Reality set in quickly for some teams that lost during the first weekend of NCAA Tournament action, as players hit the transfer portal just days after their seasons ended. Among the most notable entrants early this week were South Carolina guard Meechie Johnson and James Madison guard Terrence Edwards.
Johnson led the Gameco*cks in scoring while helping the program to a 26-8 record and No. 6 seed in the Big Dance before a first-round loss to No. 11 seed Oregon. The 6-foot-2 guard has one season of eligibility remaining.
"I appreciate all the fans out there from USC," Johnson said in a video posted to social media. "It was a great two years. Definitely had some of the most fun I ever had in my life. But at the end of the day, I've just got to make the best decision for me."
Edwards was the leading scorer for a 32-4 James Madison team that knocked off No. 5 seed Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Duke on Sunday. His entrance to the portal comes as no surprise following JMU coach Mark Byington's departure for Vanderbilt.
The spring portal window opened on March 18 and will remain open until May 1. However, players who have entered the portal by then don't face a firm deadline on when they must commit. Additionally, graduate transfers and players impacted by coaching changes that occur after May 1 will be able to transfer after the deadline.
As players enter the portal, we will rank the best of them here. The rankings will be updated regularly as players either enter the portal or announce their intentions to enter the portal.
Check out the latest transfer portal updates from 247Sports
1. Clifford Omoruyi
Old school: Rutgers
Entering the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Omoruyi's 93 blocks ranked fourth nationally. The 6-foot-11 center is an elite rim protector with consecutive Big Ten All-Defense honors. Omoruyi also averaged double figures in each of the last three seasons and posted 29 double-doubles in his four years with the program. He can't do much away from the rim offensively but is excellent defensively.
2. Meechie Johnson
Old school:South Carolina
Johnson wasn't necessarily South Carolina's best all-around player. But the 6-foot-2 guard did lead the Gameco*cks in scoring at 14.1 points per game in 2023-24 during his second season in the program. Johnson began his career at Ohio State and will have one season of eligibility remaining.
3. Jevon Porter
Old school:Pepperdine
Porter ranked as a top-100 prospect in the Class of 2022 and earned honorable mention All-WCC honors this season while averaging 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and one block per game. The 6-foot-11 younger brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. is a career 32.5% 3-point shooter and could get high-major interest because of his size, pedigree and flashes of perimeter shooting.
4. Darlinstone Dubar
Old school: Hofstra
Dubar is a 6-foot-6 wing who averaged 17.8 points and 6.8 rebounds on 39.9% 3-point shooting for a 20-win Hofstra team. He began his career at Iowa State, starting seven games for the Cyclones in 2020-21. As a fifth-year player with a proven shot and size, he'll have opportunities to return to a major conference. Alabama guard Aaron Estrada is an example of a quality high-major player to come through Hofstra.
5. Maxime Raynaud
Old school: Stanford
Raynaud was named the Pac-12's most improved player after nearly doubling his scoring average to 15.5 points per game as a junior. The seven-footer collected 9.6 rebounds per game and hit 36.1% of his 3-pointers on 61 attempts. The drawback is how limited he is defensively for a player of his size (0.8 blocks per game in 29.1 minutes).
6. Kobe Johnson
Old school: USC
Johnson stood out as an elite defender for USC, collecting 2.2 steals per game and rating as one of the top players on that side of the ball in the Pac-12. The 6-foot-5 wing also scored 10.9 points per game in 2023-24. Though just a career 32.9% 3-point shooter, Johnson has some chops as a distributor and will be a plug-and-play veteran at his next stop.
7. Tyrin Lawrence
Old school: Vanderbilt
Lawrence is a 6-foot-4 guard with 105 career appearances for an SEC program under his belt. Though just a career 28.7% 3-point shooter, he's a good defender and averaged better than 13 points per game the past two seasons. He is the type of seasoned veteran with a track record of production who could provide reliable minutes for a good high-major program.
8.Brandon Garrison
Old school:Oklahoma State
Garrison showed glimpses of why he was a top-50 prospect and McDonald's All-American in the Class of 2023 during his freshman season at Oklahoma State. There are offensive strides to be made, but Garrison blocked 1.5 shots per game in just 22.7 minutes and has three seasons of eligibility remaining to continue realizing his potential.
9. Cade Tyson
Old school: Belmont
Tyson is a career 44.6% 3-point shooter on 287 attempts over two seasons with Belmont. At 6-foot-7 with a demonstrated outside stroke, he could be an impact player for a high-major program. How Tyson will translate defensively to a higher level is likely the biggest question mark here.
10. Gibson Jimerson
Old school: Saint Louis
Shooters like Jimerson don't come around often. The 6-foot-5 wing hit 39.5% of his 789 long-range attempts over five seasons for Saint Louis. He's got one season left to play and should be highly sought after demonstrating one of college basketball's most consistent outside strokes in an unparalleled sample size.
11. Jacob Crews
Old school:UT Martin| New school: Missouri
Crews shot 41.4% from 3-point range on 6.7 attempts per game as a junior for a UT Martin team that won a share of the OVC regular-season title. He also yanked down 8.2 rebounds per game for the Skyhawks. There are questions about his defense, but at 6-7 and with a good shooting stroke, he will garner significant interest.
12. Dug McDaniel
Old school: Michigan
McDaniel averaged 16.3 points and 4.7 assists while shooting 36.8% from 3-point range on 5.8 attempts for a bad Michigan team. The 5-11 guard also rated as the Wolverines' top defender, per evanmiya.com. Although his offensive numbers dipped against Big Ten foes, the former four-star prospect will help a team needing to upgrade its guard play.
13. Malik Mack
Old school: Harvard
Mack's efficiency dipped down the stretch, but it was still a phenomenal freshman season for the 6-foot-1 guard, who averaged 17.2 points and 4.8 assists per game. The Ivy League Rookie of the Year finished with 18 points and six assists at Boston College and scored 27 at Indiana during the first month of his college career. It was an impressive peek at what he's capable of against high-major opposition.
14. Kanaan Carlyle
Old school:Stanford
Carlyle averaged 11.5 points and 2.7 assists per game in his freshman season at Stanford after ranking as a four-star prospect in the Class of 2023. His best games came againstArizonaandWashington State, which were both NCAA Tournament teams. With three seasons of eligibility remaining and a proven body of work at the high-major level, there is some upside here.
15. Otega Oweh
Old school:Oklahoma
Oweh's production and efficiency dropped dramatically during the grind of Big 12 play after his sophom*ore season began with tantalizing glimpses of offensive promise. But while his game remains a work in progress, the 6-foot-5 wing is already a great defender. With two years left to play, Oweh is worth a swing for a team in need of perimeter defense.
16. Koren Johnson
Old school: Washington
Johnson earned Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year honors while averaging 11.1 points, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals for Washington. The 6-foot-2 guard is a career 35.1% 3-point shooter over his two seasons and also rates as a good defender for his size.
17. Malik Dia
Old school:Belmont
Dia shined as a dynamic frontcourt player in his sophom*ore season at Belmont after playing sparingly during his freshman season at Vanderbilt. He averaged 16.9 points and 5.8 boards for the Bruins while shooting 34.1% from 3-point range. He's 6-9 and has surprising athleticism for a player with such a big frame. His game needs refining, but Dia's upside is clear.
18. Terrence Edwards
Old school: James Madison
Edwards was the leading scorer at 17.2 points per game for a James Madison team that finished 32-4 with a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 6-foot-6 guard also dished out 3.4 assists for the Dukes after making significant productivity strides in all four years he was at JMU.
19. Ja'Kobi Gillespie
Old school:Belmont
Belmont was at its best with Gillespie on the floor; he averaged 17.2 points, 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals for the Bruins. The 6-foot guard is on the smaller side but shot a ridiculous 66% inside the arc and a solid 38.7% beyond it. With two seasons of eligibility remaining, he's worth a shot for a high-major team in need of an on-ball guard.
20. Skyy Clark
Old school: Louisville
After spending one season at Illinois, Clark transferred to Louisville and led the moribund Cardinals in scoring during the 2023-24 season at 13.2 points per game. His career 1:1 assist-turnover ratio is unappealing, but if the former top-40 prospect can find the right fit, he could still shine.
21. Houston Mallette
Old school:Pepperdine | New school: Alabama
Mallette is a career 37.5% 3-point shooter on 512 attempts over three seasons at Pepperdine. The 6-foot-5 guard upped his mark to a career-best 41.5% in 2023-24 and had big games against quality foes like Indiana State and UNLV. His combination of size and proven track record of perimeter shooting will be attractive.
22. Bensley Joseph
Old school: Miami
Joseph played a key role on Miami's Final Four team in 2023 and upped his contributions to 9.6 points and 3.4 assists per game as a starter in 2023-24. The 6-foot-1 guard is a career 37.9% 3-point shooter and has one season left to play.
23. Amari Williams
Old school:Drexel
Williams earned CAA Defensive Player of the Year for a third straight season while averaging 1.8 blocks per game. The 6-foot-10 rim protector rated among the top-100 defenders in all of college basketball following the conclusion of conference tournament play, per evanmiya.com. He also scored 12.2 points and grabbed 7.8 rebounds for a 20-win Dragons team.
24. Michael Ajayi
Old school: Pepperdine
Ajayi is 6-foot-7 and hit 47% of his 3-pointers on 2.5 attempts per game while averaging 17.2 points in his lone season at Pepperdine. While Ajayi was a rebounding force for the Waves with 9.9 per game, his defense is a question mark. But there is enough here to pique the interest of high-major programs.
25. Frankie Fidler
Old school: Omaha
Fidler finished second in the Summit League in scoring at 20.1 points per game. The 6-foot-7 forward hit 35.6% of his 3-point attempts in 2023-24 and was effective against Big 12 foes TCU and Texas Tech. Max Abmas (Oral Roberts to Texas) and Grant Nelson (North Dakota State to Alabama) are recent examples of players from this league transferring up and playing big roles for good teams.
26. Andrej Stojakovic
Old school: Stanford
Stojakovic averaged 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game as a freshman at Stanford after ranking as a top-25 prospect in the Class of 2023, per 247Sports. He hit just 32.7% of his 3-pointers and was not an impact defender. But with three seasons left to play, he'll have time to realize the potential that made him a McDonald's All-American.
27. Micah Peavy
Old school: TCU
Peavy rated as TCU's top defender each of the past three seasons, per evanmiya.com. The 6-foot-7 wing is just a career 26.7% 3-point shooter. But for a team in need of a versatile, veteran defensive presence, he will make a significant impact.
28. Clark Slajchert
Old school: Penn
Slajchert shot 42.2% from 3-point range on 6.1 attempts per game in 2023-24 while averaging 18 points per game. At 6-foot-1, adapting to the defensive demands of the high-major level could be a challenge. But his offensive game will be attractive to high-major programs in need of perimeter firepower.
29. Sincere Parker
Old school: Saint Louis
Parker is the definition of instant offense. The 6-3 guard averaged 15.9 points per game in just 20.7 minutes per contest off the bench for Saint Louis while shooting 42.6% from 3-point range. He went for 30 or more three games in a row during one February stretch of A-10 play. That should make him interesting to high-major programs.
30. Jordan Sears
Old school: UT Martin
Looking for a bucket? Sears has you covered. The 5-foot-11 guard ranked ninth nationally in points per game at 21.6 after making 43.2% of his 3-pointers on 5.5 attempts per game for UT Martin. He also dished out 4.5 assists and rated as the Skyhawks' top defender, per evanmiya.com. How it might translate to a tougher conference is difficult to decipher, but he's worth a look for teams needing some scoring punch.
