The transfer portal is open until Tuesday — and if precedent is any indication, a handful of high-impact players will enter right at the proverbial buzzer.
But there have already been more than enough commitments to identify some of this cycle’s most consequential moves.
Behold, five of my favorite transfer portal fits. These are not necessarily the five most talented players. Rather, they’re five situations that should be especially favorable for the player and his new team. Only two of the five are top-10 portal talents, according to The Athletic’s rankings — but all of them should be key contributors.
Jackson Shelstad, Louisville
2025-26 stats (at Oregon): 15.6 points, 4.9 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 31.4 percent from 3 and 84.6 percent from the free-throw line.The Athletic transfer portal rank: No. 8
Shelstad committed at the same time that Louisville landed center Flory Bidunga — the No. 1 player in The Athletic’s transfer portal rankings — so his move didn’t get the same publicity. But it won’t be surprising if the 6-foot guard winds up being UL’s most impactful addition.
Shelstad’s strengths will be accentuated by Pat Kelsey’s style of play. Just under 40 percent of the Cards’ offense last season stemmed from spot-up shots and in transition, per Synergy, a testament to Kelsey’s preferred pace and 3-point-heavy style. Shelstad, it so happens, made 42.9 percent of his spot-up 3s and scored on half his possessions in transition. He’s also an excellent set-up man.
One of Shelstad’s best qualities, which will serve him well given the number of kick-out passes he’ll receive, is how quickly he sets his feet when relocating. Especially with how aggressive defenses typically close out on Louisville — which had the fourth-highest number of 3-point attempts in D-I, per KenPom — that ability to get set and let fly is huge:
Shelstad, who was limited to 12 games last season because of a hand injury, is also a better finisher inside than one would expect for someone his size. Against the only Big Ten opponent he faced, which had great opposing size, Shelstad affirmed that finishing prowess:
Stefan Vaaks, Illinois
2025-26 stats (at Providence): 15.8 points, 3.2 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 35 percent from 3 and 83.9 percent from the free-throw line.The Athletic transfer portal rank: No. 10
The 6-foot-7 Estonian and jumbo-sized guard can already do a little bit of everything — and now he’s entering one of the best offensive situations in the sport, where a ready-made role awaits.
Illinois’ offense finished second nationally in adjusted efficiency, per KenPom, and was the biggest reason the program made its first Final Four since 2005. Much of that success stemmed from the Illini backcourt, namely freshman Keaton Wagler and senior Kylan Boswell. Wagler, especially, elevated Illinois’ offense from great to historic — and now, Vaaks is in line to inherit many of the same duties that made Wagler a likely top-10 pick.
Vaaks’ specialty is in the pick-and-roll, which constituted over a third of his possessions, per Synergy. He has excellent timing and feel navigating screens, regularly getting to his spots without being rushed. Despite shooting 32.1 percent from 3 as a pick-and-roll handler, Vaaks was comfortable letting it rip from deep if he got even an inch of space — but he was particularly lethal from the elbows, where he excels at squaring his shoulders, then using his size to shoot over people:
Considering Illinois ranked in the 99th percentile nationally in pick-and-roll ballhandling efficiency, per Synergy, and ran it once in every five possessions, this is a match made in heaven. Vaaks, who keeps Illinois’ Eastern European pipeline going, isn’t as elite as Wagler was — but he also wasn’t working with as much talent around him at Providence. Given who Vaaks is now pairing with, it’s fair to expect an uptick for someone who’s already such a competent P&R scorer and creative P&R passer:
Somto Cyril, Miami
2025-26 stats (at Georgia): 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, while shooting 75.9 percent overall.The Athletic transfer portal rank: No. 18
The 6-11 Cyril is a (literally) huge reason to love the roster Jai Lucas is putting together. Georgia was 12.6 points per 100 possessions better last season when Cyril was on the court compared with when he sat, according to CBB Analytics, underscoring his two-way impact.
That all starts defensively, where Cyril’s massive frame — 260 pounds with a 7-foot-7 wingspan — makes him a menace for opponents around the rim. The glitzy component there is Cyril’s block rate, the 12th best in the sport last season. One big example: Texas 7-footer Matas Vokietaitis was a driving force behind the Longhorns’ surprise Sweet 16 berth, yet Cyril made him look like a middle schooler trying to drive against his older brother:
Even the fear of Cyril’s shot-blocking is a tremendous disincentive to opponents attempting shots in the paint. He is somewhat limited to drop coverage in ball-screen scenarios, so he doesn’t get pulled away from the paint — but Lucas has dealt with that before.
Offensively, Cyril is a low-usage, high-efficiency interior option who thrives on offensive putbacks, alley-oops and rim-rolls in ball-screen scenarios. He’ll make for a nice pick-and-roll partner with incoming point guard Acaden Lewis (from Villanova) and won’t be asked to carry any outsized scoring burden.
Collin Chandler, BYU
2025-26 stats (at Kentucky): 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 41 percent from 3 and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line.The Athletic transfer portal rank: No. 43
At BYU — where Chandler began his career, before following Mark Pope to Kentucky — it’s safe to bet on the 6-5 guard at least becoming the best version of himself.
The Cats mostly asked Chandler to be a 3-point shooter — and he thrived in that role, making 41 percent of his 4.9 treys per game, a top-150 rate nationally, per KenPom. He also rated in the 91st percentile nationally as a spot-up shooter, per Synergy. But Chandler’s statistical profile also shows that he’s actually more than capable of getting his shot off in other ways — like in transition. More than half of his transition field-goal attempts came from 3, per Synergy, where he shot 46.4 percent from deep. He’s a natural at pulling up while defenses retreat, and his NBA range means he doesn’t have to get far past midcourt to fire:
Kevin Young is one of the most creative offensive coaches in the sport and will ensure Chandler thrives alongside point guard Rob Wright and five-star recruit Bruce Branch III. But can Young push Chandler to become more than just a 3-point marksman?
Jaylen Carey, Missouri
2025-26 stats (at Tennessee): 7.4 points, 6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.The Athletic transfer portal rank: Unranked
Carey didn’t make the top 50 of The Athletic’s portal rankings, nor is he even necessarily the Tigers’ most prominent frontcourt addition. (Those would be Kansas transfer Bryson Tiller, a 6-10 physical force who averaged 7.9 points and 6.1 rebounds as a freshman, and four-star freshman forward Toni Bryant.) But it’s hard to think of a better match for how Dennis Gates wants to play than the “undersized” 6-8 forward, now on to his fourth school in four years.
At Tennessee, Carey played a key role in the Vols ranking No. 1 nationally in offensive rebounding rate, per KenPom. Watching the 245-pounder attack the glass on tape, it’s clear why he finished with the 10th-best offensive rebounding rate in the sport. It’s not just his pure strength that makes him successful on offensive putbacks, but also his surprising touch around the basket.
With his work as a rebounder and putback machine, Carey should be exceptionally valuable for Mizzou, which has been top-75 in offensive rebounding rate and top-30 in free-throw rate each of the past two seasons, per KenPom. One downside with Carey: He’s great at drawing fouls but shoots only 52.1 percent at the free-throw line for his career.
But it’s Carey’s passing acumen that will be pivotal playing alongside Jamier Jones (Providence) and five-star freshman Jason Crowe Jr. in Mizzou’s revamped backcourt. He averaged only 1.3 dimes nightly because of his limited minutes, but had at least three assists in seven games this season — including four against Iowa State in the Sweet 16. That game is a great representation of Carey’s overall vision and passing, as he showcased touch out of the short roll:
Made bounce passes from the center of a zone:
And scanned the court from the high-post, hitting a shooter in the pocket:
