25 Men’s College Basketball Transfers To Watch During The 2026-27 Season

In this era of college basketball, thriving in the transfer portal can lead to success. It certainly helps a program land inside FOX Sports’ Casey Jacobsen’s top 25. Ahead of the 2026-2027 season, let’s take a look at the transfers that boosted their team into that national recognition. Here’s one transfer to watch from each of Jacobsen’s top-25 teams. Burton averaged 18.5 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game and 3.7 assists per game in 2025-26. He transferred to Indiana from Notre Dame ahead of his senior season. He’ll provide the Hoosiers with a dynamo scorer after Lamar Wilkerson and Darian DeVries graduated. Stat to know: Burton led the ACC and ranked ninth nationally in usage rate in both seasons at Notre Dame (33.5% in 2023-24, 34.4% in 2024-25). Cruz Davis averaged 20.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 4.7 APG as a junior at Hofstra, helping the Pride to an NCAA Tournament appearance. He transferred to Texas Tech for his senior season. He’ll help replace the loss of Christian Anderson (NBA) and Jaylen Petty (transfer to UCLA). Stat to know: Davis was one of just two Division I players in 2025–26 with at least 700 points, 150 assists and 80 made 3-pointers while shooting 40% or better from beyond the arc. Jaxon Kohler averaged 12.5 PPG, 8.9 RPG and 1.3 APG last season. He spent four years at Michigan State and played for the Utah Jazz in the NBA Summer League. He was granted a temporary injunction for a fifth year of college and transferred to BYU. Stat to know: Jaxon Kohler was one of only two power-conference players in the entire country to record at least 300 rebounds and 50 made 3-pointers last season. He crashes the glass and splashes from deep. Eric Reibe averaged 5.9 PPG, 3.3 RPH and 0.5 APG as a freshman at UConn. He transferred to USC for his sophomore season after playing behind Tarris Reed Jr. Reibe was expected to start for the Trojans, but he’s currently injured. Stat to know: As a freshman at UConn last season, Reibe led all Division I freshmen in effective field goal percentage (67.1%) and field goal percentage (65.8%), with a minimum of 150 attempts. As a freshman at Baylor, Tounde Yessoufou averaged 17.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 1.6 APG. He declared for the NBA Draft, but opted out on the final day and transferred to St. John’s. He and Quinn Ellis could combine for one of the best backcourts in the nation. Stat to know: As a freshman at Baylor, Yessoufou became one of just three major-conference freshmen since 2010 with at least 600 points, 175 rebounds and 60 steals, joining Zion Williamson and Ben Simmons. Drew Fielder averaged 14.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 1.3 AST, last season. He transferred from Boise State to Alabama. He could provide similar versatility on the wing to what Grant Nelson did for the Crimson Tide. Stat to know: At Boise State last year, he shot 60.6% on 2-pointers, 40.9% on 3-pointers and 78.5% from the line, posting a 65.0% true shooting percentage. Leroy Blyden Jr. averaged 16.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 4.5 APG as a freshman for Toledo. He transferred to Kansas, where he’ll join a team flush with fifth-year veterans and freshman Tyran Stokes. Stat to know: Blyden was the only Division I player with at least 500 points, 150 assists, 60 steals and 70 made 3-pointers while shooting 40% or better from beyond the arc. Jaylen Petty averaged 9.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG and 2.2 APG as a freshman at Texas Tech. He stepped up for the Red Raiders when J.T. Toppin got hurt. He transferred to UCLA and will help the Bruins replace the departures of Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark. Stat to know: As a freshman at Texas Tech, Petty led all Big 12 freshmen with a 2.47 assist-to-turnover ratio (minimum 50 assists), recording 74 assists and just 30 turnovers. Milan Momcilovic averaged 16.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 1.0 APG, last season. He tested the NBA Draft waters before returning to college basketball, and transferring from Iowa State to Kentucky. Momcilovic led the nation, shooting 48.7% from 3-point range, which could help a Wildcats’ team that struggled from deep in 2025-26. Stat to know: Milan Momcilovic averaged 16.9 points per game last season, the fourth-highest scoring average among transfers heading into this season. The Wildcats just added a walking bucket. As a freshman at Villanova, Acaden Lewis averaged 12.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 5.3 APG. He transferred to Miami for his sophomore season, and could take a leap similar to how Tre Donaldson did under head coach Jai Lucas. Stat to know: Lewis was the only high-major freshman with at least 170 assists and 60 steals last season. Moustapha Thiam averaged 12.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 1.6 BLK for Cincinnati in 2025-26. He has three years of eligibility remaining, and will play them out at Michigan. He will help the Wolverines, who saw forwards Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson and center Aday Mara get selected in the NBA Draft, defend their national championship. Stat to know: Thiam led all Division I freshmen and the Big 12 with 88 blocks last season. Jaquan Johnson averaged 16.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG and 3.6 APG at Bradley last season. He’ll take a step up to the Big 12 at Iowa State. His production will be crucial for the Cyclones, who lost Killyan Toure to a long-term injury. Stat to know: Johnson ranked fifth in Division I with 85 steals (2.5 per game) while posting a 2.57 assist-to-turnover ratio with just 47 turnovers in 1,032 minutes. Jeremiah Wilkinson averaged 17.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG and 1.7 APG as a junior at Georgia. He hopped to another SEC team, in Arkansas, for his senior season. He’ll be the veteran on a team of freshmen, such as Jordan Smith Jr., Abdou Toure, J.J. Edwards and others. Stat to know: Wilkinson ranked second in the SEC with 27.1 points per 40 minutes last season. Juke Harris was the third-leading scorer in the ACC with 21.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 1.9 APG. He transferred from Wake Forest to Tennessee ahead of his junior season. He almost went to Michigan, but instead, stayed in the South and will help a Tennessee team flush with transfers. Stat to know: Harris was the only Division I player with at least 700 points, 200 rebounds and 80 made 3-pointers a season ago. Massamba Diop was productive as a freshman at Arizona State, averaging 13.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 2.1 BLK. He transferred to Gonzaga, where the uber-athletic center will help the Bulldogs after Graham Ike graduated. Stat to know: Diop was one of just seven high-major players with at least 400 points, 175 rebounds and 65 blocks in 2025-26. Jurian Dixon averaged 15.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 2.5 APG in the Big West at UC Irvine. For his senior year, he’ll take a step up to the ACC and join Virginia. The Cavaliers are full of returning talent from last year’s roster, but no longer have dynamic guards Malik Thomas or Jacari White. Stat to know: Dixon ranked fourth in the Big West with 557 points, averaging 15.9 per game and 20.9 per 40 minutes. Dedan Thomas Jr. averaged 15.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG and 6.5 APG at LSU last season. For his senior season, he’ll help Houston, which lost Kingston Flemings, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan to the NBA. Stat to know: Thomas’ 4.00 assist-to-turnover ratio led the SEC and ranked fourth nationally among Division I players with at least 100 assists. Flory Bidunga averaged 13.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 2.6 BLKs with Bill Self at Kansas. He was one of the top transfers in the portal. He chose Louisville, where he’ll provide head coach Pat Kelsey with the best center in his three seasons with the Cardinals. Stat to know: Bidunga was the only Division I player in 2025-26 with at least 450 points, 300 rebounds and 90 blocks while shooting 60% or better, joining Chet Holmgren and Brandon Clarke as the only players to reach those marks in the past decade. David Punch averaged 14.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 2.0 APG at TCU. He went across the state, transferring to Texas ahead of his junior season. The Longhorns built one of the strongest rosters through the portal after a Sweet Sixteen run in 2025-2026. Stat to know: Punch was the only major-conference player in 2025–26 with at least 450 points, 225 rebounds, 65 blocks, 65 assists and 45 steals, joining Sir’Dominic Pointer (2014-15) as the only players to do so since 2015. Nikolas Khamenia averaged 5.7 PPG, 3.3 RPH and 1.0 APG on a stacked Duke team in 2025-26. Ahead of his sophomore season, he’ll join the runners-up from last season, UConn, to help the Huskies get back to the mountaintop. Khamenia will have big shoes to fill in two-time NCAA champion Alex Karaban, who graduated. Stat to know: Khamenia was one of just two ACC freshmen last season, alongside former teammate Cameron Boozer, to make at least 35 3-pointers while shooting over 60% on 2-pointers. Derek Dixon averaged 6.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 2.7 APG last season. He transferred from North Carolina to Arizona ahead of his sophomore season. Head coach Tommy Lloyd is betting on a leap for Dixon after Jaden Bradley graduated and Brayden Burries was drafted. Stat to know: Dixon as the only ACC player with at least 50 made 3-pointers, 90 assists and an assist-to-turnover ratio above 2.30. Anton Bonke averaged 10.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 1.0 APG for Charlotte last season. Tom Izzo doesn’t always dive into the transfer portal, but he dabbled this past season, adding Bonke to help replace the departures of Kohler and Carson Cooper. Stat to know: Bonke as the only Division I player last season with at least 275 rebounds, 100 offensive rebounds, 50 blocks and 10 made 3-pointers. Stefan Vaaks averaged 15.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.2 APG for Providence in 2025-26. He transferred to Illinois, and is a skilled playmaker who will help Illinois after Kylan Boswell graduated and Keaton Wagler was selected in the NBA Draft. Stat to know: Vaaks led the Big East with 91 made 3-pointers and was the conference’s only player, and one of just eight across the power conferences, with at least 90 made 3-pointers and 90 assists in 2025-2026. John Blackwell averaged 19.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 2.3 APG in his third season at Wisconsin. For his senior year, he decided to transfer, choosing Duke. Blackwell will be the veteran on one of the most stacked rosters in college basketball, featuring a slew of transfers and highly touted freshman. Stat to know: Blackwell was the only player in Big Ten history with at least 650 points, 95 made 3-pointers and 150 made free throws in a single season. Denzel Aberdeen averaged 13.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 3.4 APG for a struggling Kentucky team last season. He was granted a fifth year of eligibility and transferred to Florida, where he played before Kentucky. Aberdeen helped the Gators win the 2024-25 national title, and will now help them return to those heights. Stat to know: Aberdeen posted a 2.62 assist-to-turnover ratio last season (123 assists, 47 turnovers), ranking third in the SEC among players with at least 100 assists.