There are 16 teams left in March Madness which means 346 teams are now looking forward to the 2024-25 season. The NCAA basketball transfer portal has become more popular than high school recruiting in a way and that is where fans look for hope. The teams still left in March Madness are old and experienced and several key players came from the transfer portal. Here is a list of the most intriguing transfers for the next year.
Most Interesting NCAA Transfer Portal Players
Cliff Omoruyi
Cliff Omoruyi is one of the most sought-after transfer portal players this year. He is a phenomenal defender who just finished a season where he blocked nearly 13% of shots defended. His defensive box-plus-minus was 5.1 and he was named to All-Defense teams multiple times. The offensive game still is not there but he is a game-changing defender that any good team can use. St. John’s seems to be leading the pack but reports are that his recruitment is still wide open.
Kanaan Carlyle
Kanaan Carlyle is one of the many defections from Stanford with the firing of Jerod Haase. Carlyle was a big-name recruit with offers from places like Baylor, Kansas, Tennessee, and Alabama. He averaged 11.6 points per game for his freshman season and did have a few huge games including a 31-point outburst vs Washington State. There are some turnover issues with Carlyle but he has a special talent. I suspect Carlyle will end up with the Crimson Tide as the next special guard. However, Indiana, Kansas, and Baylor will be in the mix.
Malik Mack
Malik Mack is a stud. The freshman guard from Washington DC had a huge year for Harvard. 17.2 points per game, especially in the Ivy League is special for a young player. While he did not get a ton of love out of high school, Mack is likely to be heavily recruited this time around. He can score the ball at will and shoots it at a decent clip from deep. Who does not want that? It is too early to give a favorite for Mack but teams I suspect will be near the top of the list are Kansas, Miami, Maryland, Villanova, and Alabama. He does have a Maryland tattoo after all…
Maxime Raynaud
Maxime Raynaud is another member of the Stanford Cardinal looking for a new landing spot. The 7’1 Frenchman had a monster season averaging 15.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. He can do a little bit of everything offensively and would be a special addition for anyone looking for a space-the-floor big. Teams to look out for here are Stanford, North Carolina, Gonzaga, or Arizona.
Andrej Stojakovic
Andrej Stojakovic, the son of NBA sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic, was another highly touted recruit who landed at Stanford. He visited Texas, St. Mary’s, Oregon, and UCLA before committing to Stanford. However, he was basically offered by every great program you could imagine. He did not have a great year at all and will be looking for a bigger role somewhere. This one could go in any direction. I think he likely ends up at one of the four schools he visited and I lean St. Mary’s.
Brandon Garrison
Brandon Garrison was a top 50 recruit who had a solid impact at Oklahoma State. He can defend and plays well as an undersized forward (even if he is listed at 6’11). He will never be a go-to scorer but he can be a good piece on a good team. Essentially every good southwestern team offered him, including Houston, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech. He is a Big 12 player through and through so he likely ends up at Houston, Kansas, Texas Tech, or Texas depending on defections from those teams.
Dug McDaniel
Dug McDaniel had as weird of a season as anyone in college basketball. Getting suspended for only road games was one of the strangest decisions any coach has ever made. McDaniel can flat-out hoop though. While he is undersized, he has the speed to dominate and the shot-making ability to cause problems for any defender. McDaniel is a DC native and should be headed back home. Maryland is in desperate need of their next star guard and McDaniel can have a huge few seasons much like Jahmir Young. It makes too much sense for both sides. Georgetown could also sneak in and steal him as Ed Cooley looks to make a splash.
JP Pegues
JP Pegues will be an under-the-radar name to watch. Furman saw several defections this offseason, but none bigger than Pegues. He averaged 18.4 points and 4.9 assists per game this year which is drastically up from his previous two seasons. Plenty of schools have reached out and more likely will. He can be the best player on a team that makes a deep tournament run at the high major level. Miami, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Auburn are the names to watch here.
Kanye Clary
Kanye Clary is a tough case. He was easily one of the most talented player in the Big 10 but there are other concerns. Clary left Penn State late into the season and those concerns may linger. However, with an increase in minutes, Clary saw a massive increase in scoring and efficiency. For me, this comes down to two schools: Texas A&M and Miami. Yes, Miami has been mentioned often, but star guards love to transfer there.
Jevon Porter
Jevon Porter is known as the brother of Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay Porter. He played a very solid two seasons with Pepperdine and now will be looking for a new home. Porter averaged nearly 14 points and 7 rebounds per game but was not the most efficient player. He does have solid size and obviously an NBA pedigree. Two off-the-grid places to look for here are Missouri State where Cuonzo Martin now coaches and Loyola Marymount where Lorenzo Romar is an assistant. If he wants a high major school, Missouri is a likely choice.
