The 2025 college basketball transfer cycle is nearing completion, which means it’s time to project forward to the upcoming season.
The Big Ten should again be tightly contested in 2025-26, with many familiar brands likely to find themselves in the mix. Transfer additions will help to finalize that story. Projected top contenders, including Michigan, UCLA and Wisconsin, are each set to enter the season with notable offseason additions across the lineup. Next, Indiana, Iowa and Maryland will all look to enter the mix after each rebuilt their rosters after offseason coaching changes
For more on the Big Ten’s full 2025 transfer portal class rankings, here is the latest update. Of course, those rankings rarely mean everything. A top program like Purdue, for example, landed just one high-profile transfer. The Boilermakers sit low on the class ranking, yet will enter the season as the favorite to win the conference.
A better evaluation of the Big Ten transfer landscape is a look at the projected top additions. In such a star-driven sport, one top transfer can change a team’s season (see: John Tonje on the 2024-25 Wisconsin Badgers). With that, here are the Big Ten’s 20 highest-ranked transfer additions, according to 247Sports’ latest rankings.
Big Ten basketball’s top 20 transfer portal additions entering 2025-26 season
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (via UAB)Ranking: Five-star. No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 1 power forward.2024-25 Stats: 37 games, 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.8 blocks, 52% shooting, 35.7% from 3.Note: Lendeborg is currently declared for the NBA draft. He still has one full month to finalize a decision.Iowa point guard Bennett Stirtz (via Drake)Ranking: Five-star. No. 3 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 2 point guard.2024-25 Stats: 35 games, 19.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.1 steals, 50% shooting, 40% from 3.UCLA guard Donovan Dent (via New Mexico)Ranking: Five-star. No. 5 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 3 point guard.2024-25 Stats: 35 games, 20.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 49% shooting, 41% from 3.Indiana small forward Tucker DeVries (via West Virginia)Ranking: Four-star. No. 21 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 4 small forward.2024-25 Stats: Eight games, 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.5 blocks, 41% shooting, 47% from 3.USC small forward Chad Baker-Mazara (via Auburn)Ranking: Four-star. No. 24 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 5 small forward.2024-25 Stats: 38 games, 12.3 points, three rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 45% shooting, 38% from 3.Washington guard Wesley Yates III (via USC)Ranking: Four-star. No. 27 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 5 combo guard.2024-25 Stats: 33 games, 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 48% shooting, 44% from 3.USC shooting guard Rodney Rice (via Maryland)Ranking: Four-star. No. 28 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 7 shooting guard.2024-25 Stats: 36 games, 13.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 43% shooting, 37% from 3.Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. (via Illinois)Ranking: Four-star. No. 29 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 4 power forward.2024-25 Stats: 30 games, seven points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 64% shooting.Illinois small forward Andrej Stojakovic (via Cal)Ranking: Four-star. No. 35 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 6 small forward.2024-25 Stats: 29 games, 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 blocks, 43% shooting, 32% from 3.Maryland center Pharrel Payne (via Texas A&M)Ranking: Four-star. No. 36 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 4 center.2024-25 Stats: 34 games, 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 65% shooting.Purdue center Oscar Cluff (via South Dakota State)Ranking: Four-star. No. 41 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 6 center.2024-25 Stats: 30 games, 17.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 63% shooting.Illinois center Zvonimir Ivisic (via Arkansas)Ranking: Four-star. No. 44 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 7 center.2024-25 Stats: 35 games, 8.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 47% shooting, 38% from 3.Indiana shooting guard Lamar Wilkerson (via Sam Houston State)Ranking: Four-star. No. 48 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 9 shooting guard.2024-25 Stats: 32 games, 20.5 points, four rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals, 48% shooting, 44% from 3.Michigan center Aday Mara (via UCLA)Ranking: Four-star. No. 49 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 8 center.2024-25 Stats: 33 games, 6.4 points, four rebounds, one assist, 1.6 blocks, 59% shooting.Iowa power forward Alvaro Folgueiras (via Robert Morris)Ranking: Four-star. No. 52 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 8 power forward.2024-25 Stats: 35 games, 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.2 blocks, 55% shooting, 41% from 3.UCLA point guard Elliot Cadeau (via North Carolina)Ranking: Four-star. No. 62 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 14 point guard.2024-25 Stats: 37 games, 9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.1 steals, 44% shooting, 34% from 3.Indiana power forward Reed Bailey (via Davidson)Ranking: Four-star. No. 65 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 10 power forward.2024-25 Stats: 33 games, 18.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 48% shooting, 41.5% from 3.Wisconsin point guard Nick Boyd (via San Diego State)Ranking: Five-star. No. 74 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 18 point guard.2024-25 Stats: 31 games, 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, one steal, 41% shooting, 35% from 3.Washington point guard Quimari Peterson (via East Tennessee State)Ranking: Four-star. No. 75 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 19 point guard.2024-25 Stats: 32 games, 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, two steals, 47% shooting, 42% from 3.USC power forward Jacob Cofie (via Virginia)Ranking: Four-star. No. 77 overall player in the transfer portal, No. 13 power forward.2024-25 Stats: 32 games, 7.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, one assist, 1.1 steals, 49% shooting.
For Wisconsin fans, Andrew Rohde (via Virginia) ranks No. 48 among all Big Ten transfers and No. 260 nationally, while Austin Rapp (via Portland) ranks No. 49 and No. 264, respectively.
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