Top-ranked transfer Donovan Dent commits to UCLA, Mick Cronin

New Mexico transfer guard Donovan Dent, the No. 1 rated available player in the NCAA Transfer Portal according to On3’s Industry Rankings, has committed to UCLA and head coach Mick Cronin, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.

The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year picked the Bruins over strong interest from Duke, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Louisville and North Carolina.

Dent entered the portal March 25 and immediately skyrocketed to the top of the portal rankings after the 6-foot-2 junior guard averaged 20.4 points, 6.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game last season, including shooting 40.9-percent from 3-point range. Dent also shot 49-percent from the floor and was a 78.4-percent free throw shooter last season, while averaging 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks defensively.

Dent spent his entire three-year college basketball career at New Mexico, starting 72 career games for Lobos head coach Richard Pitino, who was recently announced as the new head coach at Xavier.

On3’s Jamie Shaw reported Dent’s recruitment ramped up in the first few days he was in the portal, and after originally targeting the Final Four for a commitment, it appears Dent’s timeline got pushed up.

Dent, a native of Corona, Calif., played high school basketball at Centennial, where he won winning a state championship as a senior en route to being named California’s Mr. Basketball, the John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year and Los Angeles Times Player of the Year.

Dent joins a UCLA squad that just saw its season come to a close in the 2025 NCAA Tournament with a 67-58 Round of 32 loss to second-seeded Tennessee on Saturday in Lexington. The Bruins finished a difficult 2024-25 season at 23-11 overall and 13-7 in Big Ten play.

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.