While everyone patiently waits for football season to start, it’s time to start looking at some of the top players who are going to be featured in the Big Ten during the 2026-27 college basketball season. That all starts with the Big Ten’s top transfers. It’s that part of the summer when teams around the country and the Big Ten begin their prep for the new season.<\/p>\n
There are plenty of new big names in the Big Ten for 2026-27<\/a>. Here’s a power ranking of the top transfers in the Big Ten.<\/p>\n The Fighting Illini are coming off their first Final Four appearance since 2005. Sure, they lost a superstar in Keaton Wagler to the NBA<\/a>, but they have retooled with the addition of Steven Vaaks<\/a> from Providence. Vaaks started 22 of 31 games last season for the Friars and averaged 15.8 points while handling the ball. He can shoot the ball from deep, which the Illini love to do, and he can fill the void of Wagler.<\/p>\n The defending National Champions are going to have plenty of new faces, both on the floor and on the sideline. They were able to land the exact need via the portal when they signed Moustapha Thiam<\/a>. He fills the void of Aday Mara<\/a>, and as Mara did, he comes in as a junior, ready to take the next step. He’s experienced and scores and rebounds at a high rate. That was exactly what Mara did for the Wolverines last season. Thiam has blocked 138 shots in his career thus far, so he’s a real rim protector. Could easily be the best center in the Big Ten, maybe the country.<\/p>\n The Hoosiers knew they had to get better, and they spent the money this offseason, with three of the top six transfers into the Big Ten. It starts with Markus Burton<\/a>, who comes over from in-state foe Notre Dame. Burton has spent the last three seasons with the Irish, and now will be tasked with leading the Hoosiers at the point guard spot. He’s averaged more than 17 points per game in each of his seasons in college. He’s also been a solid playmaker with three or more assists per game.<\/p>\n The second of the Hoosiers’ new-look roster had plenty of interest throughout the country, namely places like Michigan and Michigan State. Nope, he chose the Hoosiers. Now, the former Alabama big man, Aiden Sherrell<\/a>, will light up the boards in Assembly Hall. The Detroit native could be the driving force Indiana Basketball fans have needed.<\/p>\n Like Mara, Michigan had to replace Morez Johnson Jr<\/a> as well. They have done so nicely by adding former Tennessee Volunteer, JP Estrella<\/a>. He’s yet another highly experienced player, and the Wolverines know all about him, as he had seven points and seven rebounds in the team’s Elite 8 class last season. He’s got great size at 6-foot-11 and 241 pounds, but the high production rate of scoring isn’t quite there, with his best average being 10.8 points per game. He could easily increase that in the Wolverines’ system.<\/p>\n The last of the Hoosiers’ massive steal of players, Samet Yigtoglu<\/a>, was yet another highly sought-after player in the portal. Coming over from SMU, Yigtoglu should have some fun alongside Sherrell in the post. He fits the need in the Big Ten, and overall, he’s seven feet two. It’s a sport of giants in this day and age. He’s a career 10-point, seven-rebound player, and that can only get better playing in the best league in college basketball.<\/p>\n It’s been an adventure for KJ Lewis<\/a>, with two other stops along the way. Now he looks to find his home with the Trojans. He was an All-Big East player this past season with Georgetown. Now the 6-4 guard teams up with the likes of Alijah Arenas<\/a> in USC’s backcourt.<\/p>\n The Trojans had talent in 2025-26, but it wasn’t enough to challenge for an NCAA birth. The defending champions of the Maui Invitational have come back with a much more talented team, and they are big. Eric Reibe<\/a> adds to the size after playing in 40 games for National Runner-Up UConn last season as a freshman. He didn’t get to show all he has, with just around six points per game, but grabbing nearly four boards a contest in his limited minutes shows he’s got the tools.<\/p>\n You never know what Mick Cronin is going to do, but with so many players graduating, he had to find a guard in the portal. That’s what led him to former Texas Tech Red Raider\u00a0Jaylen Petty<\/a>. He started 22 of the 33 games he played in last season. The scoring production wasn’t that high, but his all-around play and leadership are something of a massive need for UCLA.<\/a><\/p>\n Some players seem never to find a true home, and that has been the story for LeJuan Watts<\/a>. He’s now at his fourth school in four years. The former Big Sky Rookie of the Year has been a good player at every stop, and he’s played in 99 career games. The latest of which was with Texas Tech. Now he looks to help the Huskies get out of the basement of the Big Ten.<\/p>\n Talk about an interesting player. Caden Pierce<\/a> was already enrolled at Purdue, midway through the 2025-26 season. The former Ivy League Player of the Year was able to see firsthand what Matt Painter and the Boilermakers want to do. Now Pierce gets the chance to bring both his double-digit scoring and rebounding ability to a team that is going to be on a bit of a rebuild, with so much talent no longer in West Lafayette.<\/p>\n Big man transfers were a dime a dozen this offseason in the Big Ten. That’s the case for Tomislav Buljan<\/a>, as he comes from New Mexico to try his hand in the conference of giants. The native Croatian had a big freshman season, averaging 11 points and 10 rebounds a game. You can’t teach double-doubles. The Terps need a difference maker on the glass, and Buljan provides it.<\/p>\n Iowa’s Ben McCollum might be the genius of portal coaches. He brought in a bunch of low-named talent and turned the Hawkeyes into an Elite 8 team. Even with a lot of those faces now gone, the Hawkeyes have some guys ready to step in. Andrew McKeever<\/a> is an interesting player, as he joins Iowa after spending the last two seasons at Saint Mary’s. The 7-foot-1, 255-pound center gives the Hawkeyes a giant in the post. The jury is still out on whether he’s tough enough for the Big Ten.<\/p>\n\u00a0Top Transfers Big Ten Power Rankings 2026-27<\/h2>\n
1. Steven Vaaks – Illinois<\/h3>\n
2. Moustapha Thiam-Michigan<\/h3>\n
3. Markus Burton-Indiana<\/h3>\n
4. Aiden Sherrell-Indiana<\/h3>\n
5. JP Estrella-Michigan<\/h3>\n
6. Samet Yigtoglu-Indiana<\/h3>\n
7. KJ Lewis-USC<\/h3>\n
8. Eric Reibe-USC<\/h3>\n
9. Jaylen Petty-UCLA<\/h3>\n
10. LeJuan Watts-Washington<\/h3>\n
11. Caden Pierce-Purdue<\/h3>\n
12. Tomislav Buljan-Maryland<\/h3>\n
13. Andrew McKeever-Iowa<\/h3>\n
14. Anton Bonke -Michigan State<\/h3>\n