As the years pass, the transfer portal becomes more and more of a headline in the college basketball offseason. With athletes now being able to profit off Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), many of the athletes enter the portal mainly to test their value.
With the portal being so big, we are continuing our series from last year of ranking the top 10 transfers heading into every single conference (maybe this year we’ll get through all the conferences) based on a multitude of factors, including immediate impact, fit, and past success.
1. Matthew Cleveland– Miami (Florida State)
Matthew Cleveland stayed in the ACC this offseason and joins a Miami team fresh off their first Final Four appearance. He’s a former 5-star prospect and a skilled wing who excels at getting to the rim. He might not be quite the player Jordan Miller was, but he is about as good a replacement as they could get.
2. Joseph Girard III– Clemson (Syracuse)
Joseph Girard is also staying in the ACC, and is a perfect fit in his role at Clemson. He’ll focus more on shooting and scoring the ball, and less on running point guard. He’s struggled on defense, but should be one of the better offensive players in the conference and can put up points in a hurry.
3. JJ Starling– Syracuse (Notre Dame)
Replacing Girard in the Syracuse backcourt is Notre Dame guard JJ Starling. The former 5-star didn’t have a great year, but still showed flashes of potential, leading him to score double digits and be named to the ACC All-Freshman team. Starling should fit in well with point guard Judah Mints in the backcourt.
4. Tre White– Louisville (USC)
No matter how bad Louisville is this season, USC transfer Tre White will be a high level ACC player. White is a skilled forward, named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. He can create his own shot or get to the rim, and should be the best player in year two of the Kenny Payne era at Louisville.
5. DJ Horne– NC State (Arizona State)
Raleigh native and Arizona State guard DJ Horne transferred home to NC State this offseason. With a transfer-heavy lineup, Horne could step up. He’s a skilled scorer, showing the ability to shoot three pointers at a high efficiency. Horne doubles as a secondary point guard, as taking care of the ball is another strength of his.
6. Andrew Rohde– Virginia (St. Thomas)
Andrew Rohde had a highly productive freshman season, scoring and passing at a high rate. As a freshman, he was named to the Summit League All-Conference first team. Coming from the Summit, defense could be an issue, especially playing for Virginia, but Rohde brings a level of offensive skill the Cavaliers were lacking last year.
7. Hunter Sallis– Wake Forest (Gonzaga)
Hunter Sallis never got huge opportunities at Gonzaga, but was a 5-star recruit in high school. Although, he has shown some strong defensive skills. Combined with Steve Forbes ability to develop transfers right away and his raw talent, Sallis is a player that could crack the All-Conference teams.
8. Jordan Minor– Virginia (Merrimack)
Jordan Minor is a player who fits Virginia’s defensive identity. In his days at Merrimack, he was a dominant rim protector and rebounder inside, and was named NEC Co-Player of the Year in addition to NEC Defensive Player of the Year. Although, there is a large gap in competition, so Minor will need to prove he can do the same things at the ACC level.
9. Amaree Abram– Georgia Tech (Ole Miss)
In year one of Damon Stoudamire at Georgia Tech, Amaree Abram has a chance to be the featured option. Abram had a good freshman year overall, although he wasn’t the most efficient. He could take a big jump this year, and solidify himself as a future NBA prospect with his strong positional size.
10. Harrison Ingram– North Carolina (Stanford)
Harrison Ingram was a 5-star in high school, but failed to live up to that production so far. He displayed some point forward skills at Stanford, but hasn’t put it all together quite yet. There’s a chance that he does take that next step now, as his skill and size makes for some intriguing upside.