Seven best men's college basketball transfer classes for 2026-27

The transfer portal has become the fastest way to build a contender in college basketball, and several programs took full advantage this offseason. Whether it was landing All-Conference stars, proven high-major contributors or experienced veterans, these seven schools assembled transfer classes capable of changing their fortunes immediately. 

Tennessee

This might be the best portal haul in the country. The Volunteers added eight transfers, including five players who averaged at least 15 points last season. Juke Harris leads the group after averaging 21.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists at Wake Forest. The Vols also landed Dai Dai Ames from Cal, Jalen Haralson from Notre Dame, Belmont's Tyler Lundblade and VCU's Terrence Hill Jr., giving Rick Barnes a dramatically more explosive offensive roster. Miles Rubin adds an experienced rim protector after averaging 11.3 points at Loyola Chicago. 

Louisville

This class might have the highest ceiling in the country. The Cardinals landed Kansas transfer Flory Bidunga, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, after he averaged 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. They also added Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad, Dayton's De'Shayne Montgomery, Iowa's Alvaro Folgueiras and Arkansas' Karter Knox. Shelstad averaged 15.6 points and 4.9 assists when healthy, while Montgomery averaged 13.4 points. 

Texas

The Longhorns followed their surprising Sweet 16 run by aggressively attacking the portal. They added Colorado guard Isaiah Johnson, who averaged 16.9 points as a freshman, along with TCU forward David Punch, Saint Mary's scorer Mikey Lewis and Auburn forward Elyjah Freeman. Punch averaged 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, while Lewis averaged 13.9 points. Sean Miller has an experienced group that could push the Longhorns toward the top of the SEC. 

Kentucky

After swinging and missing on several high-profile transfers, Kentucky's class received a major boost when former Missouri star Mark Mitchell committed to the Wildcats. Mitchell averaged 18.3 points last season and joins Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, who averaged 16.9 points while shooting 48.7% from three. Kentucky also added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins. 

Indiana

The Hoosiers added Notre Dame guard Markus Burton, who averaged 18.5 points before an ankle injury ended his season, along with Alabama big man Aiden Sherrell and SMU center Samet Yigitoglu. Jaeden Mustaf and Bryce Lindsay add additional backcourt depth. The additions give Indiana significantly more size, rebounding and high-major scoring than it had a year ago. 

Miami

The Hurricanes added Acaden Lewis, a former four-star guard who played at UConn, along with Somto Cyril, who averaged 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks at Georgia. Miami also added DeSean Goode from Robert Morris, Quin Berger from San Francisco and Chris Birden Jr. from VCU. The class gives new coach Jai Lucas much better perimeter depth and frontcourt size. 

Vanderbilt

Vandy had more roster turnover than most teams on this list, but Mark Byington responded by bringing in a deep group of newcomers. The Commodores added Sebastian Williams-Adams from St. John's, Bangot Dak from Colorado, Berke Buyuktuncel, T.O. Barrett and Ace Glass, giving Vanderbilt five incoming transfers. Williams-Adams is the headliner. The 6-foot-8 forward was a four-star recruit before spending his freshman season at St. John's, while Dak brings Big 12 experience from Colorado.