You know what does not show up in transfer portal rankings? Keeping really good players. In each of the past four seasons, multiple All-American campaigns have come from transfers who stayed for a second year with their new program and transformed into some of the best players in the country. It’s dubbed the Year 2 transfer jump. This ongoing trend is partially why so many coaching staffs have invested top-shelf money into retaining top talent this spring, especially considering the widespread belief that the incoming batch of freshmen is not chock-full of max-contract talent.
There’s an across-the-board sentiment that a good chunk of college basketball’s best players next year will be returners, not transfers, internationals or freshmen.
Indiana, for example, owns the No. 3-rated transfer portal haul, but in this roster-building cycle, that only goes so far when other Big Ten contenders like Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Maryland, USC, Illinois and Michigan State have been able to retain their top players, while the Hoosiers are starting from scratch. IU will be improved, but it is not entering the Big Ten race in the upper echelon of the league. It may have the No. 1 transfer portal haul in the Big Ten, but it doesn’t have the most talented roster in the league because so many of its Big Ten foes kept their go-to players out of the transfer portal’s infested waters.
Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson is the latest and best example of what’s possible for transfers who aren’t in a hurry to dip. Jefferson was a plug-and-play starter for the Cyclones after transferring in from Saint Mary’s in the spring of 2024, but he elevated into an entirely new zip code in his second season in Ames in 2025-26. Jefferson was a CBS Sports Second Team, All-American after creating 28.9 points per game, according to Synergy. That was a 37% jump in offensive production from his first season at Iowa State. Jefferson ironed out almost all the warts in his game, draining a career-high 38 treys and posting a higher assist rate (27.8) than any other frontcourt player in America. Duke’s National Player of the Year, Cameron Boozer, was the only player rated higher than Jefferson in KenPom’s National Player of the Year model.
Some team-by-team models project a 20% jump in production for transfers who stick around for a second season, and the proof of concept stretches far beyond just Jefferson. UConn made the National Championship game on the back of big man Tarris Reed Jr., who transformed into a beast in his second season in Storrs. Texas Tech’s JT Toppin was awesome in Year 1 under Grant McCasland and a two-way terror in Year 2. A crushing knee injury was the only thing that could stop Toppin, who was hurtling toward First Team, All-America honors. Missouri’s Mark Mitchell and UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau are other notable examples of second-year surges.
In 2022-23, it was All-American selections like Penn State’s Jalen Pickett and Marquette’s Tyler Kolek, who really sparked the intrigue.
In 2023-24, it was All-Americans like UConn’s Tristen Newton, Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr., Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman and Alabama’s Mark Sears.
In 2024-25, it was All-Americans such as Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., St. John’s RJ Luis Jr. and Houston’s LJ Cryer.
In 2025-26, it was All-Americans, i.e., Jefferson and Toppin, who carried the torch with Reed, Bilodeau and Mitchell right alongside as proof.
So, who is next to hop on the jetpack joyride that patience and development can elicit for Year 2 transfers?
Let’s dive in.
Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska
The scoop: Very few teams got a better return on investment from the portal than Nebraska. Fred Hoiberg made a wager that Sandfort had way more in the tank than he got to show at Iowa, and he was right on the money. Only two players — Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic and Texas Tech’s Donovan Atwell — made more treys than Sandfort (129). The sweet-shooting sniper who seemingly never gets tired fit into Nebraska’s gorgeous scheme like a glove. Keeping Sandfort out of the portal was massive for the Huskers’ outlook in 2026-27.
Area to improve: Sandfort can unequivocally build off his First Team, All-Big Ten season, but it might not be on offense. You cannot ask for anything else from Sandfort on that end. He moves without the basketball extremely well. He has a strap. He doesn’t turn it over. He has terrific footwork on drives to get to his unblockable fadeaway jumper. He shot over 70% at the rim on 100 attempts. He made great decisions all year, posting a 2.9-to-1 assist-to-turnover rate. But with another offseason to work on his body, Sandfort can be an even better defender. Nebraska’s no-middle defense requires plenty of scrambling and rotating, so if Sandfort can move laterally a little better, he can be even more of a nuisance on that end. Nebraska will need it after losing its two best defenders (Berke Buyuktuncel transferred to Vanderbilt and Sam Hoiberg graduated).
G Rob Wright, BYU
The scoop: AJ Dybantsa was a generational talent and Richie Saunders was the soul of the club, but Wright was a pivotal pillar of a BYU offense that rated 12th in offensive efficiency. The sophomore averaged 18.1 points, 4.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds while draining 41% of his 139 triples. Wright had a really, really good offensive season for the Cougars.
Despite a flirtation with Kentucky and other suitors in the portal, Wright opted to return to Provo for a second year. It’s equivalent to BYU landing a top-10 transfer.
But now, what’s he going to do with the new opportunity? This is Wright’s team, for better or worse, and there’s no doubt he will enter as a real contender for the Bob Cousy Award, handed to the nation’s best point guard.
Area to improve: Wright is an outstanding three-level scorer and sharp distributor, but there needs to be some level of care on the defensive end, especially if he’s going to be the leader of this team. He was one of the least impactful defenders in the Big 12 last season, by almost every metric. The eye test wasn’t great either. If BYU goes as he goes, Wright has to understand the responsibility of that burden and show more pride and attention to detail defensively. With his speed and agility, Wright has the physical tools to be an on-ball defensive pest.
Wright is uber talented. He’s a wizard in pick-and-rolls and a flat-out headache to defend. His counting stats will be ridiculous in this scheme, especially with the shooting BYU has added via the portal in Kentucky transfer Collin Chandler and Syracuse transfer Tyler Betsey. But finding a way to raise the level of everyone else in the building on both ends will be essential for BYU to thrive with a brand new roster that features five-star freshman Bruce Branch III as Wright’s new co-pilot.
PG Elliot Cadeau, Michigan
The scoop: Much to some’s chagrin, Cadeau showed he is really good at basketball. He gave Michigan an edge. The former embattled UNC point guard took all the digs (some deserved, others not so much) and bottled it up into a snarl that’s hard to procure organically. Cadeau plays with spite, in all the best ways, while humming along as one of the top playmakers in the sport. Cadeau’s growth as a 3-point shooter was highlighted often, but his passing chops can’t be overstated. Cadeau isn’t just a good passer; he’s a ludicrous floor general. He has so many different pitches in his arsenal to get the ball where it needs to go at just the right time. Cadeau was the Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four, and he’s a big reason why Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson and Aday Mara all became the best versions of themselves at Michigan last year.
Cadeau would have been arguably the best point guard in the 2026 transfer class. Instead, Michigan re-signed him for a second season under Dusty May’s tutelage.
Area to improve: There’s more meat on the bone here for Cadeau offensively, and Michigan might need it to reach its full potential without potentially three first-round picks. Cadeau shot just 47% at the rim, and the timing of his gathers on his drives seemed to be a little off, which put him in some tough positions. Cadeau can get into the paint whenever, thanks to his tight handle, bowling-ball strength and shimmy-shake shiftiness, but refining his floater and cleaning up his gathers would go a long way to help him reach the peak of his powers offensively.
PG Silas Demary Jr., UConn
The scoop: Demary is a five-tool player at point guard. He’s so tough. The 6-foot-4 guard makes winning hustle plays. He’s the first on the floor. He defends at an All-Defense level. He rebounds. He creates for others. He can score. Even though Demary was not at full strength due to a brutal ankle injury, the veteran guard gutted his way through March Madness. UConn does not sniff the title game appearance without Demary fighting through the pain to play.
Demary was a First Team, All-Big East selection after posting 10.6 points, 6.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Area to improve: Even though Demary was one of the best five or six transfers from the 2025 cycle, he can get even better in Year 2 at UConn. Demary has to become a better isolation scorer, especially considering the makeup of UConn’s 2026-27 club that has six rotation players exiting. It starts with rediscovering his 3-point stroke. Especially when he was banged up, teams started to go under screens without the fear that Demary would hurt ’em. That can’t happen next year, and it’ll make his bully-ball drives even tougher to defend.
Braylon Mullins’ return gets all the buzz, but Demary could very well be UConn’s best player next season with the right tweaks.
G Ian Jackson, St. John’s
The scoop: Outside of shredding Villanova twice, Jackson’s first season under Rick Pitino was filled with inconsistency. An inconsistent role with inconsistent minutes and inconsistent attention to detail defensively, which often earned him a date with the pine. Jackson’s inability to handle primary point guard duties was predictable but frustrating, nonetheless. St. John’s still won the Big East and was an eyelash away from an Elite Eight appearance, even though Jackson (9.4 points with a mediocre 104 offensive rating) wasn’t a major needle-mover.
Transfer portal rumors swirled in the spring, but Jackson struck a deal to return to St. John’s for a second season. That should be a shrewd decision because even though the Red Storm doesn’t have a full roster yet, this situation is already shaping up to be much, much better for Jackson’s game. A high-priced, coveted addition like veteran British point guard Quinn Ellis should be the force multiplier to put Jackson in better spots to score. Jackson can certainly be one of the Big East’s best transition scorers, a top 3-point sniper and a threat to go get a bucket whenever he wants.
Area to improve: It’s all about defense. If you do not guard, you do not play for Pitino. Jackson knows the standard, and now it’s time to execute it. If he defends, Jackson will play and post much-improved offensive numbers.
G Adrian Wooley, Louisville
The scoop: Wooley had a solid, but largely forgettable, first season at Louisville, serving as basically an innings-eater behind Mikel Brown Jr., Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely. The 6-foot-4 combo guard averaged 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and shot 35% from downtown on 3.3 attempts per game in 22 minutes. His 17-point showing against Michigan State in the Round of 32, when Brown was sidelined with a back injury, showcased a little glimpse of what’s possible, but there were some AWOL moments, too.
Area to improve: Who is throwing lobs to Flory Bidunga? That’s one question circulating in the hopper after Louisville’s busy offseason. Throwing lobs isn’t Jackson Shelstad’s game. Can it be right up Wooley’s alley? Wooley dished 62 assists last year. Just two of them were lobs for dunks to the now-departed Sananda Fru, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t capable. Wooley’s getting a serious minutes bump, so the scoring will tick up regardless, but his creation is going to be so vital for a Louisville rotation that currently features a lot of other guys who walk onto the floor trying to get buckets for themselves first. If Wooley can drive winning by being one of the top defenders on this team and setting the table for Bidunga to Hulk Smash dunks to go along with a shot profile that is littered with 3s and shots at the rim, he’s going to be a major riser. All the tools are here for Wooley to be a difference-maker in a bunch of different facets.
C Matas Vokietaitis, Texas
The scoop: Vokietaitis outperformed his contract for the Longhorns last season, averaging 15.7 points and 7.2 rebounds for a Texas outfit that advanced to the Sweet 16. The 7-foot, 255-pound center thrived in the SEC because of his physicality. No one drew more fouls in SEC contests than Vokietaitis, and he just stacked good days one on top of the next. Even though he used brute force more often than not, Vokietaitis showed he’s got some real ball skills and the dexterity to finish with either hand. He averaged 1.09 points per possession on 35 drives, and Texas got much more out of him as a playmaker down the stretch as he learned to navigate the frequent double-teams that were sent his direction.
Area to improve: Learning how to defend without fouling is the utmost priority for Vokietaitis. The big fella committed 5.3 fouls per 40 minutes last year. He jumped for every single shot fake known to man. If he cleans that up, Vokietaitis can be one of the top challengers to unseat Florida’s Rueben Chinyelu as the top two-way center in the SEC.
G Sam Lewis, Virginia
The scoop: Lewis assimilated into the ACC nicely after transferring in from Toledo. The sleek, 6-foot-6, 210-pound wing started 35 games, averaged over 10 points and drained 40% of his 3-pointers in 25.4 minutes for a deep Virginia club that earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Lewis would’ve been a top-30 player in the transfer portal if he had entered. Instead, Virginia gets him back for a second season in Hooville.
Area to improve: Lewis has to streamline his decision-making a bit after barely having more assists than turnovers (51 to 47). Lewis flashed real three-level scoring ability in a hybrid, fill-in-the-gaps role, shooting 40% from 3-point range, 40% on midrange pull-up jumpers and 59% at the rim. With speedy point guard Chance Mallory and bruising forward Thijs de Ridder returning, Lewis can keep humming in that off-ball role, but more on-ball reps will be funneled his way. We already know Lewis is a bucket. But if he becomes a primary fulcrum of this UVa offense, Lewis can be an All-ACC selection in 2026-27.
G Andrej Stojakovic, Illinois
The scoop: Stojakovic’s scoring numbers dipped from 17.9 points per game at Cal to 13.5 points per game in his first year at Illinois, but he became a way, way better all-around player. Stojakovic became a legitimate weapon on defense, his offensive-rebounding rate doubled and the Illini’s much-improved spacing helped him put loads of pressure on the rim with slippery drives. Even though Stojakovic shot just 24% from 3-point range, the 6-foot-7 wing posted the highest offensive rating (119.5, per KenPom) of his career and was one of the top isolation scorers in the country.
Stojakovic entered his name into the 2026 NBA Draft, but he is expected to return to Champaign after signing a massive NIL deal that will make him one of the highest-paid players in the Big Ten. A monster season is certainly in the range of potential outcomes.
Area to improve: The obvious answer is the shooting. Stojakovic shot just 25% on unguarded catch-and-shoot 3s. The median mark on those high-quality treys is 35%. That has to tick up, although I wonder if the physics even work with his awkward sidewinding, shooting motion.
That’s neither here nor there.
With Quentin Coleman, Stefan Vaaks, David Mirkovic and Tomislav Ivisic slated to join him in the starting lineup, Stojakovic has the luxury of a wide-open paint again because all four of those guys are above-average shooters for their respective positions. The reality is that Stojakovic can be awesome offensively again with or without the 3-ball. The rim will be open for his swerving drives. He is surrounded by unselfish playmakers, so there are free points to be had if he buys into being an opportunistic cutter. He will get to the line at will. He can matchup hunt with backdowns and create advantages.
It’s all about consistency and eliminating the low-lows from the profile. Illinois doesn’t have a Keaton Wagler on this roster. It needs Stojakovic to be a steadying force of consistent offense and rock-solid defense. He can be one of the top two-way players in the Big Ten next season and an All-Big Ten selection if it all settles into place once and for good.
PG Boogie Fland, Florida
The scoop: Fland wasn’t as good as many (myself included) presumed, but he wasn’t as bad as you might think. Fland averaged 11.6 points with excellent defense and a 2.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, which doesn’t really jive with the “the sky is falling” narratives surrounding Florida’s backcourt for long stretches last season.
As usual, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Florida wasn’t quite as dominant because the shot-making from Fland was not good enough, but he embraced tough assignments on defense all year long and started taking care of the ball much better in SEC play, which was essential for a Florida squad that was an elite offensive-rebounding machine.
At one point, it was fair to wonder if Florida would try to upgrade its point guard room in free agency, but Fland showed enough to warrant a return to Gainesville for Year 2.
Area to improve: Florida is a viable preseason No. 1 team, but it won’t win the National Championship without Fland being more of a threat from 3-point range in pick-and-rolls. Fland shot just 13 for 61 (21.3%) on pull-up 3s last season, and many of them were wideeeeee open after bulldozing screens from Florida’s big men. Fland had enough time to read CBS Sports.com, watch a TikTok or four and then take an uncontested triple without a defender coming into his sightline.
And he still couldn’t get it rolling.
Smashmouth basketball from Florida’s big man trio of Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Tommy Haugh gives the Gators such a high floor, but at some point, jumpers have to be made to scale the mountain all the way to the top. Fland has to be the answer. Whatever it takes for Fland to rediscover confidence in that jumper is essential for Florida’s championship hopes.
.webp?ssl=1 "The state of play at Mercedes after three rounds of the 2026 season")
