One of the features of the transfer portal is players from smaller schools and conferences get to prove themselves at the mid-major level and earn an opportunity to step up a level of competition.
Michigan’s MVP Yaxel Lendeborg was a mid-major find from UAB. Oscar Cluff went from South Dakota State to Purdue and was a key cog for the Boilermakers. Robert Morris transfer Alvaro Folgueiras was a March star for Iowa.
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WHO HAS BEST HAUL? College basketball transfer portal team rankings
LATEST INTEL: College basketball transfer portal 10 best players remaining
You get the idea.
So who is next in line to take their big game to a bigger stage?
Top mid-major players on the move in college basketball transfer portal
Cruz Davis, Texas Tech (Hofstra)
Texas Tech landed its Christian Anderson replacement in former Hofstra guard Cruz Davis, the CAA Player of the Year in 2026. Davis averaged 20.1 points with 4.7 assists last season, and was No. 37 in USA TODAY Sports’ transfer portal player rankings before committing.
The Plano, Texas product fared well vs Power conference teams last season, scoring 17 vs. UCF, 36 vs. Pitt and 22 vs. Syracuse, and will be a key piece to Grant McCasland’s Red Raiders reload without Anderson gone and JT Toppin coming back from an ACL injury.
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Paulius Murauskas, Arizona State (Saint Mary’s)
The 6-8 Lithuanian was ranked No. 7 in USA TODAY Sports’ portal player rankings after averaging 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for a 27-win Saint Mary’s team last season. Unsurprisingly, the first-team All-West Coast Conference pick followed former Gaels coach Randy Bennett to Arizona State, where he was hired to replace Bobby Hurley.
Alex Wilkins, Kentucky (Furman)
From a zero-star recruit to Big Blue Nation in the span of a year. Wilkins had a standout freshman season for the Southern Conference champions and led the league in field goals made. The 6-5 guard averaged a team-high 17.8 points and 4.7 assists per game. In the NCAA Tournament, the No. 28 player in USA TODAY Sports’ portal rankings showed he could compete against elite competition, scoring 21 points in a competitive game against eventual national runner-up UConn. With three years of eligibility, he’ll be more than just a quick rental, which will help Mark Pope try to find some much-needed stability in Lexington.
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Ryan Sabol, Providence (Buffalo)
If Lundblade was one of the top available shooters in the portal, Sabol quite possibly was the top shooter available in the portal. Sabol’s 3.8 made 3s per game were third-most in the nation, and he did so at 39.9% clip.
He averaged 18.8 points per game and had 14 games where he hit at least five 3-pointers. He’ll be a good fit for Bryan Hodgson’s system in Providence. Hodgson’s South Florida team led the American Conference in scoring last season and was second in the league in made 3s.
Tyler Lundblade, Tennessee (Belmont)
The reigning Missouri Valley Conference player of the year was one of the top shooters available in the portal and fills a clear need for the Vols, who need to replace their top six scorers from this past season. The former walk-on made 40.6% of his 3-pointers despite having a high shooting volume, with 8.8 attempts per game from beyond the arc. Tennessee’s top returning 3-point shooters (Ethan Burg and Troy Henderson) had 15 makes all season.
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Terrence Hill Jr., Tennessee (VCU)
Terrence Hill Jr. helped VCU upset North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament. He’ll take his game to Tennessee in 2026-27.
Let’s stay on Rocky Top. The sophomore had a breakout season in 2025-26, averaging 15 points a game on 46.6% shooting. He showed he won’t be scared by brand names after scoring 34 points against North Carolina in the Rams’ first round in the NCAA Tournament.
Hill only started two games for VCU last season, but beginning in January, he routinely played 30-plus minutes, providing a spark off the bench.
Drew Scharnowski, Duke (Belmont)
Duke had a clear need in the post with Cameron Boozer headed for the NBA Draft lottery and Maliq Brown out of eligibility. The 6-9 Scharnowski could slot alongside returning Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II or provide valuable frontcourt depth. A first-team All-MVC pick, Scharnowski was the No. 50 player in USA TODAY’s portal rankings after averaging 10.7 points, six rebounds and 2.6 assists per game as a sophomore for a Belmont team that went 26-6. He was a strong presence down low, too, with 1.3 blocks per game. At the start of the portal process, the prevailing thought was Scharnowski would follow former Belmont coach Casey Alexander to Kansas State. The big man set his sights higher and will test himself in the Blue Devils crucible.
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Tyrone Riley IV, Oregon (San Francisco)
Riley will get plenty of run as the Ducks return just one player from last season’s roster.
The 6-6 junior wing has 65 starts under his belt and averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and one steal a game last season for the Dons. He shot 47.2% from the field and 36.8% from 3 on his way to a second-team All-WCC selection.
In games against Power conference foes Minnesota, Colorado and Mississippi State (OK, maybe not a murderer’s row), Riley averaged 14 ppg, and he put up 17 points on Saint Louis and 16 vs. Gonzaga.
Jaquan Johnson, Iowa State (Bradley)
Bradley’s Jaquan Johnson looks like a perfect fit for Iowa State to replace graduating point guard Tamin Lipsey.
How would Iowa State replace Tamin Lipsey? The Cyclones point guard started all 137 games he played for ISU and left as the school’s all-time steals leader and fourth in career assists.
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Enter, Johnson. About as seamless of a fit as you could hope for if you’re the Cyclones. He took an enormous leap from his freshman to his sophomore season, improving his scoring average from 6.6 to 16.9 points per game to help him earn first-team All-MVC honors, MVC most improved player and all-defensive team honors (thanks to his 2.6 steals per game).
He is only 5-11, which could cause some problems against bigger, more athletic competition in a major conference, but his all-around production is impressive, with 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
Gavin Doty, Syracuse (Siena)
Doty is following Gerry McNamara from Siena to Syracuse and did just about everything he could to try to pull off a stunning 16-over-1 upset over Duke in the NCAA Tournament, scoring a team-high 21 points in a 71-65 first-round loss. The 6-5 sophomore led the Saints in scoring at 18 points per game and was an excellent rebounder for someone his size, pulling down a team-high 6.9 boards per game.
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He won’t be an unknown to McNamara, and his near-immediate commitment to the Orange says a lot about his coach’s belief that Doty can scale up from the MAAC to the ACC.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Next basketball transfer portal stars from mid‑majors primed for breakout
