This new era of college basketball is sometimes hard to keep up with due to the transfer portal. There are players who have been in college for five years think, or in some cases, get a sixth year of eligibility. That appears to be the case with some big-name players out of the Big Ten. Here’s the big question for a pair of All-Big Ten-caliber players, do they actually have any college eligibility left?
The players who are trying to get another year are Dawson Garcia, formerly of the Minnesota Gophers, and Maryland’s Julian Reese. The kicker is that they both put their name in the transfer portal before it closed. This just appears to be the new cool thing to do.
Big Ten Stars Hit Transfer Portal, Despite Not Having Eligibility Left
This is the type of problem that seems to be more and more common. There are players out there getting to play six, seven, and in some cases eight years of college basketball. Where is the integrity in that? So in many cases, you could have a player who’s a freshman at 18, going up against a 25 or even 26-year-old guy. Sure, it happens in the NBA all the time, but the idea that it’s okay for some of these players to get to stick around for so long is getting old.
Five Seasons Across Three Schools and It Still Isn’t Enough
I’m not denying that Garcia isn’t a great player, because there is no doubt he is. For each of the past three seasons, he’s been the face of Minnesota basketball. But trying to get a sixth year by going to a possible fourth different school doesn’t seem like a good reason for the NCAA to grant him a sixth season.
Minnesota forward Dawson Garcia tells @On3sports he is entering the transfer portal, but will need a waiver to play next season.
The 6-11 senior averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this season and was All-Big Ten 2nd team.
Began his career at Marquette in 2020-21,… pic.twitter.com/3olIRDHpg8
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 22, 2025
Garcia played his freshman season at Marquette, where he played in 27 games, starting each of them. That led him to his second season as he transferred to the North Carolina Tar Heels. He was limited to just 16 games during his time in Chapel Hill. Garcia then returned to his home state with the Gophers before the 2022-23 season. He was able to earn All-Big Ten honors twice during his time in Minneapolis and had an outstanding 2024-25 season, as he finished with an average of 19.2 points per game.
Now he’s looking elsewhere despite being out of eligibility. Then again, he’s trying to get an extra year. You could make the case for Garcia, especially since he had a teammate at Minnesota in Parker Fox, who played eight years of college basketball. That’s outrageous. Time will tell if Garcia gets that extra eligibility and if entering the transfer portal was even worth it.
Reese Has a Better Case
Turning to Julian Reese, he has a far better case. That because he’s a true senior. He played a major role during each of his four seasons in College Park, and according to Edward Lee from the Baltimore Sun, Reese could be in a good spot to get that fifth season. That’s especially true if the federal antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA, which would give players five years of eligibility, goes through.
Compared to Garcia, Reese certainly has a case to say that he deserves that fifth season, especially after sticking through the trials and tribulations of his four seasons at Maryland.
NEWS: Maryland forward Julian Reese has entered the transfer portal, @LeagueRDY has learned.
Reese has played the last four seasons for the Terrapins and is currently out of eligibility unless the rule is changed.
He averaged 13.3PPG, 9.0RPG, 1.3APG, 1.5BPG and 1.1SPG this… pic.twitter.com/CrgoLlnBmd
— Sam Kayser (@247HSHoops) April 22, 2025
If he does get a fifth year, his options are going to be limitless. Could he follow Kevin Willard to Villanova?
It’s the New Trend Across the Country
Trying to get more than five seasons of college basketball appears to be the next big trend. It’s kind of shocking that Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson didn’t try to do the same thing. He’s the kind of guy who has pushed the boundary, especially with the amount of money he was given to transfer from Michigan to Kansas a couple of years back.
This is just another major problem with all this transfer portal stuff. It’s better off to call it free agency without any rules.
Photo credit: © Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
