Wake Forest guard Ty-Laur Johnson plans to enter transfer portal

Wake Forest guard Ty-Laur Johnson is planning to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned. Johnson averaged 6.1 points and 2.7 assists as a sophomore this season.

Johnson played in 29 of the Demon Deacons games this past season, including recorded 19 starts. He scored in double figures on five seperate occasions for Wake Forest, including a season-high 16 points against in a 76-74 win over Pitt at home on Feb. 1

He began his career at Louisville in 2023. The 6-foot freshman from Brooklyn, New York averaged 8.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game that season before transferring across the conference.

Johnson had a career-best performance during his true season with the Cardinals. He recorded 27 points and recorded 11 assists in a 101-92 win over Florida State in Feb. 2023. He transferred away from the program after Louisville fired former head coach Kenny Payne after last season. Payne was replaced by Pat Kelsey, and Johnson moved on as well.

Before arriving on campus at Louisville as a freshman, Johnson was a four-star recruit out of New Jersey, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 85 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, and was the No. 18 point guard in his cycle.

Wake Forest finished the 2024-25 college basketball season with a 21-11 record, including a 13-7 mark against ACC competition. Despite this, they did not make the NCAA Tournament field as only Duke, Louisville, Clemson and North Carolina were representing the conference in March Madness this season.

Despite compiling an 86-49 record over the last four years, which averages out to 21.5 wins per season, the Demon Deacons have not qualified for the NCAA Tournament since the 2016-17 season under former head coach Danny Manning. In total, Wake Forest has made the Big Dance just three times in the last 20 years. This follows a stretch from 1990-2005 where the Demon Deacons made the NCAA Tournament in all but three seasons.

The Demon Deacons will look to turn that trend around next season, but it appears Johnson will not be on the roster for that push. Now, he’ll turn his attention toward the portal to find his next home in college basketball.

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.