College Basketball Transfer Portal 2025: Top Commitments and Players Available
There are no rules and no loyalty in college basketball anymore. Every season coaches are not only trying to reach out to prospective players and agents, they also need to recruit their own roster back. With the way college basketball is, if you're a player, even if you are happy where you are, you might as well put your name in the portal just to see what's out there in terms of money and fit. The turnover rate is incredible these days, and your favorite school is more likely than not going to look completely different going into next season.
The NCAA Tournament is often referred to as March Madness, but really more of the madness is coming off the court, with the 1,000+ players who have already entered the transfer portal, and hundreds more likely to join over the coming weeks. While we could sit here and talk about what needs to be done to control some of this madness, this is where we are now. Coaches have to play the game to be able to put themselves in position to contend next March.
In the first installment of the transfer portal update for 2025, I will walk you through some of the top commitments to this point and discuss how that player fits on his new team, as well as looking at some of the top names still available and where they might find themselves going into next season.
College Basketball Transfer Portal: Most Impactful Commitments
Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa
Years of Eligibility Remaining: One
2024-25 Stats with Drake: 19.2 PPG, 5.7 APG, 4.3 RPG, 2.1 SPG, 1.8 3PM
For the second time in as many years, Stirtz will follow coach Ben McCollum. Last year it was from Northwest Missouri State to Drake where he put together an incredible season, leading Drake to the NCAA Tournament and earning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors. While Stirtz and McCollum will remain in the state of Iowa, they'll face another upgrade in competition as they look to help the Hawkeyes improve from going 17-16, and just 7-13 in the Big Ten. Certainly there will be a lot more work needed to be done by coach McCollum to put together a roster that can be competitive, but Stirtz is as good as a starting piece as you can ask for. The 6-4 guard has an incredibly high basketball IQ, and just always seems to make the correct play on the offensive end, and he is a great perimeter defender as well.
Donovan Dent, G, UCLA
Years of Eligibility Remaining: One
2024-25 Stats with New Mexico: 20.4 PPG, 6.4 APG, 2.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG
Dent is coming off a career season at New Mexico where he ranked top-15 nationally in scoring and assists on his way to Mountain West Player of the Year honors. He will be going back home to LA after he was a standout at Corona Centennial High School and was honored as the John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year by the Los Angeles Athletic Club in 2022. Funny enough, Dent was not recruited by UCLA and instead went out to New Mexico, where he has spent the last three years steadily improving as a player. The most fascinating part about this whole commitment is how Dent will adjust playing under Mick Cronin. New Mexico had one of the fastest paces in the entire country under Richard Pitino and really seemed to fit Dent's skillset. Cronin has always played at a much slower pace and been much more methodical in his offensive approach. Surely he'll be able to adapt some things with a player of Dent's talent. Both Dylan Andrews and Sebastian Mack have entered the transfer portal in the backcourt, which leaves a big hole Dent should be able to fill alongside Skyy Clark.
Ryan Conwell, G, Louisville, Adrian Wooley, G, Louisville, and Isaac McKneely, G, Lousiville
Conwell Years of Eligibility Remaining: One
Conwell 2024-25 Stats with Xavier: 16.5 PPG, 2.9 3PM, 2.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.3 SPG
Wooley Years of Eligibility Remaining: Three
Wooley 2024-25 Stats with Kennesaw State: 18.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.2 3PM, 1.4 SPG
McKneely Years of Eligibility Remaining: One
McKneely 2024-25 Stats with Virginia: 14.4 PPG, 3.2 3PM, 2.9 APG, 2.7 RPG
Louisville are the early winners in the transfer portal, netting three of the top available guards. Conwell is a veteran who will be on his fourth school in as many years. He hit nearly three treys per game and knocked them down at an over 41-percent clip last season. Wooley burst on the scene as a freshman at Kennesaw State and ranked third in the C-USA in scoring at 18.8 PPG. He'll be able to play more on-ball alongside Conwell, and is familiar playing with another great scorer in the backcourt as Simeon Cottle averaged 18.0 PPG for Kennesaw State last year. McKneely is has been one of the most prolific shooters in the ACC for the last couple years. He knocked down 3.2 three-pointers per contest last season and has shot at least 39.2 percent from three in every season. Coach Pat Kelsey did an incredible job turning this program around last season going from the laughing stock of the ACC, to one of the top contenders. He is shaping up to have one of the best rosters in the country with the additions of Conwell, Wooley and McKneely to go along with five-star guard Mikel Brown Jr., and redshirts last season from talented big men Kasean Pryor and Aly Khalifa. Chucky Hepburn, Terrence Edwards, and Reyne Smith will be a lot to replace, but I think they've got the right guys for the job.
Keyshawn Hall, F, Auburn
Years of Eligibility Remaining: One
2024-25 Stats with UCF: 18.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.4 3PM
Hall was one of the top newcomers in the Big 12 this season. After a tremendous sophomore season at George Mason, he largely bettered those numbers playing in one of the toughest conferences in America. Hall is a dynamic scorer who is able to score at all levels. He's a bit of a tough matchup to defend against as an undersized power forward at 6-7. Hall should be an excellent fit for Auburn and coach Bruce Pearl next season as the Tigers will lose a lot of interior players like Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell, Chris Moore and Chad Baker-Mazara. Hall will be a great building block for Auburn to build their rest of this roster around. They also bring in a trio of four-star recruits and will hope to bring back Tahaad Pettiford.
Oscar Cluff, C, Purdue
Years of Eligibility Remaining: One
2024-25 Stats with South Dakota State: 17.6 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.8 BPG
Add Cluff to the list of recent South Dakota State transfers who help power conferences teams improve from Day 1. A few years ago it was Baylor Scheierman, last year it was Zeke Mayo and now it will be Cluff. The 6-11 big man was simply dominant in the Summit League in his one season after coming over from Washington State. Cluff was a big part of the reason that the Jackrabbits were No. 1 in the nation in limiting offensive rebounds for opposing teams. He will bring a lot to the table to Purdue who really struggled all season to rebound the ball and defend the paint. Assuming Trey Kaufman-Renn (20.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG), Braden Smith (15.8 PPG, 8.7 APG) and Fletcher Loyer (13.8 PPG, 44.4 three-point percentage) all return for their final season of eligibility with Purude, the Boilermakers appear to have the inside track to return to the top of the Big Ten in 2025-26.
Stay up to date on both the NCAAB transfer portal and NBA Draft declarations with the latest college basketball player news on RotoWire. Our college basketball depth charts are also updated with the latest in roster movement.
College Basketball Transfer Portal: Best Players Still Available
Yaxel Lendeborg, F, UAB
Years of Eligibility Remaining: One
2024-25 Stats: 17.2 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.7 SPG
The numbers Lendeborg put up last season with UAB were just insane. He's a double-double machine who has great vision to find open teammates and is a menace on the defensive end of the floor. He also shot 47 percent from three-point range over the final eight games of the season. Lendeborg ranked inside the top-five of the AAC in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks and steals last season. He is testing the NBA Draft process, but most believe he could benefit from one more year at the college level in a power conference. There's been a lot of teams thrown out as possibilities for Lendeborg's services, but I'm expecting it to be one of the SEC schools like Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama or Arkansas. All four of those teams will have major voids in the frontcourt going into the 2025-26 campaign.
RJ Luis Jr., G/F, St. John's
Years of Eligibility Remaining: One
2024-25 Stats with St. John's: 18.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.3 3PM
After St. John's season ended with Luis sitting on the bench for much of the final stretch after he had a tough shooting night, it kind of got you thinking that he might test the transfer portal to see what other opportunities are out there. Luis had just a special junior season that saw him take home Big East Player of the Year honors. He can really play anywhere on the court and be successful. He definitely improved his outside shot this past season, but I think he can still take some strides in that area as a senior and turn himself into a solid NBA player in the future. Luis is testing the NBA Draft process as well, so this decision could take some time. There really hasn't been a lot of noise on where he might land, but Florida or Gonzaga seem like a couple really nice landing spots. Those are two great offensive coaches who who are losing a number of guards going into the 2025-26 campaign.
Ja'Kobi Gillespie, G, Maryland
Years of Eligibility Remaining: One
2024-25 Stats with Maryland: 14.7 PPG, 4.8 APG, 2.8 RPG, 2.4 3PM, 1.9 SPG
Gillespie found his way to Maryland prior to last season after a standout sophomore campaign with Belmont that saw him put up 17.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per contest. He was really about that same sort of player last season at Maryland on a much better roster, and also really improved as a shooter, knocking down nearly 41 percent of his shots from behind the arc. Tennessee seems to be the early leader for Gillespie's services, which makes a lot of sense considering the Vols are going to see Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier graduate. I also wouldn't rule out Gillespie following coach Kevin Willard to Villanova.
Flory Bidunga, C, Kansas
Years of Eligibility Remaining: Three
2024-25 Stats with Kansas: 5.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.6 BPG
It seemed like Bidunga was destined for a monster sophomore season at Kansas with Hunter Dickinson and KJ Adams both out of eligibility going into 2025-26, but Bidunga surprised a lot of people when he elected to hop into the transfer portal. There's still a possibility he returns to the Jayhawks, but there's going to be a lot of coaches out there who are going to throw a lot of money at a player with the kind of upside that Bidunga has. The 6-9 freshman never got to show his full potential at only 16.2 MPG playing behind a more experienced frontcourt, but when he was on the court he was a beast. Bidunga has a great feel for the game for someone who hasn't really been playing that long. He is a great rim-runner with a soft touch. Bidunga also has great timing on the defensive end in being able to disrupt shots. If he doesn't return to Kansas, Bidunga would be a great option for any of the teams mentioned above that strikes out on Yaxel Lendeborg. Indiana also can't be ruled out for Bidunga who went to high school in Kokomo and was named 2024 Indiana Mr. Basketball.
Josh Dix, G, Iowa
Years of Eligibility Remaining: One
2024-25 Stats with Iowa: 14.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 2.0 3PM, 0.9 SPG
Dix steadily improved over this three seasons with Iowa and now is one of the more coveted guards in the transfer portal following the departure of coach Fran McCaffery. Dix played his best basketball down the stretch and averaged over 16 PPG over his final 12 contests. The 6-6 guard shot north of 40 percent from three-point range in each of his three seasons with the Hawkeyes, and that type of consistent shooting will always get you noticed among some top programs. It looks like it might be a three-horse race for Dix between Creighton, Illinois and Kansas.
