Milan Momcilovic's commitment to Kentucky last week essentially closed the 2026 transfer portal cycle. The former Iowa State star was the last remaining uncommitted transfer in ESPN's top 100, and barring a surprise coaching change, the dust has mostly settled for the balance of the offseason.
Comparing portal classes is an increasingly difficult task. Some programs are bringing in eight, nine, 10 transfers -- and that's not limited to just first-year coaches. Rick Barnes and Tennessee, for example, signed eight transfers. Others, like Duke, need only one or two specific roster pieces. As a result, rankings are generally going to skew toward bigger portal hauls with three or four top-100 transfers.
Before we dive in, let's look at how last year's rankings panned out: Michigan, which came in at No. 3, was the clear top transfer team -- the Wolverines immediately started four transfers and won a national championship. St. John's, which we slotted at No. 1, had two of its additions go on to secure All-Big East honors. Not bad. The team the Red Storm edged out for the top spot, Kentucky, saw its top two transfers play a combined 13 games. Not great.
This year's rankings featured a three-way battle for No. 1 between Tennessee, Louisville and Texas.
1. Tennessee Volunteers
Juke Harris (21.4 PPG at Wake Forest)
Dai Dai Ames (16.9 PPG at California)
Jalen Haralson (16.2 PPG at Notre Dame)
Tyler Lundblade (15.6 PPG at Belmont)
Terrence Hill Jr. (15.0 PPG at VCU)
Miles Rubin (11.3 PPG at Loyola Chicago)
Braedan Lue (10.9 PPG at Kennesaw State)
Christian Fermin (0.8 PPG at VCU)
Rick Barnes clearly emphasized offense in the portal. Seven of the team's eight incoming transfers averaged double figures at their previous schools -- Harris, Ames, Haralson, Lundblade and Hill are each considered high-level offensive players. Harris was an elite scorer last season; Ames and Hill are playmakers with the ball in their hands; Lundblade is a terrific off-ball mover and shotmaker; and Haralson is highly productive inside the arc.
There will be a learning curve for the Vols' newcomers on the defensive end, but Rubin has been an excellent shot blocker and rim protector for three seasons.
2. Louisville Cardinals
Jackson Shelstad (15.6 PPG at Oregon)
De'Shayne Montgomery (13.4 PPG at Dayton)
Flory Bidunga (13.3 PPG at Kansas)
Alvaro Folgueiras (8.4 PPG at Iowa)
Karter Knox (8.1 PPG at Arkansas)
Gabe Dynes (2.9 PPG at USC)
Despite losing out on Momcilovic's commitment, Louisville still closes the portal cycle with an elite group of transfers. The Cardinals made a very early splash, securing Shelstad and Bidunga within days of the portal opening -- Shelstad was one of the best point guards available, while Bidunga is one of the sport's premier defenders and will be an immediate All-ACC frontcourt player. Folgueiras was terrific in the NCAA tournament after an up-and-down season at Iowa; Knox brings power, athleticism and some two-way ability; and Montgomery is an excellent defender who can score.
3. Texas Longhorns
Isaiah Johnson (16.9 PPG at Colorado)
David Punch (14.1 PPG at TCU)
Mikey Lewis (13.9 PPG at Saint Mary's)
Elyjah Freeman (9.2 PPG at Auburn)
Amari Evans (4.1 PPG at Tennessee)
One of only three teams with four players ranked inside our top 100 transfers, Texas carried the momentum from its surprising Sweet 16 run onto the recruiting trail. Punch was one of the best players in the portal, a breakout who does a little bit of everything. Johnson hit the ground running as a freshman at Colorado, immediately showing his high-level playmaking chops. Freeman and Evans are SEC-tested pieces, with Freeman poised for another step forward after transferring up from Division II last offseason. And Lewis, who was a big-game performer at Saint Mary's, should generate instant offense.
4. Kentucky Wildcats
Milan Momcilovic (16.9 PPG at Iowa State)
Alex Wilkins (17.8 PPG at Furman)
Zoom Diallo (15.7 PPG at Washington)
Justin McBride (15.3 PPG at James Madison)
Jerone Morton (7.8 PPG at Washington State)
Franck Kepnang (6.2 PPG at Washington)
Much like Momcilovic's commitment pushed Kentucky comfortably into the top 25 nationally, his addition also landed Mark Pope and the Wildcats in these transfer class rankings. Prior to his signing, Kentucky's portal work was headlined by the dynamic backcourt of Wilkins and Diallo. Both prefer to play with the ball in their hands, but should be an exciting duo to watch develop. Momcilovic, however, is now the focal point -- he was the best shooter in the country last season at Iowa State and should lead Kentucky in scoring. McBride offers a different dimension at forward, while Kepnang offers depth with high-major experience.
5. St. John's Red Storm
Tounde Yessoufou (17.8 PPG at Baylor)
Donnie Freeman (16.5 PPG at Syracuse)
Kyle Cuffe Jr. (7.3 PPG at Mercer)
Avery Brown (4.3 PPG at Columbia)
After riding the No. 1 finish in last year's transfer class rankings to the Sweet 16, Rick Pitino and the Red Storm once again find themselves with one of the best portal classes in the country. This class is smaller -- four transfers instead of seven -- but is one of just three teams in the country with two top-15 transfers. They swooped in at the NBA draft withdrawal deadline to land Yessoufou, one of the most naturally gifted scorers in the country and a top-five transfer. He joins a group that also includes Freeman, who was productive in two seasons at Syracuse and should pose a matchup problem for Big East opponents.
6. Indiana Hoosiers
Markus Burton (18.5 PPG at Notre Dame)
Bryce Lindsay (12.3 PPG at Villanova)
Aiden Sherrell (11.1 PPG at Alabama)
Samet Yigitoglu (10.7 PPG at SMU)
Jaeden Mustaf (10.4 PPG at Georgia Tech)
Justin Monden (6.0 PPG at Maryland Eastern Shore)
Darren Harris (3.3 PPG at Duke)
After taking over a program with zero returning players last spring, it's another total rebuild for Darian DeVries, who welcomes back one player from last season. The Hoosiers welcome in three top-30 transfers: Burton, Sherrell and Yigitoglu. Burton is an outstanding playmaker and scorer when healthy (he's been injured much of the last two seasons), and Sherrell and Yigitoglu were two of the most sought-after bigs in the portal. Lindsay, Mustaf and Harris will compete for minutes on the wings -- Lindsay and Harris can really shoot it while Mustaf brings more toughness and physicality.
7. Miami Hurricanes
DeSean Goode (15.2 PPG at Robert Morris)
Brent Bland (13.9 PPG at Saint Peter's)
Acaden Lewis (12.2 PPG at Villanova)
Somtochukwu Cyril (9.3 PPG at Georgia)
Nick Dorn (8.1 PPG at Indiana)
Quin Berger (3.1 PPG at Bucknell)
With his two top scorers out of eligibility after last season in point guard Tre Donaldson and big man Malik Reneau, Jai Lucas knew he needed to prioritize an immediate-impact lead guard and center -- and he landed two of the best to fill those roles in Lewis and Cyril. Lewis is a playmaker at both ends of the floor and showed real explosiveness offensively last season, while Cyril is a physically dominant rim protector who shot nearly 76% from the field. Goode was the Horizon League Player of the Year and will battle for a starting role. Bland and Dorn will provide 3-point shooting and perimeter depth.
8. North Carolina Tar Heels
Terrence Brown (19.9 PPG at Utah)
Neoklis Avdalas (12.1 PPG at Virginia Tech)
Matt Able (8.8 PPG at NC State)
Cade Bennerman (redshirt at Northwestern)
First-year head coach Michael Malone went overseas to secure frontcourt reinforcements, but procured his perimeter group in the portal, and clearly leaned into high-major experience -- including with the ACC-proven Avdalas and Able. Avdalas has shown flashes of first-round potential, while Able seems poised to land in mock drafts after withdrawing this season. Brown is a big-time scorer who has averaged right around 20 points per game at two different programs (FDU before Utah).
9. Duke Blue Devils
John Blackwell (19.1 PPG at Wisconsin)
Jacob Theodosiou (13.1 PPG at Loyola Maryland)
Drew Scharnowski (10.7 PPG at Belmont)
Duke is never likely to have a deep transfer class, but was efficient in its portal recruitment this offseason. Jon Scheyer needed a go-to backcourt scorer who could get his own shot -- something the Blue Devils lacked at times last season -- so he brought in the best guard available in Blackwell, a third-team All-Big Ten selection last season. The team also needed an influx of experience in the frontcourt, which Scharnowski provides as one of the most efficient two-way players in the Missouri Valley last season.
10. Michigan Wolverines
Moustapha Thiam (12.8 PPG at Cincinnati)
J.P. Estrella (10.0 PPG at Tennessee)
Jalen Reed (9.5 PPG at LSU)
Dusty May struck gold in the transfer portal last offseason, bringing in a class that produced four starters on a dominant national championship team -- including All-American Yaxel Lendeborg, the best transfer in the country last season. Can May repeat that success? Thiam and Estrella are likely starting up front in Ann Arbor from day one. Thiam has a huge ceiling and was fantastic down the stretch last season, while Estrella was one of the most efficient post players in the SEC (59.6% shooting from the field). Reed has played in just 14 games over the past two seasons due to injury, but averaged 10.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in those contests.
11. UConn Huskies
Nils Machowski (17.2 PPG at Wofford)
Isaiah Shaw (8.1 PPG at Northern Arizona)
Nikolas Khamenia (5.7 PPG at Duke)
Najai Hines (5.5 PPG at Seton Hall)
Jaye Nash (5.1 PPG at Jacksonville State)
Oskar Giltay (3.3 PPG at Stanford)
Elmir Džafic (0.4 PPG at Arkansas)
Dan Hurley hasn't typically relied on a high volume of transfers, but some of the best players on his trio of Final Four teams over the past four seasons joined the Huskies via the portal: Tristen Newton in 2023 and 2024, Cam Spencer in 2024, and Silas Demary Jr. and Tarris Reed Jr. last season. Who will emerge from this group? Two players ranked in the top 35 of our transfer rankings are the headliners: Khamenia and Hines. Khamenia is a multitalented former five-star recruit, while Hines is a Big East-tested big with a high ceiling. Both are likely to anchor the starting frontcourt from day one.
12. Missouri Tigers
Jordan Crawford (14.4 PPG at South Dakota)
Cord Stansberry (14.1 PPG at Western Carolina)
Jamier Jones (11.9 PPG at Providence)
Kennard Davis Jr. (8.5 PPG at BYU)
Bryson Tiller (7.9 PPG at Kansas)
Jaylen Carey (7.4 PPG at Tennessee)
Missouri should have its most talented roster of Dennis Gates' five seasons, and while a pair of incoming five-star recruits is a major reason, the Tigers' portal class is also impressive. They landed two top-50 transfers in Jones and Tiller, both of whom seem poised for a step forward next season. Jones is a perfect fit in Gates' system, while Tiller showed plenty of flashes last season. Davis and Carey were both consistent contributors for good high-major teams last season and provide a massive depth upgrade.
13. Providence Friars
Ryan Sabol (18.8 PPG at Buffalo)
Devin Vanterpool (15.8 PPG at Florida Atlantic)
Malik Mack (13.6 PPG at Georgetown)
Miles Byrd (10.4 PPG at San Diego State)
Arrinten Page (10.2 PPG at Northwestern)
Samson Aletan (7.8 PPG at Yale)
Jacob Bannarbie (5.4 PPG at UNLV)
Gavin Hightower (4.1 PPG at South Florida)
Acquiring talent was never going to be a question for new head coach Bryan Hodgson, who has excelled in the portal in previous stops at South Florida, Arkansas State and Alabama. Byrd was a coup for the Friars, one of the best defensive players in the country and someone who should help establish an identity. Mack and Page were double-figure scorers at the high-major level, and Sabol is an absolute sniper from 3-point range, shooting nearly 40% on almost 10 attempts per game. Vanterpool was an all-conference performer in the American.
Also considered
Xavier Musketeers
Texas A&M Aggies
Villanova Wildcats
Vanderbilt Commodores
USC Trojans
Baylor Bears
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Iowa State Cyclones