We’re not even a third of the way through the 30-day college basketball transfer window, but the early days of portal action have been more eventful than in past years. That started with the mad rush into the portal Sports Illustrated chronicled last week and now has continued with a significant flow of early commitments, including several top players coming off the board. Why the fast start? There are a few key factors driving the rapid activity.
First, and perhaps most importantly, is the looming House v. NCAA settlement final approval meeting on Monday. Most high-major programs are committing money (many of them multiple million) above the revenue-sharing cap in order to sign players in the portal. If the settlement is approved, all NIL deals with payments after June 30 are subject to review from the new Deloitte-run NIL clearinghouse. Getting deals done ahead of the settlement and getting players paid ahead of July 1 has been a priority for some coaching staffs and agents, with uncertainty as to what happens to the market after the settlement is either approved or denied.
There’s also the recruiting dead period, which goes from Thursday to April 10 during Final Four week. There’s still plenty of recruiting going on during that week, with agent meetings, phone calls and more still occurring, but players can’t take official or unofficial visits and coaches can’t meet in-person with players. Schools pushed players they desperately wanted to take visits prior to the dead period going into effect … and conversely attempted to punt on guys they weren’t as sure about until after the dead period.
The involvement of agents in the process has also streamlined things. For most of the players who’ve already made commitments, it wasn’t a secret throughout the season that they’d be available in the portal, and coaches have been working behind the scenes with agents to vet best options and narrow down lists prior to the player actually entering the portal. Sometimes players will commit without taking a visit, others may take only one and then make a decision.
Visits should heat back up again following the dead period, with the two weekends after being among the hottest periods for portal recruiting activity. You’ll also see a second wave of portal activity as players see how their schools have recruited so far and get a better sense of what their roles may look like, as well as some players now more sold on entering after hearing the financial packages being offered.
Some notes on a few of the high-profile commits thus far:
Oscar Cluff, F/C, Purdue Boilermakers
Matt Painter won as much as he could have this season with the roster he had, but it was obvious the Boilermakers needed frontcourt reinforcements. Cluff profiles as a perfect fit after averaging over 17 points and 12 rebounds per game at South Dakota State. He’s arguably the most gifted post scorer in the portal, which meshes well with how Painter’s teams play. Expect to see him platooning with redshirt freshman rim protector Daniel Jacobsen and sliding to the 4 at times to spell Trey Kaufman-Renn.
Bryce Hopkins, F, St. John’s Red Storm
Hopkins will be in the conversation for highest-paid player in college basketball next season after his massive move from Providence to St. John’s, which beat out his former coach in Ed Cooley at Georgetown for his services. At his best, Hopkins is a first team all-Big East level player, a dominant force at the power forward position thanks to his physicality and toughness. But he also comes with an injury history, having missed the second half of 2023–24 and almost all of 2024–25 due to knee injuries. A healthy version of Hopkins paired with Zuby Ejiofor makes one of the top frontcourts in college basketball.
Donovan Dent, PG, UCLA Bruins
There may not be a better point guard returning in college basketball next year than Dent, who was electric for New Mexico this season and is one of the sport’s most explosive players with the ball in his hands. While the Bruins’ system may not be quite as fast-paced or free-flowing as how New Mexico played, the Southern California native should shine back home at UCLA. The price tag here is believed to have been just north of $3 million.
Elliot Cadeau, G, and Morez Johnson, F, Michigan Wolverines
Cadeau never quite fit at North Carolina, especially during a disappointing 2024–25 season. Dusty May appears to be going all-in on the former elite recruit and is now focused on building his team around the high-level passer. The second target: Johnson, a high-energy big who was productive as a freshman with Illinois. Defense and shooting are questions around them, but these are two highly regarded pieces to start with.
Obi Agbim, G, and Michael Rataj, F, Baylor Bears
Scott Drew made quick work to add both a high-level guard and big to the mix, first landing Rataj from Oregon State and then adding one of the top shooters in the portal in Agbim from Wyoming. Baylor hasn’t had a top-50 defense since top assistant Jerome Tang left for Kansas State following the 2021–22 season, and while neither of these maneuvers should cure those ills, Rataj gives Baylor the flexibility to play a bit bigger with Rataj as a traditional power forward. Agbim and Robert Wright III are still a very small backcourt, though.
Adrian Wooley, G, and Ryan Conwell, G, Louisville Cardinals
Louisville has already committed major resources to a pair of freshmen in five-star point guard Mikel Brown Jr. and German forward Sananda Fru, but hit the portal for further reinforcements with two high-level guards in Wooley and Conwell. Wooley starred at Kennesaw State as a freshman, flashing elite size and shotmaking ability. He averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game and shot 42.2% from three. Meanwhile, Conwell’s one of the most proven shotmakers in the portal, having made 208 threes in the last two seasons for Xavier and Indiana State at over a 40% clip.
Dedan Thomas Jr., G, and Michael Nwoko, C, LSU Tigers
LSU’s staff has been among the most aggressive early on, dangling high-priced offers to just about anyone who’ll listen as it looks to rebuild and make a push for the NCAA tournament. They found two big takers Monday, adding one of the top point guards available in Thomas from UNLV in one of the richest portal deals to date and a starting-caliber big in Nwoko from Mississippi State. And they’re not done yet, with sources indicating that they’re targeting twins Takai and Tajuan Simpkins from Elon as further reinforcements.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Men’s Basketball Transfer Portal: Notes on 11 Major Commits Ahead of Recruiting Dead Period.
