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Oziyah Sellers (Stanford) and Joson Sanon (Arizona State) each shot 37% or better from 3-point range at their previous stops. Bryce Hopkins (Providence) and Dillon Mitchell (Cincinnati) bring some versatility at forward, and Dylan Darling (Idaho State) is a former star mid-major guard who is worth a roll of the dice. With star center Zuby Ejiofor back and this talented crop of transfers entering, look for St. John's to remain firmly in the hunt for Big East supremacy.
Loser: Kansas cuts its lossesKansas looked like a big winner this time last year, as the Jayhawks appeared to be adding some much-needed perimeter scoring punch in ex-Wisconsin star A.J. Storr and sharpshooting former Alabama wing Rylan Griffen. But after disappointing 2024-25 results for KU — both its transfer class and the team as a whole — the Jayhawks cut their losses. Storr (Ole Miss) and Griffen (Texas A&M) are on to new destinations, and the program's top transfer from last season, Zeke Mayo, is out of eligibility. The new motto around Lawrence is, "in Darryn Peterson we trust," as the freshman star enters to run the show for the Jayhawks. Don't be surprised if KU lands one of the final few big-name stragglers in the portal to play on the wing. But for now, there are no head-turning additions in the Kansas transfer class.
Winner: Louisville adds artilleryLouisville added an obscenely effective trio of 3-point shooters to replenish the artillery of a team that attempted a whopping 28.5 treys per game last season. Ryan Conwell (Xavier), Isaac McKneely (Virginia) and Adrian Wooley (Kennesaw State) each ranked among the cycle's top-25 transfers after each hit 41% or better of their 3-point attempts on 5+ attempts. The Cardinals went 18-2 in the ACC during coach Pat Kelsey's first season and look ready for a strong encore following a fruitful portal cycle.
Winner: UCLA upgrades at guardDylan Andrews (Boise State) and Sebastian Mack (Missouri) transferred out of UCLA's back court after both were significant multi-year contributors. But in spite of those departures, coach Mick Cronin upgraded at guard. How? Donovan Dent (New Mexico) transferred in. Dent was the Mountain West Player of the Year for a 27-win New Mexico team and is ranked the No. 5 transfer in the class. He's the type of high-end talent who should be able to make a return to the NCAA Tournament's second weekend practical for UCLA.
Loser: Arizona banks on youthArizona lost key cogs KJ Lewis (Georgetown) and Henri Veesaar (North Carolina) from a 24-win team that reached the Sweet 16. The Wildcats are clearly banking on the nation's No. 3 ranked high school recruiting class to help fill in the gaps, because the portal reinforcements have not arrived. At least not yet, anyway. The lone transfer addition as of late May is former Harvard role player Evan Nelson
Winner: Michigan reloadsDusty May is poised to build on the successes of a 27-win debut campaign at Michigan, thanks largely to the transfer addition (and NBA Draft withdrawal) of former UAB star Yaxel Lendeborg. The multi-faceted front court phenom is the perfect utilitarian post player to succeed Danny Wolf, though their games are certainly not identical. The Wolverines' transfer haul also features Illinois transfer big Morez Johnson and ex-UCLA 7-footer Aday Mara. North Carolina transfer point guard Elliot Cadeau has his limitations but is a proven distributor who is also on the way. The Wolverines are going to be big and mean once again.
Winner: Kansas State installs a high floorWhen Kansas State landed All-American guard PJ Haggerty from Memphis in late May, the Wildcats installed a high floor for their 2025-26 team. That's important for fourth-year coach Jerome Tang, who is trying to reclaim the magic of his first season, when the Wildcats reached the Elite Eight. K-State is 0 for 2 on making the Big Dance since then, but Haggerty will help push things back in the right direction. Tang has assembled a mid-major All-Star team that also includes MAC Player of the Year Nate Johnson from Akron, Monmouth sniper Abdi Bashir and veteran front court producers Khamari McGriff (UNC Wilmington) and Marcus Johnson (Bowling Green).
Loser: UCF undergoes wholesale changeA makeover of this magnitude is typically reserved for programs with first-year coaches. But Johnny Dawkins enters Year 10 with the Knights wielding an entirely new roster. Star forward Keyshawn Hall's departure for Auburn stings. Losing the Big 12's top shot blocker, Moustapha Thiam, to Big 12 foe Cincinnati is also a downer. Unless little-used former SEC players John Bol (Ole Miss) and Jeremy Foumena (Mississippi State) are ready to take massive leaps, this team could be particularly vulnerable in the post. The perimeter features some veteran producers but appears to lack the star power UCF needs to truly be competitive in the Big 12.
Winner: Washington takes major stridesWashington earned some headlines last portal cycle with a high-dollar payday for Great Osobor. Fewer people will be talking about the Huskies' transfer class this offseason, but it's a fantastic haul for second-year coach Danny Sprinkle that features an appetizing variety of skilled players. Quimari Peterson is a potentially explosive combo guard from East Tennessee State, and Wesley Yates is a top-30 guard from USC with multiple seasons of eligibility. Jacob Ognacevic is a 6-foot-8 bucket who was the ASUN Player of the Year at Lipscomb. Finally, Bryson Tucker (Indiana) and Lathan Somerville (Rutgers) are front court players with three seasons of eligibility remaining after showing promise as freshmen elsewhere in the Big Ten.
Loser: Oregon State and Washington State feel the hitThe perils of conference relegation led to painful pillaging at Washington State and Oregon State. The Cougars lost double-figure scorers LeJuan Watts (Texas Tech), Isaiah Watts (Maryland) and Nate Calmese (Wake Forest) to high-major programs. It's not shocking, but it's a rough reality check for a program that was considered high-major until last season. Oregon State lost Damarco Minor (Pitt), Nate Kingz (Syracuse) and Michael Rataj (Baylor) in similar fashion. While the two Pacific Northwest programs will be part of a reformed Pac-12 starting in 2026, it won't come with the same status enjoyed by the old league, and that means retaining top talent will likely continue to be an insurmountable challenge.
Winner: UConn and Florida keep it cleanUConn and Florida kept the players they felt like were worth keeping and added where they wanted to add without having to do anything too drastic. That's how things should be for high-end programs with recent national-title banners. Give Dan Hurley credit for landing combo guard Silas Demary Jr. from Georgia and for also attracting a pass-first point guard in Malachi Smith from Dayton. Both are top-75 transfers who will collectively upgrade UConn at the point of attack. This wasn't a head-turning haul for the Huskies, but it quietly ended up as a nice cycle. Florida made its big splash late by landing highly touted Arkansas guard Boogie Fland to pair with Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee in the back court. Of equal importance, the Gators retained their four-man rotation of diverse bigs from last season's title team.
Loser: Memphis whiffs on continuityPart of the allure with Memphis' 29-6 record in 2024-25 was that it might just be a starting point. The Tigers, it appeared, would have a great chance to retain a faction of their roster for 2025-26 and keep building. Not so fast. Memphis lost All-American guard P.J. Haggerty to Kansas State and is awaiting word on the eligibility of all-AAC center Dain Dainja. Without Haggerty, making it to the Big Dance for the fourth time in the past five seasons could be tough, especially if Dainja's waiver request is denied. Penny Hardaway has amassed some talented transfers for his 2025-26 roster, but it's a curiously composed group that is light on 3-point shooting and interior heft.
Winner: San Diego State retains talentSan Diego State drew significant bad buzz early in the 2025 portal cycle for losing shot-blocking phenom Magoon Gwath to the transfer portal. But Gwath ultimately decided to return, as did nearly everyone that the Aztecs would have wanted back from their fifth straight NCAA Tournament trip. Though point guard Nick Boyd left for Wisconsin, Sean Newman Jr. from Louisiana Tech could be a good replacement. The veteran ball-handler finished No. 3 nationally in assists per game with 7.9 last season.
Loser: Robert Morris must start overOnce upon a time, Robert Morris could have parlayed a strong season and valiant effort in a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Alabama into something more. These days, the Colonials have no choice but to start from scratch. The leading scorer from RMU's NCAA Tournament tangle with the Crimson Tide, Amarion Dickerson, is headed to USC. The second-leading scorer, Alvaro Folgueiras is headed to Iowa. In total, just one of the top nine from last year's rotation are back. Veteran coach Andy Toole has done a nice job of assembling some transfer talent to replace what he lost, but Robert Morris is nonetheless a case study in how hard it is for mid-major programs to build sustained success in the game's modern era.
Winner: GW, more mid-majors buck the trendThough Robert Morris stands out as an example of the harsh realities faced by dozens upon dozens of mid-major programs around college basketball, there were some that bucked the trend during this portal cycle. Marist returns several rotation players from a 20-win team. George Washington returns three double-digit scorers and adds several promising transfers to a 21-win team. Others with similarly solid retention from outside the high-major ranks are Jackson State, Miami (Ohio), Liberty and Illinois State, to name a few. The service academies and Ivy League schools also continue to retain players at a much higher rate than anyone else in the sport.
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