College Basketball Transfer Portal: Final regular season most impactful transfer power rankings

The 2025-26 college basketball regular season has come to an end. The NCAA Tournament brackets have been announced. In a new era of college basketball, the transfer portal is being used as a major piece of roster construction.

The level of impact this season for first-year transfer portal players is varying, but there are some having an impact across the landscape. Yesterday, I put out my final regular season, Player of the Year list. Among the top-10 players this college basketball season sat just one first-year transfer. However, among that list of ten, there were four freshmen and four players who had transferred at one point in their college careers.

The transfer portal is having an impact on roster builds. A look at the top-four seeds in the NCAA Tournament, Arizona and Duke do not start any first-year transfer players. Florida starts two, and Michigan starts four. Every team is different.

Impact can mean different things to different people. For the purposes of this list, we are looking at the impact a player brought to the national college basketball landscape. Each of these players are on NCAA Tournament teams, and if you removed this player from their team, how much would that impact the success of the group.

This was an ongoing piece, put together every couple of weeks, throughout the season by Rivals’ Jamie Shaw, who is on the Naismith Trophy Board of Selectors. Here are college basketball’s most impactful transfer portal players as we are approaching the end of week 14.

1. PF Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan

Stats: (33 games) 14.4 points. 7.0 rebounds. 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.4 blocks, 50.6% FG, 34.3% 3P

The Buzz: Yaxel Lendeborg earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors and was named first-team All-Defense. The senior forward was the best player on a team consistently ranked among the top 5 throughout the season. Lendeborg led Michigan in points and steals. He finished second on the team in rebounds, assists, and blocks. He finished No. 4 in Division 1 college basketball in Win Shares (6.5) and No. 2 overall in Box Plus/Minus (16.8). Lendeborg was No. 7 in the country in Offensive Rating (140.1). Michigan finished the season 31-3 overall and earned a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

2. PG Nick Boyd, Wisconsin

Stats: (34 games) 20.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.0 blocks, 47.9% FG, 36.4% FG

The Buzz: Nick Boyd played 119 career games coming into this season, and he saved his best for last. The San Diego State transfer led the 24-10 Wisconsin team in points and assists this season earning second-team All-Big Ten honors along the way. He was No. 11 nationally in Offensive Win Shares (4.2) while finishing second in the conference in Usage Percentage (30.5). Boyd is No. 8 in the Big Ten in Player Efficiency Rating (24,6) and No. 9 in Offensive Box Plus/Minus (7.6). The Badgers earned a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

3. PG Bennett Stirtz, Iowa

Stats: (33 games) 20.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.3 blocks, 49.2% FG, 37.6% 3P

The Buzz: Bennett Stirtz earned All-Big Ten honors this season helping lead Iowa to a 21-12 record in Ben McCollum’s first season with the Hawkeyes. Stirtz’s 20.0 points per game was one of only two Iowa players to score in double figures on the season. He finished No. 8 in Division 1 college basketball in Win Shares (6.2) and No. 17 in Offensive Box Plus/Minus (7.8). He was No. 5 in the conference in total points scored (661) and No. 6 in steals. Iowa earned a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

4. SF Dailyn Swain, Texas

Stats: (32 games) 17.8 points,. 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.3 blocks, 55.1% FG, 34.5% 3P

The Buzz: Some players it just takes time to find their stride. With Dailyn Swain, he showed flashes last season, but with a change of scenery, he is someone who kept getting better throughout this season. Swain followed Sean MIller from Xavier to Texas, and ended up leading the Longhorns in points, rebounds, assists, and steals this season. Swain led the SEC in Player Efficiency Rating (26.1), finished No. 5 in Win Shares (5.2), and No. 4 in Box Plus/Minus (10.9). His presence helped Texas to a spot in the Field of 68, and a play-in game against NC State.

5. C Henri Veesaar, UNC

Stats: (30 games) 16.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.2 blocks, 61.4% FG, 42.0% 3P

The Buzz: Henri Veesaar earned second-team All-ACC honors this season, helping guide UNC to a fourth place finish in the ACC. The transfer from Arizona finished top-10 in the league in points, rebounds, and blocks this season. He is also No. 5 in Player Efficiency Rating (25.5), No. 4 in Win Shares (4.0), and No. 4 in Box Plus/Minus (10.8). UNC played their way to a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament with the 7-foot-0 Veesaar second on the team in points, rebounds, and blocks.

6. SG Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska

Stats: (32 games) 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.3 blocks, 47.1% FG, 40.1% 3P

The Buzz: Pryce Sandfort earned All-Big Ten honors this season, leading Nebraska in scoring and a second-place finishing the Big Ten regular season. Sandfort led the conference in threes made (113), which put him seventh nationally. The junior transfer from Iowa also finished No. 3 in the conference in Defensive Win Shares (2.2) and No. 8 in Box Plus/Minus (11.0). Nebraska earned a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

7. PG Silas Demary, UConn

Stats: (34 games) 10.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.2 blocks, 46.1% FG, 41.6% 3P

The Buzz: Silas Demary earned first-team All-Big East honors, first-team All-Defense honors, and was on the Naismith Trophy Midseason watch list for his play at UConn this season. He led the Big East in assists per game while finishing No. 6 in steals per game. Defensively is where Demary shined this season, finishing No. 2 in the conference in Defensive Win Shares (2.3), No. 5 in Defensive Box Plus/Minus (5.2), and No. 4 in Defensive Rating (97.5). he is No. 8 in the conference in Player Efficiency Rating (20.4) and No. 6 in Offensive Rating (122.0). UConn is a 2-seed for the NCAA Tournament.

8. G Tre Donaldson, Miami

Stats: (33 games) 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.2 blocks, 45.8% FG, 34.4% 3P

The Buzz: Miami finished No. 3 in the ACC with a 25-8 overall record earning a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Tre Donaldson finished the season leading the Hurricanes in assists, and finishing second in points and steals. The Michigan transfer quickly found his role finishing fourth in the ACC in assists per game and sixth in Assist Percentage. He was also No. 7 in Win Shares (4.8) and finished top-20 in the conference in Offensive Box Plus/Minus (5.1), threes made (63), and Usage Percentage (24.5)

9. PF Morez Johnson, Michigan

Stats: (33 games) 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.2 blocks, 62.9% FG, 39.3% 3P

The Buzz: The physicality that Morez Johnson brought to Michigan is hard to ignore when turning on the television. And the numbers backed that up as well. Johnson led NCAA Tournament 1-seed Michigan in rebounding while also finishing No. 8 in the Big Ten in Block Percentage (5.0), No. 6 in Offensive Rebound Percenrtage (12.7), and No. 2 in Defensive Rating (94.5). Johnons’s offensive numbers were very efficient as well as he finished No. 17 in Division 1 college basketball in Field Goal Percentage, No. 10 in Win Shares per 40 (.252), and No. 12 in Box Plus/Minus (12.4).

10. PG Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee

Stats: (33 games) 18.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.2 blocks, 40.7% FG, 33.2% 3P

The Buzz: Ja’Kobi Gillespie came back home to Tennessee for his senior season, and finished No. 8 in the SEC in scoring, No. 2 in assists, and No. 3 in steals for the season. The Volunteers finished No. 4 in the league, earning a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Gillespie finished No. 4 in the conference in Win Shares (5.4), No. 7 in Box Plus/Minus (10.4), and No. 14 in Defensive Rating (104.5). He led the team in points, assists, steals, and threes made this season.