Transfer portal: 5 mid-major and D2 players who have become high-major targets

The college basketball transfer portal can be a tricky entity. Often times recruiting out of the portal go fast, and college programs rely on quick intel and a Zoom call to get a feel for whether or not a player can be a factor in their program.

2023 On3 Transfer Portal Rankings

The process is very different from high school, where many times a program has time to get to know a player and their surrounding circle and to evaluate the player’s game.

In just over a month’s time, there have already been over 1,400 players who entered the portal. However, we are also just over halfway through the window of the portal being open to first-time, non-graduate transfers to enter without penalty (loss of a year). The portal is open for 60 days after opening on May 13.

On3 has been your go-to source to follow everything happening with the college basketball transfer portal. Daily, we bring you intel, list cuts, who has entered, commitments, up-to-date rankings, and more. So if you are following along at home, be sure to follow the On3 Transfer Portal Hub.

This Week Transfer Portal Recruiting Intel Live Blog
Last Week Transfer Portal Recruiting Intel Live Blog

With a lot of focus on the power six players who can impact a program, I wanted to take a look at five players who come from mid-major or D2 programs that are not getting much buzz but could make impacts at the right high major program.

SG Carlos Stewart – Santa Clara

Carlos Stewart is a 6-foot-1 guard from Santa Clara who averaged 15.2 points and shot 40.3 percent from three. In his four games, this season against Gonzaga and St. Mary’s, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana native bumped his scoring average slightly to 15.8 and gathered 1.8 steals in the contests.

The sophomore earned first-team All-WCC and helped Santa Clara to a third-place finish – behind Gonzaga and St. Mary’s – in the conference. High major programs across the country have reached out here, and they will continue to do so.

SF Chaney Johnson – Alabama-Huntsville

Chaney Johnson was named the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year and earned his second straight first-team All-GSC award. Johnson, who is listed as a sophomore on the D2 Alabama-Huntsville roster, is a 6-foot-7 wing from Alabaster, Alabama, which is just shy of 25 miles outside of Birmingham.

Johnson scored over 20 points six times this season and averaged 15.9 on the season, along with 6.6 rebounds. He has also shot 36.8 percent from three over the last two seasons. He entered the transfer portal at the end of last week, and already power six programs are reaching out. Expect more to check in as his name continues to circulate.

SG Jordan Gainey – USC-Upstate

Jordan Gainey’s only offer out of high school was to USC-Upstate. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard has scored 929 points (14.5 average) in his two seasons on campus while shooting 40.8 percent from three. As a freshman, Gainey was named Big South Rookie of the Year, and as a sophomore, he earned first-team All-Big South honors.

Gainey’s father, former NC State point guard Justin Gainey, is the associate head coach at Tennessee. Major programs from around the high-major college basketball landscape have called on Gainey. Shooting comes at a premium in today’s game.

SF Dalton Knecht – Northern Colorado

Dalton Knecht started off at Northeastern Junior College, where he averaged 17.4 points over his two seasons. He earned first-team NJCAA All-American honors as a sophomore. Knecht then transferred to Northern Colorado, where he averaged 20.2 points last season – his second year at the school – and shot 38.1 percent from three.

Knecht, who is originally from Colorado, has visited Oregon and Tennessee. Programs like Indiana and North Carolina have also been involved, among others. Synergy says Knecht finished with 41 dunks and 124 made threes in his two seasons at Northern Colorado. The 6-foot-6 wing has scored 1,862 career points through his four years of college.

SG Raequan Battle – Montana State

Raequan Battle started off at Washington, where he scored 162 points over two seasons and 34 games. The 6-foot-5 guard then transferred to Montana State and averaged 17.7 points last season -his second with the program – and shot 35.3 percent from three.

Battle is a former four-star, top-100 recruit coming out of Tulalip (WA) Marysville-Pitchuck High. He earned first-team All-Big Sky recognition this season, along with the Big Sky Tournament MVP. He entered the transfer portal on Friday, and by Sunday, multiple programs from the ACC, Big 12, and PAC 12 have been in contact.