Jeff BorzelloCloseJeff BorzelloESPN Staff Writer Basketball recruiting insider. Joined ESPN in 2014. Graduate of University of Delaware.Follow on X and Myron MedcalfCloseMyron MedcalfESPN Staff Writer Covers college basketball Joined ESPN.com in 2011 Graduate of Minnesota State University, MankatoFollow on XMultiple AuthorsMar 29, 2026, 08:10 PM ET
UConn stuns Duke on Braylon Mullins’ miracle last-second triple (0:55)UConn pulls off an incredible comeback victory over Duke as freshman Braylon Mullins sinks a logo 3-pointer with less than a second to go. (0:55)
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf outline expected departures, returnees, top incoming recruits and priorities in the transfer portal (which opens April 7) for key schools below.
Isaiah Evans (15.0 PPG) Patrick Ngongba II (10.5 PPG) Caleb Foster (8.5 PPG) Cayden Boozer (7.5 PPG) Dame Sarr (6.4 PPG) Nikolas Khamenia (5.8 PPG) Darren Harris (3.5 PPG) Sebastian Wilkins (redshirt)
Williams will give Duke a top-five recruit for a third straight season — but don’t expect the same level of impact as his predecessors, Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer. Williams broke out during the spring and summer before his senior year of high school, and clearly possesses one of the highest ceilings in the 2026 class. He’s 6-foot-11 with range out to the perimeter and an ability to guard multiple positions. Expect him to slot into the Blue Devils’ frontcourt immediately.
Portal priorities: As always, Duke has several stay-or-go NBA draft decisions to wait out. Cameron Boozer will be out the door and will be drafted inside the top five in June, that’s clear. Things are less clear with Evans, Ngongba and Sarr. Entering the NCAA tournament, all three were projected in the No. 25-31 range in ESPN’s mock draft. If all three return, Jon Scheyer might have the preseason No. 1 team in the country.
If Evans and Sarr leave, Scheyer will need to find an impact wing in the portal, and try to keep Khamenia for his sophomore season. Top-25 recruit Bryson Howard, one of the elite shooters in the class, is also arriving and should help immediately.
If Ngongba leaves — and maybe even if he doesn’t — expect Duke to look for an impact big in the portal. Brown is leaving, and four-star recruit Maxime Meyer is more of a long-term prospect, so the Blue Devils will need to reinforce the post, regardless.
The point guard situation will also be interesting to monitor. Foster and Cayden Boozer could return, and five-star recruit Deron Rippey Jr. is entering the fold. Scheyer could look to use more two-point-guard lineups next season if all three are on the roster. — Borzello
Scott is a 6-foot-7 positionless recruit who is as comfortable on the perimeter as he is handling the ball or using his size to excel in the post. He has attributes comparable to those that have made Ament a projected NBA draft lottery pick in Rick Barnes’ system, though he might need to add muscle to his frame in order to compete in the SEC. Regardless, he has the talent to make an impact as a freshman.
Portal priorities: With his top scorers expected to depart, expect Barnes to follow the same blueprint that has worked the past three seasons: identify a primary scorer to be the focal point of his offense.
In 2023-24, he signed Dalton Knecht from Northern Colorado, who went on to become that year’s SEC Player of the Year and a first-round NBA draft pick. Last season, Barnes brought Chaz Lanier in from North Florida; he emerged as a second-team All-SEC selection. This season, the Vols coach recruited Gillespie from Maryland; he earned All-SEC honors.
Estrella might be ready for a bigger role as a junior next season, but Barnes will likely find a true catalyst for his offense in the portal to extend the three-year trend of having a transfer who has averaged at least 18 points per game.
Braden Smith (14.3 PPG) Fletcher Loyer (14.1 PPG) Oscar Cluff (10.5 PPG) Trey Kaufman-Renn (14.1 PPG)
Portal priorities: Stirtz is the centerpiece of everything McCollum has done at Iowa (and Drake and Northwest Missouri State before that), so his biggest priority in the portal will be to find a point guard and playmaker to run the Hawkeyes offense. The good news is that their Sweet 16 run should help them attract a player who fills that mold.
Iowa is also losing Banks, a versatile 6-foot-7 forward who is second on the team in scoring and excellent from 3 (45% this season). The Hawkeyes need another scoring threat who can stretch the floor, unless Banks — a former junior college player — is granted another year of eligibility as a result of the NCAA’s blanket waiver.
Finally, an Iowa team that finished 17th in offensive rebounding rate and 15th in defensive effectiveness inside the 3-point line in conference play needs more frontcourt depth to keep up in the Big Ten. — Medcalf
The 6-foot-5 Jervis is one of four top-100 recruits — one of three in the top 50 — in Tom Izzo’s 2026 class. With Fears and Carr expected to return, Jervis will strengthen a talented Michigan State squad and have an opportunity to play with a point guard (Fears) who could enter next season as the front-runner to win the Wooden Award.
Zuby Ejiofor (16.3 PPG) Bryce Hopkins (13.6 PPG) Oziyah Sellers (10.5 PPG) Dillon Mitchell (8.2 PPG) Sadiku Ibine Ayo (1.8 PPG)
Ian Jackson (9.6 PPG) Joson Sanon (8.1 PPG) Dylan Darling (6.9 PPG) Ruben Prey (4.1 PPG) Lefteris Liotopoulos (3.0 PPG) Kelvin Odih (1.5 PPG) Imran Suljanovic (redshirt) Casper Pohto (redshirt)
Portal priorities: St. John’s is sure to lose at least four starters, with Big East Player of the Year Ejiofor, two-time All-Big East performer Hopkins, third-team All-Big East selection Mitchell and starting guard Sellers all out of eligibility. Which means we should be in for another busy spring portal season in Queens.
The focus will be up front, with only reserve big man Prey coming back. Pitino will likely need at least two starters, potentially three if he opts to go with a bigger lineup again.
One more backcourt conundrum: While this trio helped St. John’s sweep the Big East regular season and tournament championships, it felt like the Red Storm lacked a true playmaking point guard. Will Pitino go to the portal for one of those as well? — Borzello
Milan Momcilovic (17.2 PPG) Killyan Toure (8.6 PPG) Blake Buchanan (8.5 PPG) Jamarion Batemon (6.8 PPG) Dominykas Pleta (4.5 PPG)
Gray, a 6-foot-3 guard from West Allis, Wisconsin, averaged 24.3 points as a high school senior before a labrum injury in February cost him the rest of the season. But T.J. Otzelberger has had success with prep talent from Wisconsin, and Gray could be the next standout for the Cyclones.
Aden Holloway (16.8 PPG) Amari Allen (11.6 PPG) Aiden Sherrell (11.2 PPG) Taylor Bol Bowen (6.5 PPG) London Jemison (6.2 PPG) Jalil Bethea (4.2 PPG) Keitenn Bristow (3.6 PPG) Davion Hannah (3.3 PPG) Collins Onyejiaka (1.0 PPG)
Richardson surprised most of the recruiting world in early March when he committed to Alabama over perceived favorite Creighton. An explosive athlete who’s at his best in transition, he should make an impact at both ends of the floor with his length and motor. He’s not a consistent 3-point shooter yet, which makes his commitment to the most 3-point-happy team in the country an interesting marriage, but he brings plenty else to add a different dimension.
Chris Cenac Jr. (9.6 PPG) Joseph Tugler (8.5 PPG) Mercy Miller (5.2 PPG) Chase McCarty (4.0 PPG) Isiah Harwell (3.6 PPG) Cedric Lath (0.5 PPG) Jacob McFarland Bryce Jackson (redshirt)
Even with all the expected personnel in the fold next season, Houston could use an immediate-impact player at point guard. The Cougars need a playmaker and facilitator, as they found last season with Uzan and this season with Flemings.
Up front, much depends on whether Cenac and Tugler return. Cenac is still a projected first-round NBA draft pick but is not the surefire lottery selection he was at the start of the campaign, and Tugler was not in ESPN’s most recent mock draft after previously looking like a potential first-rounder. Diane is a ready-made replacement if one of them opts to depart. — Borzello
Meleek Thomas (15.6 PPG) Billy Richmond III (11.1 PPG) Karter Knox (8.1 PPG) D.J. Wagner (7.4 PPG) Isaiah Sealy (2.9 PPG) Paulo Semedo (redshirt) Karim Rtail (redshirt)
Other question marks: Will Wagner return? Will Knox forgo the NBA draft again? If they, Thomas and Richmond all return, Calipari will have a rotation nearly finished.
There will have to be a frontcourt revamp with Brazile, Ewin and Pringle all out of eligibility. As things stand, there might not be a natural point guard on the team, either. But Smith, Thomas and even Wagner — to an extent — have the potential to be the team’s primary playmaker. A Thomas-Smith backcourt, in particular, could excel at both ends of the floor. — Borzello
Pryce Sandfort (17.9 PPG) Braden Frager (11.7 PPG) Connor Essegian (5.4 PPG) Ugnius Jarusevicius (7.0 PPG) Berke Buyuktuncel (6.7 PPG) Cale Jacobsen (4.6 PPG)
Both Lanier and Colin Rice (No. 94) will help Fred Hoiberg’s team reload this season after losing a trio of seniors (and perhaps its best player, too). Both incoming freshmen should be physically ready — Lanier is 6-foot-5 and Rice is 6-8 — to compete in the Big Ten.
Sean Miller could lose the bulk of his starting rotation this offseason, but the 6-foot-5 Goosby could be the Longhorns’ next star. The No. 1 recruit from the state of Texas has a chance to put together a one-and-done campaign. Depending on Swain’s decision, Goosby could become the top option from the moment he arrives. He headlines a Texas recruiting class that features two more top-100 recruits: Bo Ogden and Joe Sterling.
Portal priorities: Swain has emerged as a borderline first-round NBA draft pick following a fabulous season leading the Longhorns in scoring, so his potential departure could mean a significant loss in experience with senior starters Pope and Mark on their way out. If Swain leaves, Miller could use a veteran guard or two.