The battle for the No. 1 spot at the top of the college basketball transfer portal team rankings remains close — for now. Arkansas still holds the top spot, but Indiana and several others are not far behind heading into the back half of May. Duke and Washington are among the risers with high-profile commitments in the past week. Both teams are now positioned inside the top 25 of the transfer portal team rankings.
Although the window is closed for new entries there are still big moves taking place as teams try to build their rosters for the upcoming 2024-25 season. There are 14 transfer prospects from the top 100 rankings in this cycle uncommitted at this point. An abundance of elite talent was available this record-setting transfer cycle with more than 1,900 players entering their name throughout the 45-day window.
Some teams are forced to recruit through the transfer portal more than others as they undergo a massive roster overhaul. Most of the teams adding a high number of transfers experienced a coaching change and subsequent exodus of players into the portal.
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Below is a look at the latest top 25 college basketball transfer portal team rankings as of Thursday (May 16) at 1 p.m. ET:
20. NC State Wolfpack — 27.45
19. Duke Blue Devils — 27.63
18. Baylor Bears — 27.72
17. USC Trojans — 28.53
16. Texas Longhorns — 28.70
Duke joined in on the conversation for a top-25 transfer portal class with its third addition since the start of the cycle last week. Former Tulane shooting guard Sion James became the highest-rated of the three newcomers alongside former Syracuse power forward Maliq Brown and former Purdue small forward Mason Gillis. All rank as top-100 individual transfers and give the Blue Devils three experienced contributors to add to its top-ranked incoming freshmen class.
Illinois lost seven of its top nine scorers from a squad that advanced all the way to the Elite Eight this past season. So, replenishing the roster with transfers is a must for head coach Brad Underwood. The process seems to be a success up to this point with the spring window now closed and the Fighting Illini securing five newcomers. Former Arizona point guard and top-40 overall transfer Kylan Boswell headlines the group that also includes former Notre Dame power forward Carey Booth as another top-100 transfer player in this cycle.
Ohio State has two former McDonald’s All-Americans locked into its incoming transfer class with Duke power forward Sean Stewart and Kentucky big man Aaron Bradshaw en route to Columbus. New head coach Jake Diebler put together a strong haul from the portal, which also includes former Ohio State shooting guard Meechie Johnson, who returns to the Buckeyes after two seasons at South Carolina. Ohio State built momentum after a mid-season coaching change and looks to keep that rolling into the 2024-25 campaign.
Ole Miss got on a hot streak early in the transfer portal window with a handful of commitments before landing the headliner of its haul in May. Former Virginia Tech point guard Sean Pedulla will spend his final year of eligibility in Oxford coming off a career-best season in which he averaged 16.4 points per game. Four of the five incoming transfers for head coach Chris Beard and the Rebels rank among the top-150 in the latest update. Former Seton Hall small forward Dre Davis provides another veteran presence for Ole Miss with more than 1,100 career points while shooting 47% from the field.
After matching its lowest single-season win total (8) in almost 60 years and going winless against SEC opponents, Missouri is in desperate need of upgrades to its roster ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. The Tigers already have a quartet of four-star transfers committed, including former Duke power forward Mark Mitchell and Iowa veteran point guard Tony Perkins. Third-year head coach Dennis Gates also secured a top-15 high school recruiting class that could help Missouri get things turned around after a dismal season.
Penny Hardaway faces added pressure to take the next step at Memphis in 2024-25. He reached at least 20 wins in each of the six seasons as the head coach at his alma mater, but the Tigers have yet to advance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. An influx of talent from the transfer portal could help Memphis hit another gear with former Texas point guard Tyrese Hunter and former Tulsa shooting guard PJ Haggerty molding a strong pairing in the backcourt. A familiar face in former five-star big man Moussa Cisse returns to Memphis where he started his college career. He reconnects with former Oklahoma State teammate Tyreek Smith in the talented transfer class for the Tigers.
After finishing the season with a losing record for the first time in eight years, head coach Mick Cronin and UCLA went to work in the transfer portal to secure several prized commitments. The most notable newcomer is former USC small forward Kobe Johnson, who opted to make the crosstown move to the rival Bruins. A new point guard is also en route to UCLA with former Louisville standout Skyy Clark being the first of six transfer additions since the start of the cycle. The Bruins also landed a trio of power forwards for size — Tyler Bilodeau (Oregon State), Eric Dailey (Oklahoma State) and William Kyle (South Dakota State). A major reload class of transfers needs to mesh early as UCLA transitions to the Big Ten.
New Michigan head coach Dusty May did not shy away from expectations of winning early in Ann Arbor. A top-10 transfer portal haul should help the Wolverines in those efforts as they begin a new era. Michigan made a major push in recent weeks with a wave of incoming transfers headlined by two of the best big men in the portal this cycle. Former Yale standout Danny Wolf was the first to join the haul before former Florida Atlantic 7-foot-1 center Vladislav Goldin decided to follow his head coach to Michigan. The Wolverines also landed a trio of transfers with high-major experience including former Ohio State shooting guard Roddy Gayle Jr. and Auburn point guard Tre Donaldson.
Washington made a big move up the transfer portal team rankings when it landed the best available prospect earlier this week in former Utah State center Great Osobor. The 6-foot-8, 250-pound big man reportedly got a sizable NIL opportunity with upwards of $2 million to follow his head coach to the Huskies. Osobor gets much of the attention as the headliner of the Washington transfer haul, but it also includes two other four-stars in former Butler combo guard D.J. Davis and former Rice shooting guard Mekhi Mason. It is worth noting that three of the incoming transfers for the Huskies are not yet rated.
Alabama hit big in the transfer portal to help its efforts in reaching the Final Four for the first time in program history this past season. The Crimson Tide look to repeat that formula of success heading into the 2024-25 campaign with four incoming transfers up to this point. Head coach Nate Oats and Co. secured one of the best transfer centers of the cycle in former Rutgers big man Clifford Omoruyi. The 6-foot-11, 240-pound veteran averaged 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game this past season. He joins an Alabama transfer class that already features three standout guards, including former Auburn freshman Aden Holloway.
Kansas was positioned inside the top 5 of the transfer portal team rankings before losing one of its commits last week. Former Florida guard Riley Kugel will not play for the Jayhawks and opted to reopen his recruitment as he receives interest from other high-major programs. The Kansas backcourt is still loaded with three incoming transfers locked in, including former Wisconsin standout AJ Storr, who ranks as the No. 4 overall transfer prospect of the cycle. A two-time transfer, Storr led the Badgers with 16.8 points per game this past season. Former Alabama sophomore Rylan Griffen played a key role in the run to the Final Four with 11.2 points per game while shooting 45.4% from the field and 39.2% from 3-point range. He joins a veteran Kansas squad looking to regain control of the Big 12 in 2024-25.
Kentucky was red-hot in the transfer portal as the window for entries closed in early May. New head coach Mark Pope and the Wildcats are up to eight incoming transfers — all of which but one rate as four-stars — as they piece together a roster for the 2024-25 season. Former McDonald’s All-American Brandon Garrison headlines the haul for Kentucky. The 6-foot-11, 245-pound big man flashed as a true freshman at Oklahoma State last season. Former San Diego State point guard Lamont Butler Jr. and former Oklahoma wing Otega Oweh also rank as top-50 transfer additions for Kentucky. The start of the new era in Lexington is promising and the Wildcats are still active in pursuit of additional transfers.
New head coach Darian DeVries quietly has West Virginia in the top 5 of the transfer portal team rankings after securing two top-10 prospects of the cycle. The Mountaineers are the only Division I team to do so. Javon Small ranks as the top transfer point guard in the cycle and will remain in the Big 12 for the 2024-25 season after one year at Oklahoma State. West Virginia immediately landed one of the top early transfers in Tucker DeVries, the son of the new head man in Morgantown and Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. The Mountaineers could be setting themselves up to see immediate success in a new era with a strong incoming transfer class that continues to grow and ranks as the best in the Big 12.
St. John’s made two huge moves in the portal since the beginning of May to climb up the transfer team rankings. Head coach Rick Pitino and the Red Storm landed the No. 1 overall transfer prospect in former Seton Hall point guard Kadary Richmond just one day after it secured former Utah point guard Deivon Smith. Those additions vaulted St. John’s into the top 5 of the transfer team rankings. Richmond earned First Team All-Big East honors last season while averaging 10.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Smith ranked sixth nationally among all Division I players with 7.1 assists per game.
Indiana secured some much-needed help for head coach Mike Woodson as he enters a crucial 2024-25 season. The Hoosiers grabbed the No. 2 overall transfer portal prospect of the cycle in former Arizona big man Oumar Ballo as the key addition, but four other incoming transfers are positioned inside the top-150 individual rankings. While Ballo provides a huge presence inside for the Hoosiers, the addition of three talented guards fortifies the roster. Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and former Washington State combo guard Myles Rice joins fellow standout freshman and Stanford transfer Kanaan Carlyle en route to Bloomington. Indiana also secured a Division II transfer from Bellarmine in forward Langdon Hatton, who is not yet rated.
Arkansas continues to hang around the top of the transfer portal team rankings with new head coach John Calipari piecing together an entirely fresh roster for the 2024-25 season. The Razorbacks have four incoming transfers locked in with two of those following Calipari from Kentucky — Zvonimir Ivisic and Adou Thiero. But the obvious headliner for the Arkansas haul is former Florida Atlantic star guard Johnell Davis, who ranks as the No. 3 overall transfer in the cycle. The Razorbacks still have a lot of work to do to fill out a roster next season and more additional transfers could be on the way soon.
