Transfer classes have become the new normal in college basketball. No longer will teams bring in a player or two in order to fill in roster holes; instead, teams recruit five, six, or even seven players for possibly a single season, and then reload with a whole new class the next year. Fans have to get used to new faces, and by the time a guy becomes a fan-favorite, he’s off to the next school. That’s just reality we live in.
It would have been a lot easier to choose the three best incoming transfers to the Big East 10 years ago, when most coaches preferred to develop the guys they had (shout out to Shaka Smart). Unfortunately, when Rick Pitino brings seven transfers to St. John’s, and then his son Richard has 11 new faces at Xavier, it makes it tough to figure out which pieces will fit and stand out. There are already enough sites that rank the transfer classes, too. It only makes sense then to find the middle ground: transfer duos.
Big East Transfer Duos Who Will Make an Impact in 2025-26
Ian Jackson and Bryce Hopkins, St. John’s
Ian Jackson and Bryce Hopkins headline another huge transfer class for the Red Storm. Jackson, a former five-star recruit, had a solid yet underwhelming season at North Carolina. While he averaged 11.9 points per game, the Tar Heels probably wished he finished with 0.9 assists a game. If Pitino can unlock Jackson’s potential, he could end up being one of the most important transfers in the conference.
Hopkins is no stranger to Queens after dropping 29 points on the Red Storm during his sophomore season with Providence. At his peak, the senior was a double-double machine that made the All-Big East First Team back in 2023. Even though he only played three games last season, Hopkins still averaged 17 points and over seven rebounds during that span. As long he is healthy, Hopkins should fit in Pitino’s system just fine.
Josh Dix and Owen Freeman, Creighton
The Ryan Kalkbrenner-era is over in Omaha, and what does head coach Greg McDermott do to retool? He nabs the former 6’10” Big Ten Freshman of the Year from Iowa. While a hand injury ended Owen Freeman’s season early, he was scoring over 16 points a game and started all 19 games he played in for the Hawkeyes.
A fellow starter at Iowa, Josh Dix should have no problem working with Freeman on offense. A two-year starter, he made a jump in his junior year to average over 14 points per game. Dix also brings consistent shooting, making over 40% of his shots behind the arc for three straight seasons.
If nothing else, McDermott picked a duo that should already know how to play off each other and doesn’t need half a season to adjust.
Jalen Jackson and Michael Ajayi, Butler
Will this be the best Big East transfer duo in the conference? Probably not. But if Thad Matta is going to turn the program around in his fourth season, its because these two. Jalen Jackson led the Horizon League with 19.2 points per game last season and was named to back-to-back All-Horizon League teams. For a team that lost its top three scorers, he should have plenty of chances to get the ball.
The biggest question for Butler this season is which version of Michael Ajayi are they getting? If they get Pepperdine Ajayi who led the West Coast Conference with 17.2 points per game, grabbed 9.9 rebounds, and was named to the conference’s first team in 2024, then it will be a fun year for the Bulldogs and Matta survives another season. It Gonzaga Ajayi shows up, then it will be a different story. After transferring to the WCC’s perennial top team, Ajayi struggled and eventually fell out of Mark Few’s rotation. Butler was one of the worst defensive team’s in the conference last year. If the 6’7″ wing can stay on the court, the Bulldogs should be a competitive team in the Big East.
© Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
