Former Samford guard AJ Staton signs with Miami out of NCAA transfer portal

Former Samford guard AJ Staton has signed with Miami out of NCAA transfer portal, the ‘Canes announced on Thursday.

Staton averaged 11.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for Samford during the 2023-24 season, starting 27 of their 31 games. Across 84 career games, Staton averaged 9.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals.

This past season, he helped lead the Bulldogs to their first Southern Conference Tournament title in program history and the team’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000. There, they were eliminated by Kansas, but nearly pulled off an upset to remember, ultimately losing 93-89.

“AJ is a very athletic, multi-positional player whose toughness and defensive ability will fit in very well with our current roster,” Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga said of Staton, via release. “He is the ultimate competitor and shoots the ball at a high level.”

A product of the 2020 recruiting class, Staton was unranked, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Jalen Blackmon withdrew from 2024 NBA Draft at deadline, will play for Hurricanes next season

Former Stetson guard Jalen Blackmon will officially join Jim Larrañaga and the University of Miami for the 2024-2025 campaign after withdrawing his name from the 2024 NBA Draft, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

“Jalen Blackmon tells me that he has withdrawn from the 2024 NBA Draft and will play for Miami next season,” Rothstein posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Transfer from Stetson.”

The 6-foot-3 junior from Marion, Indiana ultimately chose the Hurricanes over Northwestern, but also considered BYU, Cal, and Villanova while keeping his name in the 2024 NBA Draft, per On3’s Joe Tipton. Now, he’ll officially look to start his time with Miami, and bring the Hurricanes some major success next season.

Jalen Blackmon was the nation’s tenth leading scorer this past season, averaging 21.3 points per game, and shooting 42.8% from the field and just over 38% from three.

Staton and Blackmon will also be joined by one of the ACC’s top scorers from last season during the 2024-25 campaign, with Miami‘s Nijel Pack announcing he will return to school earlier this year.