The transfer portal is already in full swing despite being open for less than a week. Several of the biggest names in college basketball have already announced their intention to enter the portal as they seek a fresh start for next season.
Among the top players to enter the portal are Flory Bidunga (Kansas), John Blackwell (Wisconsin), Massamba Diop (Arizona State), Rob Wright III (BYU) and PJ Haggerty (Kansas State). The first player ranked inside the top 25 of the 247Sports transfer portal rankings to commit was JP Estrella. The former Tennessee forward will play for reigning national champion Michigan next season.
The Wolverines built this year’s championship roster primarily through the portal, and that will likely be the case again as the program replaces several key rotation players.
College basketball transfer portal rankings: Top 25 players available in 2026
Isaac Trotter
Haggerty will be playing for his fifth school in five years, having committed to Texas A&M on Friday. Haggerty was one of the top scorers in college basketball and now will play in an offense that fits his playing style.
To help you keep up with the madness of the transfer portal, CBS Sports is grading the commitments as they happen. The transfer portal officially closes on April 21, but players can commit long after that deadline. Notably, the deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft to maintain college eligibility is May 28.
Texas A&M — PJ Haggerty
247Sports rank: No. 5 overall, 97 grade | No. 2 PGFormer school: Kansas State
Instant analysis: Haggerty is pound-for-pound one of the best scorers in college basketball. He is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 23.4 points in 31 games. He will be the rare player who plays five seasons at five different schools, having started his career at TCU back during the 2022-23 season. Under coach Bucky McMillan, Texas A&M likes to play fast. The Aggies averaged 15.7 seconds per possession, which ranked No. 16 among all Division I teams (KenPom). With Haggerty, Kansas State ranked in the top 15 in that stat this season. Last year at Memphis, the Tigers were ranked inside the top 30 in average possession time. Last season, five different Texas A&M players averaged at least 10 points per game. The scoring was almost by committee. With Haggerty, the Aggies have someone who can get a bucket whenever he pleases. This is a big splash for Texas A&M and a great start to the offseason. Grade: A — Cameron Salerno
Providence — Miles Byrd
247Sports rank: No. 9 overall, 96 grade | No. 1 SFFormer school: San Diego State
Instant analysis: Byrd is one of the most coveted wings in this portal haul because of his defense. He is similar to a pterodactyl on that end, using ridiculous body control, real-deal bounce and a 6-foot-10 wingspan to levitate in the air and swat shots away. Byrd was the only player in college basketball this season to post at least a 6% block rate and a 4% steal rate. He is a game-changer on that end of the floor. While his offense can be a work in progress, there’s a real shot that this could work very well at Providence under first-year coach Bryan Hodgson because his teams always post high transition rates. The open floor is where Byrd makes his money. We’ll have a better understanding of what Byrd will be asked to do once the rest of the Friars’ roster shakes out, but this is one heck of a start to the Hodgson era. Byrd will immediately be one of the best defenders in the Big East, and Hodgson’s offense could be just what the doctor ordered for Byrd. Grade: B+ — Trotter
Michigan — JP Estrella
247Sports rank: No. 21 overall, 95 grade | No. 4 PFFormer school: Tennessee
Instant analysis: Estrella is one of the most skilled bigs in this transfer portal class. The 6-foot-11, 240-pound big man is a load on the offensive glass, possesses a feathery touch to finish over shot-blockers and can make quick reads as a playmaker. All of those traits are essential in Michigan’s scheme. Plus, there’s proof of concept here. The Wolverines’ hit rate with bigs in the portal under Dusty May has been elite. Danny Wolf, Vlad Goldin, Morez Johnson, Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara have all flourished in this scheme. Lendeborg is off to the NBA, and Michigan could very well lose both Johnson and Mara, too, so the opportunity is here for Estrella to hop on the jetpack joy ride next. Even if one of Johnson or Mara decides to cash in and return to Ann Arbor for a second year, Estrella’s mobility and skill should fit snugly next to either of the big fellas. Grade: A — Isaac Trotter
Tennessee — Tyler Lundblade
247Sports rank: Four-star transfer, 93 gradeFormer school: Belmont
Instant analysis: Tennessee uses floppy action and pindowns to spring shooters open. It has been a staple of Rick Barnes’ scheme for years. Dalton Knecht was fabulous in it. Chaz Lanier was really good in it. Tyler Lundblade isn’t quite as electric as those two guys, but he is a strong scheme fit for what Tennessee wants to do. The four-star Belmont transfer has drilled 56 3-pointers off screens in the last two years combined. That ranks in the top-10 in the nation. Lundblade isn’t just a good shooter. He’s a special shooter. He’s drained at least 100 triples in back-to-back seasons. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound senior has good positional size which should help on the defensive end. He’s kind of a one-trick pony, but the one trick is pretty valuable for a Tennessee team that needs to make more 3-pointers in 2026-27. He won’t be a star, but Lundblade projects to be a rock-solid role player. Grade: B — Trotter
UCLA — Filip Jovic
247Sports rank: Four-star transfer, 93 gradeFormer school: Auburn
Instant analysis: Offensive rebounding has become such an essential trait to buoy top offenses, but it wasn’t a strength of UCLA’s club last year. Mick Cronin is out to fix that with Jovic. The Auburn transfer has a ridiculous motor and ranked inside the top-10 in offensive-rebound rate in SEC play last year. Jovic is a little undersized for a 4-man at 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, but the activity level, physicality and toughness is clear as day. Jovic needs to become a better shooter, but he makes a lot of sense on paper next to UCLA’s frontcourt duo of Eric Dailey and Xavier Booker, who are more comfortable operating on the perimeter. Jovic isn’t a star, but he can be a serviceable Big Ten role player who fills a valuable role. Grade: B — Trotter
