Jordan Burks enters Transfer Portal, dealing UCF a big blow
Jordan Burks has entered the transfer portal, according to On3’s Pete Nakos, dealing a significant blow to a UCF program that was looking to bring the forward back for another season.
The transfer portal window officially closed at midnight Tuesday, but schools have up to 48 hours to process entries.
If Burks’ departure holds, it would be a major blow for Johnny Dawkins and the Knights, who had been hoping to retain one of the key pieces from its 2025-26 NCAA Tournament run.
The 6-foot-9 forward started all 33 games for UCF this past season and averaged 13.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. After earlier stops at Kentucky and Georgetown, Burks found his biggest role in Orlando, becoming a full-time starter and one of the most dependable players on the team.
Burks also delivered in some of UCF’s biggest moments.
He scored a career-high 24 points in a 97-84 win at No. 19 BYU on Feb. 24, adding six rebounds, two steals and a block. He finished the season with five 20-point games and shot a team-best 78.2 percent from the free-throw line. Just as important, he repeatedly came through late, knocking down clutch 3-pointers against Kansas, Arizona State and Utah in some of the Knights’ biggest wins.
With Burks’ departure, UCF currently has 12 of its 15 roster spots accounted for heading into the 2026-27 season.
Four players with remaining eligibility have announced their return in guards Carmelo Pacheco and Arturo Dean, along with centers John Bol and Elijah Hulsewe.
The Knights have also added six transfer portal commitments in FGCU forward Isaiah Malone, Wofford guard Cayden Vasko, North Carolina A&T forward Lewis Walker, Charleston guard Mister Dean, New Orleans center Churchill Abass and Boston College forward Jason Asemota.
Rounding out the current group are two high school commitments in guard Donovan Williams and forward Dylan Mann, leaving UCF with three roster spots still available. Top 100 guard Christian Gibson decommitted on Wednesday.
Complicating matters further is the possibility of an eligibility change at the NCAA level. NCAA President Charlie Baker is pushing for a proposal that would give Division I athletes five years of eligibility to be passed as emergency legislation in May and take effect as soon as June.
It remains unclear whether graduating seniors who have only played four seasons would be grandfathered in. UCF seniors Jamichael Stillwell, Riley Kugel and George Beale Jr. each entered the transfer portal preemptively while awaiting clarity, keeping their options open in case an extra year becomes available.
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