College basketball’s roster scramble tops 2,700 portal entries
ESPN is tracking offseason movement for 85 men’s teams after a rush of transfers, draft decisions, recruits and reclassifications.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
College basketball’s offseason has turned into a full-blown player traffic jam, with more than 2,700 men’s players entering the transfer portal during the two-week window after the 2025-26 season ended, according to ESPN.
The rush came after Michigan beat UConn 69-63 in the national championship game, closing one season and sending programs into a fast rebuild for the next one. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and multiple authors are tracking roster changes for 85 key men’s teams through the start of the 2026-27 season on Nov. 1.
The movement spans transfers, NBA draft decisions, international commitments and high school reclassifications. One headline case noted by ESPN: Marcus Spears Jr. reclassified into the 2026 class and committed to Texas during the July live periods.
How ESPN is sorting the chaos
ESPN’s tracker divides players into three main buckets. “Departed or expected to depart” covers players headed to the NBA draft without plans to return, players out of eligibility and players who entered the transfer portal.
“In limbo” is for players whose college status remains unresolved, including those testing the NBA draft while retaining the option to come back. ESPN also uses that group for players waiting on NCAA waivers for another year of eligibility.
“Expected to return” includes players with eligibility who did not enter the transfer portal. Newcomer rankings are based on ESPN’s recruiting database, with “NR” used for recruits not ranked by ESPN.
ACC rosters show the churn
The early ACC entries show how dramatic the reshuffling has become. Boston College, now coached by Luke Murray, has only Jack Bailey listed by ESPN as expected to return. The Eagles’ incoming transfers include Money Williams, who averaged 20.6 points at Montana, Ernest Shelton, who averaged 15.9 at Merrimack, and Brandon Benjamin, who averaged 14.2 at Fairfield.
California’s list is also heavy on turnover. ESPN lists Dai Dai Ames, Chris Bell, Justin Pippen and John Camden among players departed or expected to depart. The Golden Bears’ incoming group includes Michael Cooper from Wright State, Nojus Indrusaitis from Pitt and Jordan Ross from Georgia, while freshmen Nicolas Mitrovic and Gabe Sularski are listed as four-star recruits.
Duke’s board has star power both leaving and arriving. ESPN lists Cameron Boozer, who averaged 22.5 points, and Isaiah Evans, who averaged 15.0, among the departures or expected departures. Jon Scheyer’s team is expected to return Patrick Ngongba II, Caleb Foster, Cayden Boozer and Dame Sarr.
The Blue Devils also added John Blackwell, who averaged 19.1 points at Wisconsin, plus freshmen Cameron Williams, Deron Rippey Jr. and Bryson Howard, all ranked in ESPN’s SC Next 100.
Clemson is replacing a group that includes RJ Godfrey, Jestin Porter and Nick Davidson, according to ESPN, while bringing in Dylan Faulkner from Samford, Cole Certa from Notre Dame, David Fuchs from San Francisco and Liutauras Lelevicius from TCU.
Florida State’s listed exits include Robert McCray V, Chauncey Wiggins and Lajae Jones. ESPN says the Seminoles’ incoming class includes transfers Kameron Taylor, Sebastian Rancik, Anthony Robinson II and Shon Abaev, along with SC Next 100 freshmen Marcis Ponder and Martay Barnes.
The tracker covers the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and other notable programs, giving fans one place to follow a sport where the offseason roster race is moving almost as fast as the games.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.