UConn forward Jaylin Stewart is entering the transfer portal, On3 Sports reported and his stepfather confirmed on social media on Friday evening.
The 6-foot-7 junior stuck with the Huskies over the last three years despite finding himself in a tough position to earn consistent starter’s minutes given the logjam of wings in the rotation. Still, he started 24 of his 104 games played and scored in double figures 11 times.
Now he’ll look to spend his senior season in a larger role elsewhere.
Stewart, who played 9.3 minutes per game during the 2024 national championship run as a freshman, averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 17.8 minutes per game in his sophomore season and started 12 times because of injuries to Alex Karaban and Liam McNeeley. His numbers dipped slightly this year to just 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game before he suffered inflammation in his knee and missed over a month down the stretch of the season.
He returned in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament and played 24 total minutes in the Huskies’ run to the national championship game, scoring seven points with seven rebounds, two assists and a block. The Seattle native enters the portal shooting 48.8% from the field and 33.5% from beyond the arc over his career.
Stewart joins Eric Reibe, Rrezon Elezaj, Uroš Paunović, and Jacob Furphy as players who have chosen to move on.
UConn is still waiting on decisions from Solo Ball and Braylon Mullins, along with Jacob Ross, as it continues to build the 2026-27 roster.
The Huskies have secured commitments from point guard Silas Demary Jr. and wing Jayden Ross to return and added center Najai Hines out of the transfer portal from Seton Hall. They will welcome a pair of four-star, top-50 freshmen in 6-foot-6 wing Colben Landrew and 6-foot-4 guard Junior County.
Dan Hurley and his staff are far from done. They hosted Duke forward Nikolas Khamenia, a former top-20 recruit, on Wednesday. Khamenia, 6-foot-8 and a potential replacement for Karaban at the four, averaged 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game as a freshman with the Blue Devils. UConn is also in the hunt for a backup center and a backup point guard, along with potential depth options across the board.
