10 Game-Changing College Basketball Transfers to Watch This Season

If you weren't paying attention to college basketball in the offseason, we understand. A lot has happened since March Madness gave way to the Final Four and Florida raised the national title trophy. 

But the cost of blocking out the open-range offseason is a get-to-know-you window for fans who missed the more than 2,320 men’s basketball players entered the transfer portal in 2025. 

We filtered down the thousands of movers to this list of 10 high-impact transfers who'll be in new uniforms when the season begins Monday.

P.J Haggerty (Kansas St.)
2024 - 25 with Memphis: 21.7 ppg
AAC Player of the Year

Haggerty spent two full seasons making his mark in the American Athletic Conference (AAC), and prepares to transition back to the Big 12. He spent his freshman redshirt season at TCU.

The unanimous AAC freshman of the year has been able to improve in all facets after starting full seasons at Tulsa and Memphis, most notably his points-per-game increasing every year of his collegiate career.

Haggerty ranked third in the nation last season at 21.7 points per game with the Tigers, alongside an average 48.5 field goal percentage over his last two seasons. Coming off being named second-team All-American last season, Haggerty should have no problem adapting to Big 12 play.

Haggerty will fill the shoes of fellow transfer guards Dug McDaniel and Brandon Hausen, who both found new homes in the transfer portal as well. Two makes one, as Haggerty will likely play the primary scorer role for the Wildcats.

Darrion Williams (NC State)

2024 - 25 with Texas Tech: 15.1 ppg
All Big 12 First Team, ACC Preseason Player of the Year

Wolfpack fans are relying on new head coach Will Wade to bring basketball magic back to Raleigh after finishing third to last in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) last season. His journey began with a splash, landing Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams.

Williams, now with his third program, averaged a career-best 15.1 ppg last season. But plenty of other metrics dipped due to the talent and big men surrounding him. Expect Williams to be a versatile, yet go-to scoring forward for N.C State.

Williams swapped teams with NC State’s leader in points-per-game last season, Marcus Hill. The second leader in that average, Dontrez Styles, ran out of eligibility, leaving big shoes for Williams to fill in an exciting kickoff season of the Will Wade era.

Bennett Stirtz (Iowa)
2024 - 25 with Drake: 19.2 ppg, 5.7 apg
Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, Preseason All-Big 10 Selection

Stirtz became a household name in March. His impressive 19.2 points per game and 49.8 field goal percentage fueled Drake's Cinderella season and he followed head coach Ben McCollum to Iowa City. The duo is with a their third new program together in three years.

A “rebuild” would be an understatement of an adjective when describing the Hawkeyes roster this year. Only two players return from last year's Iowa roster, brothers Cooper and Jacob Koch. With less than half of the new-look roster being freshmen, it’s safe to assume that McCollum has a “win now” mindset.

Coming off a Missouri Valley Player of the Year award, Stirtz will be an immediate impact for the Hawkeyes. With Stirtz’s and McCollum’s chemistry, he’ll likely continue his league-leading minutes-per-game reign on the court, where he finished with 39.4 last season. Paired with his 5.7 assists-per-game last season, expect Stirtz to cause havoc on opposing team’s gamesheets with his vision and shooting affecting all facets of the game.

Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan)

2024 - 25 with UAB: Double Double Average (17.4 ppg, 11.4 rpg)
2x AAC Defensive Player of the Year, 2x First Team All-AAC

Michigan head coach Dusty May was not only able to whisper Lendeborg away from his late first round projection in the 2025 NBA Draft, but into May’s Wolverine program. Lendeborg was widely regarded as the best player available in the portal, being named AAC Defensive Player of the Year and All-AAC in both years with the Blazers.

The Wolverines lost their two best big men, Vladislav Golden and Danny Wolf to the NBA Draft this offseason. If you connect the puzzle pieces, one can assume that May recruited Lendeborg with full intention of giving him access to the driver's seat on offense.

Lendeborg averaged a double-double last season with 17.4 points-per-game and 11.4 rebounds-per-game, ranked third in the nation. Lendeborg says that he’s just scratching the surface of the player he can become, and May intends to bring those talents to full fruition while continuing his historic program turnaround in Ann Arbor.

Donovan Dent (UCLA)
2024 - 25 with UNM: 20.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Mountain West Player of the Year, First-team All-Mountain West

In three seasons with the Lobos, Dent improved on the stat sheet in nearly every category, every year. Now, the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year jumps to the Big Ten to prove he can run with the big(ger) boys.

A career-high 40.9 3-point percentage last season, along with elevated finishing skills makes Dent a remarkable addition to the UCLA roster, packed with returning and transferring talent. Head coach Mike Cronin has the keys in front of him, let’s just hope he knows how to steer.

The Bruins returned a majority of their starting five from last season, with the exception being guard Dylan Andrews, who transferred to Boise State this offseason. Dent will seamlessly fit into this powered-up Bruins starting five.

Ryan Conwell (Louisville)
2024 - 25 with Xavier: 16.5 ppg, 41.2 3P%

The Cardinals had one of the best transfer classes arrive, beginning with the addition of Conwell. Conwell enters his fourth program in four years with an increasing 3-point-percentage in each of those years, finishing last season with a mark of 41.2.

Louisville’s 2024-25 roster had four players averaging over ten points per game. Three of them are gone due to eligibility, leaving a clean spot for Conwell to fit alongside the sole returner, senior guard J’vonne Hadley.

Conwell averaged 16.6 points per game over the last two seasons, with a sharp field goal percentage of 45. He’ll be a matchup nightmare across from fellow sharpshooter transfer Adrian Wooley, who played last season for the Kennesaw State Owls. Wooley finished the season with 18.8 points per game and a 51.2 field goal percentage, 42.2 from three.

Boogie Fland (Florida)
2024 - 25 with Arkansas: 13.5 ppg, 5.1 apg

As if starting 18 of your 21 appearances in an SEC program as a freshman wasn’t gold-star worthy, Johnuel (Boogie) Fland pulled his declaration for the NBA Draft to join the reigning champion Florida Gators. After averaging 13.5 points last season, Fland is hopeful to continue the Gators' dominant offensive presence on the court led last season by transfer Walter Clayton Jr., who now suits up for the Utah Jazz.

Fland recorded a 3.72 assist-to-turnover ratio with the Razorbacks. This should pair nicely with all-Ivy transfer sharpshooter Xaivian Lee who averaged 16.9 points-per-game last season at Princeton, and all-SEC big man Alex Condon, who averaged 10.6 ppg and 7.5 boards for Florida last season.

Ian Jackson (St. John's)
2024 - 25 with UNC: 11.9 ppg, 39.5 3P%

Rick Pitino’s favorite pastime is turning college basketball programs on their head, and ramming into success. St. John has been no exception to his resume, turning an 18-win program to a 31-5 Big East powerhouse in just two seasons. This Red Storm team was built through the transfer portal, with stars taking over the starting five this season.

Jackson’s high-level transition and finishing, paired with a 39.5 three-point-percentage will make him a dangerous option if big man Zuby Ejiofor and forward Bryce Hopkins are simultaneously on the floor.

Now with top scorer RJ Luis on the Boston Celtics, look for Jackson to play the most productive ball of his collegiate career in an arguably top scoring role.

Robert Wright III (BYU)

2024 - 25 with Baylor: 11.5 ppg

After a freshman season with the Bears where Wright started over half of its matchups, he now finds himself starting in one of the most highly anticipated programs this season. Kevin Young and the Cougars added Wright for an immediate scoring impact to pair with the best recruit BYU has ever seen on their roster, freshman A.J Dybantsa.

After averaging 11.5 points and 4.2 rebounds last season, Wright had some of his best performances during the March Madness tournament. In the first round against Mississippi State, Wright recorded his second highest point tally of the season with 19. Wright’s 41.4 field goal percentage makes him a consistent, smart starter in an exciting Cougars lineup.

Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky)
2024 - 25 with Arizona State (24 games): 9.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg

It’s no secret that Quaintance makes an immediate impact when he’s on the court, but that impact will have to wait. As he continues to recover from a torn ACL in late February, it’s important to note that Wildcats head coach Mark Pope says he’s shocked by Quaintance’s recovery progress to date.

Pope affirmed that Quaintance will start immediately when healthy, as a difference maker on defense who’s been working on his offensive consistency as much as his health will allow. A block rate ranked in the top 10 in the country paired with averaging 7.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals bring game-changing expectations. He'll likely make his debut during conference play.