Miami freshman guard, former 5-star Jalil Bethea plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

After one season in Coral Gables, Miami freshman guard Jalil Bethea plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, per On3’s Joe Tipton.

The 6-foot-5 Bethea signed with the Hurricanes as part of their vaunted 2024 recruiting class, checking in as the No. 6 overall prospect in the country, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Miami struggled to live up to its preseason expectations though, and head coach Jim Larrañaga shocked everyone by announcing his retirement in late December, effective immediately. The ‘Canes finished as one of the ACC’s worst teams, and Bethea had a wildly inconsistent first season.

After a handful of double-digit scoring performances before Christmas, he opened ACC play with a couple of strong games against Clemson (12 points, 4-6 shooting) and Virginia Tech (15 points on 6/9 from the field). But he saw his minutes vary wildly after that. And over his final four games of February, Bethea shot just 8/38 (21%) from the field while Miami lost five games in a row.

All that said, he will hit the portal as one of the country’s most intriguing young talents. Prior to his freshman season, he was considered by many NBA draft insiders to be a potential one-and-done prospect.

Despite his struggles, Bethea still showed off his shooting touch, particularly in ACC play. In conference play, he hit better than 34% of his attempts from behind the arc, averaging 7.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest.