Virginia guard Jalen Warley entering transfer portal after Tony Bennett's retirement

Virginia guard Jalen Warley told On3 that he has decided to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal. The decision comes after Tony Bennett, the program’s longtime head coach, announced he would be retiring — effective immediately — earlier this month.

Warley, a 6-foot-7 senior originally from Philadelphia, transferred to Virginia this offseason. He spent the first three years of his career at Florida State and entered college basketball in 2021 as a top-50 recruit. He averaged 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists last season for the Seminoles.

Warley, a former four-star prospect, is the first UVA player to decide to transfer following Bennett’s sudden retirement. He was a part of a five-man transfer class that also featured Duke’s TJ Power, Kansas State’s Dai Dai Ames, and others.

Bennett’s retirement triggers a 30-day transfer portal window for UVA players. The Cavaliers will begin their season in just over a week from now on November 6th against Campbell.

NCAA rules allow athletes on a team with a coaching change to enter the portal the day after the change. According to the NCAA, an athlete who transfers after enrolling at a school cannot transfer during that same year and compete for a new school. Grad students could transfer if they don’t play in any games this fall and be eligible in the spring.

The college basketball transfer portal is scheduled for 30 days during the spring of the 2024-25 academic year. The portal will open after the second round of the NCAA Tournament and conclude before the end of April. Athletes would still be given a 30-day window to transfer after a head coach’s departure.

According to the NCAA, the portal opens for business on Monday, March 24, and closes on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. The national championship game will be played on April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The college basketball transfer portal is starting to mirror the NBA’s free agency. Last spring alone, 1,962 Division I players tested the portal waters. According to college basketball analytics expert Evan Miyakawa, for the first time in history, more than half of the points scored in Division I men’s college basketball will be scored by players recruited through the transfer portal, not from high school in 2024-25.

On3’s Pete Nakos contributed to this report.