Making Mizzou's Case to Pursue Jayden Quaintance in Transfer Portal

There's still much left on the table for the Missouri Tigers to figure out in the transfer portal window.

Since it opened on March 24, the lone addition Missouri has made is Loyola Marymount forward Jevon Porter, who committed to the program just three days after entering the portal.

On the flip side of the portal, the Tigers have lost forward Aidan Shaw, walk-on guards JV Brown and Danny Stephens, and most recently, freshman forward Marcus Allen.

Given that and the several players now without eligibility, coach Dennis Gates and the Tigers need to make some additions to the roster with four open slots. Some of those should be replacements for guards Caleb Grill and Tamar Bates, but the center position is losing Josh Gray, too.

It just so happens that a familiar name announced his exploration into the portal on Wednesday — Arizona State Sun Devils' freshman center Jayden Quaintance.

Before making his commitment to Arizona State, Quaintance was heavily recruited by Missouri. The Tigers were well in the conversation in the days leading up to his decision, but ultimately struck out in a heated battle for his signing.

Arriving to campus at just 16-years-old, Quaintance enjoyed an outstanding freshman year. Averages of 9.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 29 minutes per game earned him selections to the Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive team, cementing the hype as truth.

However, a torn ACL in his right knee cut Quaintance's campaign short. He underwent successful surgery on March 19 and aims to be cleared for contact in September — making him available for the start of the 2025-26 season.

Regardless if that target date is concrete or not, pursuing Quaintance should be an absolute priority for the Tigers. He projects as one of the top picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, but even if that means one year of him with the program, it would be well worth the steep price tag.