Arkansas forward Connor Vanover announces intent to transfer

After a second consecutive trip to the Elite Eight, the Arkansas Razorbacks are going through their annual roster revamp. On Wednesday, a third Razorback player announced his intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Forward Connor Vanover, a former contributor at Cal, announced that he’s looking for a new home for the second time in his collegiate career.

“Growing up in Arkansas it was always a dream to play in a Razorback uniform and I will never forget the amazing memories we made these last few years,” Vanover shared in a post on Instagram.

Vanover, at 7-foot-3, 230 pounds, is one of the tallest collegiate basketball players on the market. He contributed 7.5 minutes per game for the Hogs this season, which was a career-low. He posted 3.9 points per game, along with 2.9 rebounds, in 15 games played. Vanover also made 10 starts this season. In 2020-21, the Arkansas native started 27 of 29 games but contributed 16.7 minutes per game with 6.3 points per game.

After his transfer from Cal to Arkansas, Vanover applied for eligibility relief from the NCAA and was denied, forcing him to sit out a season. The NCAA now has a one-time, penalty-free transfer rule, but it’s unclear whether the former Hogs forward will be able to play right away or not since it is his second move.

Vanover joins K.K. Robinson, a 2020 signee, and Chance Moore, a 2021 signee, in the portal. Eric Musselman has already added one transfer for the 2022-23 roster in former Missouri forward Trevon Brazile.

Vanover joins two other Hogs in NCAA transfer portal

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal goes through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship is no longer valid. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school does not have to reoffer a scholarship.