On March 25th of 2025, the college basketball transfer portal officially opened up. The transfer portal is an opportunity for players to find new homes to be a student athlete for various reasons. Some transfer money, while others are simply searching for playing time. This can be done in all NCAA sports but is specifically prevalent in basketball. In all of division 1 sports, 11% of athletes have entered the transfer portal, but in basketball that number has skyrocketed to 35%. Many of the stars of this past season have already found new homes for 2025-2026.
Yaxel Lendeborg
Lendeborg, the top-rated player in the transfer portal, has committed to the University of Michigan where he looks to make an even bigger name for himself. This past year, Lendeborg spent time on UAB who struggled to receive national attention due to their poor conference and record. They finished third in the American Conference mostly due to the play of Lendeborg. He was one of just eleven guys in all of college basketball to average a double-double. His ability to rebound and score the ball at will is one of the main reasons Michigan committed to paying Lendeborg an estimated $2.3 million to join the team. Long time Michigan fan and Hingham High school junior Max Friedman says, “I’m glad we spent that much money on him (Lendeborg). He deserves to be paid and will likely be our leader for next season”. Lendeborg is easily one of the most complete players in the portal, averaging the most assists out of anyone with double digit rebounds. The Wolverines are hoping his game can translate to the advanced defenses that he will encounter in the BIG 10.
Bennett Stirtz
When Bennett Stirtz entered the transfer portal, everyone knew where he would be committing. Stirtz was the leader of a Drake team who upset Missouri in the first round of this year’s playoffs. The Drake Bulldogs were coached by Ben McCollum to a 31-4 record. Shortly after the completion of their season, McCollum took the head coaching job at Iowa where Stirtz would soon commit. Stirtz was a division 2 basketball player just one year ago. Now he is playing in the BIG 10 following a season where he averaged 19.2 PPG on almost 40% three-point shooting. Although Stirtz made a name for himself all year, he really shined in March. Over their two games he combined for 42 points against two of the best teams in the entire country. In this offseason Iowa made it a focus to land Ben McCollum as the head coach, hoping to bring with him up and coming star Bennett Stirtz.
Donovan Dent was one of the premier stars of college basketball at New Mexico. Dent worked as both a scorer and a distributor for the Lobos this season averaging 20.4 PPG and 6.4 APG. His scoring was very efficient as he shot 49% from the field and 40.9% from three. This made Dent one of the most highly recruited guys in the entire transfer portal. Many thought he was heading to Kentucky, but UCLA swooped in with an offer of $2 million. The flaw of Dent’s game lies in his turnovers. He was one of the bottom 40 guys in terms of turnovers in college basketball. Dent, the 12th leading scorer in college basketball this season, looks to continue his career in the BIG 10 with the Bruins.
Rob Wright
Rob Wright has just finished up his freshman season with the Baylor Bears where he averaged 11.5 PPG. Wright’s stats do not necessarily jump out in any category, but the 6’1” guard has all the potential in the world. The former five star will be teaming up with the #1 player in the 2025 class AJ Dybansta at BYU. Hingham High School sophomore and Baylor Bears fan Cole Palek believes that “Robert Wright is going to thrive next season. He showed so many flashes in many games. I’m hoping he can unlock his true potential next season”. Wright was very inconsistent as a scorer throughout the season, but he finished the year with three twenty-point games and three games with 9+ assists. BYU is looking to make a push for the BIG 12 championship next year following their impressive offseason success.
Nait George
Georgia Tech transfer Naithan George will be staying in the ACC for the 2025-2026 college season after committing to Syracuse. George was one of the top true point guards in the portal this season, as he led the ACC in APG. George chose Syracuse over UNC and Texas who were both willing to spend good money on him. George made big jumps from his freshman to sophomore season where he added 3 PPG and 2 APG. Although George is not necessarily known for his scoring, he showed that he could compete offensively with the rest of the ACC in February. In a four-game stretch from February 4th to February 14th George scored 28, 20, 22, 26. After having such a poor year, the Syracuse Orange fans feel they have hit the jackpot landing such a talented PG like Nait George.
