Shelley has garnered considerable interest in the transfer portal. Shelly reportedly conducted Zoom meetings with Virginia, Auburn, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State. He has now visited Auburn and Virginia, with Mississippi State expected to receive one.
Virginia Cavaliers
There is good news and bad news on the injury front for coach Ryan Odom. While the Hoos didn’t lose anyone to the transfer portal, they haven’t signed anyone in the 2026 recruiting class yet. They did lose two starters and two key rotational players as the four are out of eligibility.
Virginia is coming off an excellent season, going 30-6 in Odom’s first season. The Cavaliers finished second in ACC play at 15-3 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M has been consistent over the last five seasons, though the Aggies have won 20 games. But the Aggies have not made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament in four straight years. Coach Bucky McMillan lost nine players from this past season’s squad that went 22-12, including 11-7 in the SEC.
On the positive side, McMillan has signed seven newcomers, four of whom are transfers. Kansas State transfer PJ Haggerty, who tallied 20+ points in each of the last three seasons, is the big name. Jalen Reece, the consensus No. 67 recruit in 20025, and 6-9 forward Cade Phillips, from the University of Tennessee, also have transferred in.
The Aggies, whose class is ranked 35th in the country, also include two four-star recruits, Josh Irving, a 6-11 center, and Neiko Munday, a 6-2 point guard.
“Pending Warren being granted eligibility to play next season, Texas A&M’s backcourt is already in elite form with Kansas State transfer shooting guard PJ Haggerty also in the fold,” Cameron Ohnysty of Aggies Wire said. “While McMillan and his staff will shift their focus to building the frontcourt, already knowing that forwards Zach Clemence, Mackenzie Mgabo, and Jamie Vinson will return, and have been consistently connected to Loyola Marymount transfer forward Jalen Shelley.”
Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the two seasons under coach Mark Byington, marking the first time that the Commodores made the Tourney in back-to-back seasons since 2015-17. The Commodores are 47-22 over the last two seasons, including 19-17 in the SEC.
Vanderbilt lost a lot of its production from this past season. But they have already brought in seven newcomers, six of whom are transfers.
Daniel Benjamin is passionate about all things basketball, especially evaluating talent and analyzing teams, whether the NBA, college basketball, WNBA, G-League or women's college basketball. He also loves to provide insights and gambling recommendations on basketball.
