Note: These rankings do not currently include players who exhausted their collegiate eligibility, but have entered the transfer portal with the hope that the NCAA will tweak its current eligibility rules.
1. RJ Luis, SR, G (St. John’s)
The reigning Big East Player of the Year and a Second Team AP All-American, Luis is one of a handful of players who is in the transfer portal while also going through the NBA Draft process. Don’t let his poor performance in St. John’s second round loss to Arkansas or the drama surrounding him being benched for the last four minutes of said loss distract you from the fact that this is the best available player in the transfer portal.
At 6’7, Luis is a three-level scorer and a high energy defender. His decision making can be iffy and his three-point shot is streaky, but he’s still a player who instantly makes whichever team lands him (if a team lands him) much more of a threat to make a deep run next March than they were before his addition.
2. Darrion Williams, SR, F (Texas Tech)
Like Luis, Williams has until May 28 to decide whether or not he wants to stay in the NBA Draft. If he chooses to return to school, Williams figures to demand one of the highest price tags of the college basketball offseason.
The 6’6 forward averaged 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season for Texas Tech, second most on the team in both categories behind All-American J.T. Toppin (who has already announced a return to Lubbock). Williams was a breakout star in the NCAA Tournament, where he averaged 23.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in three games.
Williams is a true two-way standout who will be one of the most difficult players in the country to defend next season, regardless of where he ends up.
3. Jamir Watkins, SR, G/F (Florida State)
Watkins is testing the NBA Draft waters for a second straight spring after a 2024-25 season where he evolved into one of the most dynamic offensive players in the ACC. The versatile 6’7 wing averaged 18.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 43 percent from the floor for Leonard Hamilton’s final FSU squad. There might not be a better player in college basketball when it comes to getting to the free-throw line.
After transferring in from VCU, Watkins led Florida State in scoring in each of the past two seasons. The All-ACC Second Team selection entered the portal with a “do not contact” tag.
4. Cedric Coward, SR, F (Washington State)
Injuries limited Coward’s 2024-25 season to just six games, but he’s still one of the most coveted players in the portal because of the numbers he put up in those six games as well as the work he did the prior two seasons at Eastern Washington. An elite outside shooter, the 6’6 Coward is currently going through the pre-NBA Draft process, but is expected by most to return school.
The biggest giveaway that he’e returning to school? Coward recently announced that Alabama, Duke, Florida, Kansas, and Washington are the five finalists for his services.
5. Ian Jackson, SO, G (North Carolina)
A former five-star recruit from the Bronx, Jackson earned All-ACC Freshman honors in 2024-25 after averaging 11.9 points, the second most on the team. Jackson is an explosive athlete who is particularly lethal in transition, but he struggled at times with consistency in his first collegiate campaign. St. John’s and NC State are considered by many to be the two schools at the forefront of Jackson’s recruitment, though USC and others have also been involved.
6. Rodney Rice, JR, G (Maryland)
While he was at times overshadowed by backcourt mate Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rice was still one of the biggest reasons why Maryland is fresh off its first run to the Sweet 16 in nearly a decade. The Clinton (MD) product averaged 13.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a sophomore last season. He got better as the year went on, and ascension highlighted by a 7-for-9 three-point performance in a Big Ten Tournament win over Illinois.
7. Xzayvier Brown, JR, G (Saint Joseph’s)
Brown led St. Joe’s in scoring this past season at 17.6 points, while also adding 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He entered the transfer portal this week with a “do not contact” tag, leading more than a few people to believe that he’ll be following his stepfather and former St. Joe’s associate head coach Justin Scott to Oklahoma. Scott was hired as an assistant on Porter Moser’s staff on Monday.
8. Malik Thomas, SR, G (San Francisco)
The West Coast Conference’s reigning scoring champ, Thomas is in the portal after a dynamite 2024-25 campaign that saw him average 19.9 points while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from beyond the arc. Thomas is a terrific scorer off the bounce and has an overall game which should translate to immediate success at the power conference level.
9. Derrion Reid, SO, F (Alabama)
A former 5-star recruit, Reid’s freshman season in Tuscaloosa was largely hampered by a recurring ankle injury. He averaged 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest, but was sidelined for 13 of the Tide’s 37 games. Reid is a better shooter than he showed last season, and will be an effective downhill offensive player and overall defensive stud wherever he lands.
10. Xaivian Lee, SR, G (Princeton)
Without doubt one of the most talked about players in the portal, Lee averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game last season for Princeton. The 6’4 native of Canada shot 43.9 percent from the floor and 36.6 percent from three. Kansas, Florida and St. John’s are among the schools most involved with the two-time First Team All-Ivy League selection.
11. Alvaro Folgueiras, JR, F (Robert Morris)
The 2024-25 Horizon League Player of the Year, Folgueiras averaged 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game last season while shooting 41.3 percent from three. The 6’9 native of Spain appears to be coming into his own after seeing marked increases across the board in his production from year one to year two at Robert Morris, and still has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
After moving on from Kentucky, Villanova, Iowa and Providence are the schools currently most tied to Folgueiras.
12. Blake Harper, SO, F (Howard)
The 6’9 Harper was the most productive freshman in mid-major basketball this past season, averaging 19.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. The lefty is a fearless driver with a very smooth outside shot. He’ll likely take some lumps moving from the MEAC to power conference basketball, but he has the potential to be a big time contributor over multiple seasons at the sport’s highest level.
13. Tayton Conerway, SR, G (Troy)
One of the best defensive guards in all of college basketball last season, Conerway led the Sun Belt in steals per game (3.0) and ranked third in assists (5.1 per game) while also averaging a team-best 13.7 points and 4.3 rebounds (tied for second on the team) for league champion Troy. He became the first Trojan to be named Sun Belt Player of the Year, and was the first conference player of the year period for Troy since 2004, when the program was a member of the Atlantic Sun.
14. Mackenzie Mgbako, JR, F (Indiana)
The highest-rated signing of the Mike Woodson era, Mgbako is in the transfer portal after two good, but perhaps not great seasons in Bloomington. The former 5-star recruit earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 2023-24, and then put up nearly identical stats (12.2 points in both seasons) as a sophomore on an Indiana team that narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament last season. At 6’9, Mgbako combines size, solid shooting ability and offensive versatility to make him an enviable option for any head coach who hopes to space the floor in the halfcourt.
15. Rylan Griffen, SR, G (Kansas)
Things didn’t work out for Griffen in Lawrence, but don’t be surprised if he bounces back in a big way somewhere else in 2025-26. He’s a 6’6 highly capable outside shooter who should thrive if he can find his way back to a pace and space system with adequate talent around him.
16. Dillon Mitchell, SR, F (Cincinnati)
Perhaps the best defensive player in the portal, Mitchell is a 6’8 forward with a ridiculous combination of strength and athleticism. That combination also allows him to be a terrific finisher around the rim, which keeps him a threat on offense despite not possessing a reliable jump shot. His numbers at Cincinnati this past season (9.9 points/6.9 rebounds) were very similar to the ones he posted in the second of his two seasons at Texas.
17. Jacob Ognacevic, SR, F (Lipscomb)
The Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, Ognacevic is coming off a season where he averaged 20.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while leading Lipscomb to the NCAA Tournament. He shot 40.2 percent from three last season, while converting on nearly 73 percent of his shots at the rim. Ognacevic held his own in games against Arkansas, Kentucky and Iowa State last season, scoring 16 or more in all three contests.
18. Tyon Grant-Foster, SR, G (Grand Canyon)
The 6’7 guard is searching for his fourth and final college home after stints at Kansas, DePaul, and a pair of seasons at Grand Canyon. After averaging 20.1 points and being named WAC Player of the Year in 2023-24, Grant-Foster was hampered by injuries throughout last season. He is a tough shot taker and tough shot maker, which could scare off coaches who prioritize efficiency numbers. Still, there are few players currently available in the portal with a lengthier track record of being able to consistently put the ball in the basket.
19. Kennard Davis Jr., JR, F (Southern Illinois)
A versatile 6’6 wing, Davis is coming off a breakout sophomore season that saw him average 16.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for Southern Illinois. A three-level scorer who can create his own shot in a variety of different ways, Ohio State, Miami, DePaul and Ole Miss are among the schools most hotly in pursuit of Davis.
20. Duke Miles, SR, G (Oklahoma)
After initially committing to Virginia in early April, Miles is back on the market. The well-traveled point guard started all 34 games for Oklahoma last season, averaging 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
21. Terrance Arceneaux, JR, G (Houston)
At 6’6, 205-pounds, Arcenaux is capable of playing either forward position on offense and guarding up to four positions on defense. He is a solid scorer at all three levels who should benefit from being further removed from an ACL tear recovery that seemed to affect the early part of his sophomore season.
22. Barrington Hargress, JR, G (UC Riverside)
One of the West Coast’s most dynamic pure scorers, “B-Sheisty” led the Big West in scoring last season at 20.2 points. He dropped 40 in Riverside’s upset of league champion UC San Diego and also scored 31 and hit a halfcourt overtime-forcer in a victory over a Colorado State team that would go on to win a game in the NCAA Tournament.
Hargress recently visited Colorado, and has future visits planned to Seton Hall and Georgia Tech.
23. Dylan Darling, JR, G (Idaho State)
After hardly seeing the court over two seasons at Washington State, Darling earned Big Sky Player of the Year honors last season in his first year at Idaho State. The 6’1 guard averaged 19.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals for the Bengals in 2024-25. Defense and size are question marks for Darling, who has two seasons of eligibility after getting a medical redshirt for his second season at Wazzu. Still, his outside shot and pure scoring ability should allow him to carve a nice at any of the major programs pursuing him.
24. Nick Dorn, JR, G (Elon)
The 6’7 Dorn turned heads with strong performances against both North Carolina and Notre Dame in the non-conference portion of the season. He shot over 35 percent from three in both of his seasons at Elon, despite always being one of the primary focuses of the other team’s defensive scouting report.
25. Josh Ojianwuna, SR, C (Baylor)
Big men are at a premium in the portal, which is why the 6’10 Ojianwuna, who entered the portal on Tuesday, figures to be in such high demand. The native of Nigeria played in 87 games for Baylor over three seasons, and is a career 70.7 percent shooter from the field. Ojianwuna was averaging 7.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game before suffering a season-ending knee injury on Feb. 8.