College basketball fans were still riding the high—maize and blue confetti still clinging to places it probably shouldn’t—when the transfer portal officially opened right after Michigan’s win over UConn in the national championship game.
Misryoum newsroom reported that more than 2,000 Division I men’s basketball players have already entered their names into the portal, which will be open for two weeks, from April 7 to April 21. That’s… a lot of talent, and also a lot of chaos. Still, the decisions coming over the next couple of weeks could shape the 2026-27 season in a big way.
We ranked the top 20 players to keep an eye on as transfer decisions unfold. Burton is a dual-threat scoring guard. He led the ACC in scoring with 21.3 points per game as a sophomore and then followed that up by averaging 18.5 points per game during his junior year at Notre Dame. After three seasons with the Fighting Irish, Burton enters the portal with one year of eligibility remaining.
Freeman is next on the list, and honestly he’s the kind of player that makes teams dream up new lineups. He can score at all three levels, averaging 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game en route to earning honorable mention All-ACC honors. He was a former five-star recruit in the 2024 high school class, but injuries have been a problem through his first two seasons at Syracuse. Freeman has two years of eligibility remaining, though, so the upside is still there—maybe not right away, but it’s there.
Sherrell is a physical presence with a strong motor on the glass. He averaged 11.1 points and 6.2 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game as a sophomore at Alabama. In a system that emphasized high-volume 3-point shooting, his full skill set wasn’t on display. With two years of eligibility remaining, he could emerge as a do-it-all forward in a different role. And if the glass work matters to your team (it always does), that matters.
Diop is an athletic big man at 7-foot-1, bringing rim protection and the ability to be a lob threat. He averaged 13.6 points and 2.1 blocks per game in his freshman season at Arizona State. He was born in Senegal and came to the United States from Spain before last season. At 21 years old, he has more experience than most rising sophomores. Lewis, meanwhile, is a dynamic guard built for getting into the lane and creating for himself and teammates—he averaged 12.2 points and 5.3 assists per game while leading Villanova to the NCAA Tournament, with three years of eligibility remaining but also having entered the NBA Draft consideration and the transfer portal.
Then there’s Cyril, Khamenia, Hill, and the rest of the group that could swing roles fast once landing spots get finalized. Cyril is an imposing paint presence on both sides—elite rim protection and efficient pick-and-roll value—averaging 9.3 points and 2.2 blocks per game during his sophomore season at Georgia in just 21.2 minutes per game, and he has two years of eligibility remaining to prove there’s a breakout if the playing time increases. Khamenia is a versatile wing and former top-20 recruit whose role was limited on a loaded Duke roster as a freshman; he averaged 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game and is a strong candidate to make a major leap with expanded opportunity as a sophomore. Hill is another elite shot maker who left a mark in the 2026 NCAA Tournament—knocking down a game-winning shot to lift No. 11 seed VCU over No. 6 seed North Carolina in the first round—averaging 15.0 points per game, shooting 37% from 3-point range on the way to earning A-10 Sixth Man of the Year honors. He’s got two years of eligibility remaining and is absolutely starting-caliber at the high-major level.
More immediate updates and commitments keep showing up as the portal period begins. Shelstad has committed to play for Louisville, and P.J. Haggerty has committed to play for Texas A&M. Bidunga has also committed to play for Louisville. Still, even with those spots already taken, Misryoum’s list is loaded with players who could fit different styles: Murauskas (three-level scoring) at Saint Mary’s; Haggerty (23.6 points per game on 48.9% shooting at Kansas State) with Memphis scoring experience; Wright (downhill attacker, BYU after Baylor) with three-point percentage improvements; and Punch (interior presence at TCU) even without a 3-point shot. Oh—one more thing. In the background of all of this, you can almost hear the gym staples in your head: sneakers squeaking on polished wood, the whistle echoing, and somebody on the sideline whispering “who’s next?”
So yeah, the portal opened fast. The talent’s deeper than most people want to admit. And in two weeks, a lot of these “could be” dreams become actual rosters—after which the next wave of rumors starts, inevitably, just as the offseason heat keeps rising.