We’re about two months out from a period every college coach has circled on their calendars. The NCAA tournament? Nope. Transfer portal season. It’s the time when programs can reinvent their rosters for next season, or watch as several key players surprisingly walk out the door.
For the 2020-21 academic year, 1,832 names entered the portal. Last year, it was 1,786. So far in 2022-23, it has been fairly quiet, with fewer than 75 names entering the portal since the summer. But the near-disappearance of the midyear transfer has contributed to the lack of portal entries. As recently as a few years ago, one could always count on a handful of impact players leaving at the semester break and garnering a busy short-term recruitment. With transfers now eligible to play right away instead of sitting out a year, most unhappy players just decide to stick it out until the end of the season before going into the portal.
Once the names start flowing into the portal at 100-plus players per day, we’ll expand the transfer rankings to 100. For now, there’s only about a dozen worth monitoring.
1. Dante Harris, 6-0, 175 lbs., PG, Jr., Georgetown Hoyas
Committed to Virginia
Harris averaged 11.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 2021-22 but didn’t play a game this season for the Hoyas. He left the program early in the season and has committed to Virginia, where he will suit up for the Cavaliers in November.
2. Jose Perez, 6-5, 220 lbs., G, Sr., Manhattan Jaspers
Committed to West Virginia
Perez left Manhattan when Steve Masiello was let go right before the season started, but he didn’t get a waiver to play right away. He’ll make an impact for West Virginia next season, though. First-team All-MAAC, averaged 18.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
3. KyeRon Lindsay, 6-7, 215 lbs., F, Fr., Georgia Bulldogs
Committed to Texas Tech
A four-star recruit in the 2022 class, Lindsay scored in double figures twice in his first three games at Georgia, but saw his role diminish as the nonconference schedule progressed. Averaged 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in 10 games. Will play for Mark Adams in Lubbock.
4. Kevin Easley Jr., 6-7, 230 lbs., PF, Jr., Duquesne Dukes
The next school Easley lands at will be his fourth. He started his career at Chattanooga, averaging 14.2 points and 6.7 rebounds as a freshman, before spending one season at TCU and a bit more than one season at Duquesne. Averaged 10.7 points and 6.6 boards in 2021-22.
5. Leo O’Boyle, 6-7, 210 lbs., SF, Sr., Lafayette Leopards
O’Boyle entered his name into the portal early in the season but continues to see minutes for Lafayette. Averaging 12.4 points and shooting 42.5% from 3. Went for 19 against Penn State in November. Had 24 against Bucknell over the weekend.
6. Omar Silverio, 6-3, 200 lbs., SG, Sr., Manhattan Jaspers
Another player to leave the Jaspers following the coaching change, Silverio averaged 10.9 points and 3.3 rebounds last season at Hofstra. Started his career at Rhode Island. He’s one of the best free throw shooters in the country, going 68-for-74 the past two seasons.
7. Jordan Jones, 6-5, 195 lbs., SF, Jr., Cornell Big Red
Jones entered the portal in the spring and had schools from a variety of levels interested, but he didn’t end up committing anywhere and went back into the portal this fall. Was productive last season for the Big Red, averaging 9.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in just 20.1 minutes per game.
8. Angelo Brizzi, 6-3, 190 lbs., PG, Fr., Villanova Wildcats
A four-star recruit out of Virginia, Brizzi looked like he might see more minutes than expected given Villanova’s injuries — but after an early surge of playing time, he played just two minutes against Boston College in his final game. Averaged 2.0 points in nine games.
9. Matthue Cotton, 6-5, 200 lbs., SG, Sr., Yale Bulldogs
A part-time starter on Yale’s NCAA tournament team last season, Cotton averaged 7.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 2021-22 and 7.6 points in 2019-20. Started off last season on a tear, averaging 12.1 points and 4.3 rebounds over his first 11 games.
10. Jay Allen-Tovar, 6-9, 220 lbs., PF, New Mexico Lobos
Committed to Southern Utah
Allen-Tovar only played three games this season before leaving, but was a consistent contributor last season for the Lobos. Started 17 games in 2021-22 and averaged 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks, showing some inside-outside scoring ability.
11. Jonah Charles, 6-4, 200 lbs., SG, Sr., Pennsylvania Quakers
Charles is another player who entered the portal but continued playing this season. Had 14 points against Columbia last weekend, his best performance in conference play thus far. Averaging 6.2 points and 2.4 rebounds, shooting nearly 40% from 3.
12. Charlie Yoder, 6-4, 198 lbs., SG, Soph., Incarnate Word Cardinals
Has only played 24 games over the past three seasons with the Cardinals, but started 15 of them and averaged 9.8 points while shooting 36.8% from 3. Averaged double-figures in each of the last two seasons.
13. Shaun Williams, 6-4, 190 lbs., SG, Sr., UIC Flames
Williams started his career at Kansas State before playing two seasons at Cal State Bakersfield, and then going to UIC — where he entered the portal before ever playing a game for the Flames. Averaged 6.0 points last season and 9.3 points in 2020-21.