Division one college basketball players around the country are constantly moving in the new era of NIL and the transfer portal. Some guys will even play at four colleges in four years. This is because of rule changes that were implemented in the past few years that allowed players to make money based on their name, image, and likeness (NIL) and loosened transfer restrictions. Now, it is time to look at this years transfer class to see how everything is shaking up.

Everybody who watches college sports knows that it is in no way the same as it was before about 2021. It used to be that if a player wanted to transfer schools, he had to sit out a year before participating in sports. This is no longer the case, as they are now able to play immediately after transferring. They can also openly receive sponsorship money that can be offered by a school to entice them to go there. Before 2021, this would have led to harsh punishment imposed on the team by the NCAA for recruiting violations, but now it is completely fair game. There are many fans who have become disheveled about the situation because oftentimes players do not have much loyalty to the programs they’re at. “I don’t think there needs to be a change with NIL. I think [that with] the transfer portal, you should still have to sit out a year after transferring,” says Harrison Camp (10). The fact that guys can just play for four different schools in four years is an enormous problem for coaches that are trying to build a winning culture. “Even if a team makes the final four or the national championship, you still have kids transferring for more money or just to transfer,” Harrison Camp (10).

For the 2025-2026 season, many premier programs have already made their mark in the transfer portal. Especially Kentucky, who has nabbed five players out of the portal, most notably Jayden Quaintance from Arizona State. He is only 17 years old with massive upside and one of the top players in the class. He’s a projected top 10 pick in next year’s NBA draft. They also got three very good guards from Pittsburgh, Tulane, and Florida as well as the forward from Alabama. Combine that with a solid recruiting class and the wildcats are looking good for next season. According to On3, Kentucky has the number one class, followed by Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Baylor to round out the top five. “Kentucky easily has the best transfer class this year,” Carson Waters (10). Michigan picked up the top guy in Yaxel Lendenborg, while the others have made their mark with lots of quality pickups.

There are still a good amount of players that are uncommitted, including the guys ranked 5-8 by On3. Jamir Watkins, Darrion Williams, RJ Luis, and PJ Haggerty are all amazing players who will have to wait till the next window opens, as the most recent portal window closed a few days ago. However, there are undoubtedly many teams anxiously waiting to see where they will end up because of their prowess.

Another thing to add is that there are two teams who lost their entire roster from this past season. Those two teams are Baylor and Indiana. Some were lost to graduation and the draft, but many were also lost to the transfer portal. In this new age of college sports, it’s probably going to be seen even more if there aren’t any changes made.