NCAA transfer portal: ESPN reveals top classes ahead of 2025-26 college basketball season

With focus shifted on the upcoming football season, it’s easy to overlook many of the offseason changes within the college basketball world. Transfer windows have long since shut and many rosters set heading into the grueling summer months, and ESPN has released its top incoming portal classes heading into the 2025-26 season.

Each program on this list dipped into the transfer portal for different reasons. Whether they’re in a rebuild or a reload situation, teams were not ranked based on how many names are joining their program. Instead, they were listed based on the need and fit for their specific roster.

Based on that criteria, ESPN took a stab at ranking the top portal classes of the offseason. It was a toss-up at No. 1 and No. 2. Find the full list below:

1. St. John’s Red Storm

Bryce Hopkins (17.0 PPG at Providence)
Oziyah Sellers (13.7 PPG at Stanford)
Joson Sanon (11.9 PPG at Arizona State)
Ian Jackson (11.9 PPG at North Carolina)
Dylan Darling (19.8 PPG at Idaho State)
Dillon Mitchell (9.9 PPG at Cincinnati)
Handje Tamba (10.5 PPG at Milligan – NAIA)

Rick Pitino’s Red Storm tops ESPN’s transfer portal list. Signing seven players who all averaged at least 9.9 points per game this past season, St. John’s is set to contend atop the Big East once again during the 2025-26 season. The class is led by Bryce Hopkins, who is a former first-team All-Big East power forward, but is coming off an injury that has kept him out of action for quite some time. Both Joson Sanon and Ian Jackson were top recruits coming out of high school.

2. Kentucky Wildcats

Jayden Quaintance (9.4 PPG at Arizona State)
Jaland Lowe (16.8 PPG at Pitt)
Denzel Aberdeen (7.7 PPG at Florida)
Kam Williams (9.3 PPG at Tulane)
Mouhamed Dioubate (7.2 PPG at Alabama)
Reece Potter (6.5 PPG at Miami (OH))

Mark Pope has retained multiple players from his first year with the program, so there weren’t as many spots to fill in his lineup this offseason. Still, he made the most of it and nearly took ESPN’s top spot in their rankings. Jayden Quaintance could be the x-factor in Kentucky’s lineup this winter. However, he may have to miss the start of the regular season after tearing his ACL in February. Denzel Aberdeen and Mouhamed Dioubate could take steps forward as upperclassmen with their new programs as well.

3. Michigan Wolverines

Yaxel Lendeborg (17.7 PPG at UAB)
Elliot Cadeau (9.4 PPG at North Carolina)
Morez Johnson Jr. (7.0 PPG at Illinois)
Aday Mara (6.4 PPG at UCLA)

Michigan felt like it hit the jackpot when they signed Yaxel Lendeborg to its 2025-26 roster. The No. 1 overall player in On3’s 2025 transfer portal rankings, Lendeborg is expected to be a game-changing talent for Dusty Baker and company. Elliot Cadeau brings five-star pedigree to the Wolverines’ program, while both Mara and Johnson could have breakout seasons at their new destination.

4. Louisville Cardinals

Ryan Conwell (16.5 PPG at Xavier)
Adrian Wooley (18.8 PPG at Kennesaw State)
Isaac McKneely (14.4 PPG at Virginia)

Pat Kelsey didn’t have to reach too deep into the transfer portal. Instead, he went with quality over quantity after only signing three players to the upcoming roster. All of them rank within the top 20 of the current On3 transfer portal rankings, and are expected to be plug-and-play type of stars for the Cardinals during the 2025-26 season.

5. Florida Gators

Xaivian Lee (16.9 PPG at Princeton)
Boogie Fland (13.5 PPG at Arkansas)
AJ Brown (13.2 PPG at Ohio)

Just like Louisville, the Gators didn’t feel as though they needed to do too much work in the portal this offseason. After winning the national championship last season, Florida solidified themselves as a destination for top recruits and portalers — and that’s exactly what they got. All three of their transfers rank within the top 100 transfers in the nation. The class is headlined by former Arkansas star Boogie Fland, who withdrew from the 2025 NBA Draft to play for Todd Golden’s squad.

6. Washington Huskies

Wesley Yates III (14.1 PPG at USC)
Desmond Claude (15.8 PPG at USC)
Quimari Peterson (19.5 PPG at East Tennessee State)
Jacob Ognacevic (20.0 PPG at Lipscomb)
Lathan Sommerville (8.2 PPG at Rutgers)
Bryson Tucker (5.4 PPG at Indiana)
Christian Nitu (1.9 PPG at Florida State)
Mady Traore (JUCO)

Washington finished the season 13-18 under first-year head coach Danny Sprinkle. In response, he overhauled the Huskies’ roster and brought in one of the best transfer portal classes in the country. Bringing in multiple proven scorers, the Huskies could make a splash in the Big Ten next season. Their roster will be bolstered by the presence of SoCon Player of the Year Quimari Peterson and Jacob Ognacevic, the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, as well as a couple of Big Ten-experienced players in Yates, Claude, Tucker and Somerville.

7. Indiana Hoosiers

Lamar Wilkerson (20.5 PPG at Sam Houston)
Reed Bailey (18.8 PPG at Davidson)
Nick Dorn (15.2 PPG at Elon)
Tucker DeVries (14.9 PPG at West Virginia)
Jasai Miles (15.4 PPG at North Florida)
Tayton Conerway (14.2 PPG at Troy)
Josh Harris (13.4 PPG at North Florida)
Jason Drake (11.1 PPG at Drexel)
Conor Enright (7.5 PPG at DePaul)
Sam Alexis (4.7 PPG at Florida)

Indiana overhauled its roster following the hire of first-year head coach Darian DeVries. Interestingly, the only player that followed him from his former school, West Virginia, was his son, Tucker. Tucker DeVries, Wilkerson and Bailey all ranked in the top 35 in On3’s current transfer portal rankings.

8. Oklahoma Sooners

Xzayvier Brown (17.6 PPG at Saint Joseph’s)
Tae Davis (15.1 PPG at Notre Dame)
Derrion Reid (6.0 PPG at Alabama)
Nijel Pack (13.9 PPG at Miami)

Oklahoma recruited three top 50 recruits into their 2025 transfer portal class, and all four are ranked in the top 100. Pack is a college veteran who has Final Four experience at his previous school, and Reid is a former highly-coveted recruit. Both Brown and Davis had strong seasons at Saint Joseph’s and Notre Dame, respectively. These four should provide Porter Moser with a strong foundation for what could be a make-or-break season for Moser heading into his fifth year at the position.

9. USC Trojans

Jordan Marsh (18.8 PPG at UNC Asheville)
Rodney Rice (13.8 PPG at Maryland)
Ezra Ausar (12.5 PPG at Utah)
Chad Baker-Mazara (12.3 PPG at Auburn)
Amarion Dickerson (13.2 PPG at Robert Morris)
Jacob Cofie (7.2 PPG at Virginia)
Jaden Brownell (14.0 PPG at Samford)
Gabe Dynes (6.8 PPG at Youngstown State)
Ryan Cornish (17.1 PPG at Dartmouth)

Last season was a transitional one for Eric Musselman and company. The second-year Trojans coach put forth quite the effort in the portal this offseason, signing a whopping nine players to his roster. With Iowa (No. 10), they’re tied for the most amount of players signed on this list. Rice proved himself as a legitimate scoring threat in major college basketball and Baker-Mazara provides length on the perimeter.

10. Iowa Hawkeyes

Bennett Stirtz (19.2 PPG at Drake)
Alvaro Folgueiras (13.8 PPG at Robert Morris)
Brendan Hausen (10.9 PPG at Kansas State)
Tavion Banks (10.1 PPG at Drake)
Ashton Williamson (7.3 PPG at FIU)
Cam Manyawu (7.1 PPG at Drake)
Isaia Howard (4.5 PPG at Drake)
Kael Combs (3.8 PPG at Drake)
Joey Matteoni (redshirt at Drake)

Unlike USC and its nine transfers, Iowa’s roster makeover comes after the arrival first-year head coach Ben McCollum. Most of it coming from his former team, Drake. Stirtz, Banks, Manyawu, Howard, Combs and Matteoni all arrive from McCollum’s former team, fresh off a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

11. Creighton Bluejays
12. Auburn Tigers
13. NC State Wolfpack