Big East Day One Transfer Portal Update

The Transfer Portal has officially opened, and we here at Road to the Garden want to give you a quick stop to view a lot of the chaos of Portal season that comes. While we will soon get on with our full tracker, here’s a very brief overview of where we are now.

Butler

Returning: Jalen Jackson, Drayton Jones, Ethan McComb

Committed before April: Baron Walker (G) (2026)

April Commits: Asim Dulovic, Herly Brutus, Eduardo Kalfke (Ole Miss)

Butler went through a Head Coaching change and hired Ronald Nored from the Atlanta Hawks. Nored was the Point Guard who played on Butler’s two teams that made the National Championship. Nored got to work quickly, doing everything he could to retain his roster, and holding onto Jalen Jackson and Drayton Jones, two opening day starters a season ago.

Asim Dulovic is Butler’s first offseason commitment, coming from Megabasket in Serbia. Dulovic is a skilled wing who is super active on the glass and plays with high-level aggressiveness. Nored also brought over former Creighton assistant Jalen Courtney-Williams from LSU, who brought over former LSU commit Herly Brutus, a hyper-athletic wing. Nored has talked about Butler being a physical defense since he took over the program, and that’s what Brutus represents.

Klafke, meanwhile, is a pure shooter who shot 44.6% from three in his collegiate career. In both his seasons at Ole Miss, their offense was much better when he was on the floor, including the Rebels finishing 4.2% (25-26) and 5% (24-25) better at the rim because of the defensive attention that Klafke draws.

I hope to have more on these three commits, both on my Twitter and on my Solo Podcast, which are both hyperlinked right there. I also aim to have a more detailed write-up for both players coming really soon (probably starting as soon as I publish this).

Butler still has a lot of work to do, and where it may seem unlikely, I wouldn’t say it’s a certainty that every player who has entered the portal leaves.

Creighton

Transferred Out: Owen Freeman, Ty Davis, Josh Townley-Thomas, Blake Harper

Newcomers: Katrelle Harmon (PG)

April Commits: Oswin Erhunmwunse (Providence)

Creighton’s offseason started later than others after their appearance in the crown, so I expect more departures announced over the next few days (hence not the definitively returning tab). The BlueJays will look very different with Alan Huss walking the sidelines, marking the first coach not named Greg McDermott to be manning the sidelines for a full season for the BlueJays in the Big East. Huss’s teams at High Point generally overwhelmed with talent and athleticism, which is a marked difference from the tactician Greg McDermott. 

Creighton’s approach to the portal will be very interesting. Early on, the Jays have been connected to Oswin Erhunmwunse (now committed) from Providence, Joel Foxwell from Portland, Chol Machot from Charleston and likely much more we’ll learn over the next couple of days.

The addition of Oswin happened just before I intended on publishing this article, but I think is a huge addition for the Jays. Much like the Michael Nwoko claim I will make later, you have to spend the money somewhere, and getting an athletic, rim-running big man fits perfectly for Huss’s scheme. Having a big man locked in now means you don’t have to divest large amounts of attention to this position, and allows your roster build to be much more flexible as you fill out many more spots. Lock down a big man and make sure you get your guy, and hope you nail that evaluation. Oswin will be a top-half big man in this league, and locking that down now is an asset.

UConn

Commits: Colben Landrew, Junior County

UConn just played for another national title. Where other teams are all playing catch-up, the Huskies are looking to retain what they have and build from there. There isn’t much to say yet since they just played for a National Title.

However, the Huskies have been rumored for Ohio State F Devin Royal (though I think another BE team is ahead of UConn here as of today, but we’ll get to them later), and scheduled a zoom meeting with Seton Hall transfer Najai Hines. I expect a quieter offseason for UConn, with just one or two replacements coming for those who left. This offseason for the Huskies is much more about retention than making multiple splashes.

DePaul

Confirmed Returning: Layden Blocker, Fabian Flores, Theo Pierre-Justin, Kruz McClure, Amsal Delalic

Freshman: Mason Lockett, Noah Smith, Andrew Jensen

More information is certainly to come for the Blue Demons, but I think the most impressive part of the Holtmann era has been how they’ve retained a lot of their most important pieces in this era. That can’t be said for some of the other teams at the bottom of the league.

However, DePaul has a lot to replace and will need to be aggressive in the portal this season. Gunn, Benson and Banks are all leaving, and assuming he can’t get another year, Brandon Maclin, who was their best player down the stretch, will also be joining them. Development will replace some of their production, but the Demons know they need to be aggressive in the portal.

DePaul has been on the “contact” list for some huge names like Terrence Hill (VCU) and A’Lahn Sumler (Charleston Southern), who seem unlikely from the outside looking in. Koree Cotton (UTRGV) was another name I saw the Blue Demons connected with, but it’s very early in the offseason, and I expect the Blue Demons to be very active in searching for an off-ball guard. All three players mentioned are guards, showing a position of emphasis for Holtmann and co.

Georgetown

Confirmed Returning: Julius Halaifonua, Caleb Williams, Kayvaun Mulready

Newcomers: Alex Constanza, Justin Caldwell

The Hoyas offseason, as of this point, has to be characterized more by who they’ve lost than who is coming in. KJ Lewis and Malik Mack both walking means the Hoyas will be looking for a whole new backcourt, and need to upgrade on their two leading scorers last season.

Keeping Halaifonua is huge for this team, as Juice is just scratching the surface of what he can do, and had some incredible games (21/11 against Nova in the BET). Caleb Williams played some solid ball in his two initial campaigns, while Kayvaun Mulready started his college career slowly, but played his best ball once Lewis went down, looking more comfortable than he ever has.

Still, the Hoyas need a massive talent influx, and have already swung big, but weren’t able to get five-star freshman Beckham Black to reclass. The Hoyas are anxiously awaiting news on Vince Iwuchukwu’s waiver application as portal season begins. Georgetown is in need of talent upgrades at every spot, and their first move has been a zoom call with FAU Guard Devin Vanterpool.

If I’m Georgetown, I’m making a call to UNC Guard Derek Dixon. Dixon could always return to the Tar Heels, but the Hoyas have been desperate for an alpha scoring guard who can hit an outside shot for years, and that’s exactly who Dixon is.

Marquette

Transferring: Zaide Lowery, Sean Jones, Tre Norman

Commits: Sheek Pearson (he redshirted this season), Nash Walker, Ethan Johnston

The offseason for Marquette started with a massive win, retaining their core of Nigel James, Adrien Stevens and Royce Parham. That speaks a lot to the culture that Shaka has built. It’s a cliche buzzword, but it’s cliche for a reason, and the Eagles ending the season strong and never giving in certainly played a role in keeping their stars.

The Golden Eagles still have holes on this roster to fill, but from all accounts, they intend to get into the portal. You don’t need to turnover a full roster every year, in fact the best programs certainly don’t, but using the portal to supplement what you have is necessary in this era of hoops. Especially when you get caught behind the rest of your league in talent.

Pearson, I think, is an immediate impact from the HS level (hoping the year of development really rounded his skillset out), but Johnston and Walker feel more like developmental pieces to me. I expect the Golden Eagles to look for a wing and a big man in the portal at the very least. Perhaps some depth at guard as well, or a wing who can supplement with guard minutes.

Providence

Returning: Ryan Mela

It’s an entirely new roster for Bryan Hodgson and his Providence Friars. The departures of Jamier Jones, Oswin Erhunmwunse and Stefan Vaaks have headlined the Friars' offseason to this point. Jones is the biggest name of the three, who Friar fans would love to have back, as he fits Hodgson’s overall plan of overwhelming athleticism very well.

Hodgson is set to bring over Guard Wes Enis from his South Florida team. Enis is a score-first lead guard who thrives in transition situations where he can use his lightning-quick ability in the open floor and his impressive ability to change speeds. Enis is also a legit outside threat, hitting 3.3 threes per game on 35.2% shooting. Enis isn’t a true playmaker and has had troubles finishing over size, but no doubt his 16.4PPG will be very welcomed in Friar Town.

I expect Bryan Hodgson to get talent to Providence in his first season, but with a barren roster, he certainly has his work cut out for him.

Seton Hall

Transfers Out: Najai Hines, TJ Simpkins, Godswill Erheriene

HS Commits: Darien Moore (four-star)

The offseason is typically quiet for the Pirates, but a large portion of their efforts is going to keeping Budd Clark in a Pirate jersey for his senior season. Indiana, led by Budd’s Uncle Rod Clark, amongst others, have been circling the Pirate lead guard. Seton Hall is putting a lot towards keeping him, after losing Najai Hines to a whole bunch of big fish suitors who were very impressed by the big man.

Seton Hall has had struggles keeping their guys, and are having another typically quiet offseason. But this roster has many holes to fill, particularly on the wings and in the frontcourt. If Holloway can keep the rest of his guards, that would go a long way to starting a successful offseason.

St. John’s

Transfer Out: Sadiku Ibine Ayo

There haven’t been some expected announcements out of Queens yet, as only Sadiku Ibine Ayo has entered the portal. The Johnnies have massive holes to fill with Zuby Ejiofor, Dillon Mitchell, Bryce Hopkins and Oziyah Sellers all graduating. Still, this is nothing new to St. John’s, who have frequently used the portal in large numbers to build on a handful of existing building blocks. 

The Johnnies will not be quiet this offseason, but have traditionally waited a week or so before really digging their toes in, and I would expect something similar again. What I will say, from the outside looking in, is that I cannot imagine a Rick Pitino team not looking to substantially upgrade in the backcourt from what they had last season.

Villanova

Transfers Out: Bryce Lindsay, Acaden Lewis, Tafare Gapare, Zion Stanford, Braden Pierce

HS Commits: Adam Oumiddoch

It feels a lot like last season with Kevin Willard looking around the building and only seeing Tyler Perkins and Matthew Hodge. Once again, those two are expected to stick around, joined by Chris Jeffrey, Malachi Palmer and Adam Oumiddoch. The Wildcats will be aggressive in the portal, and have clearly identified their need to get much more athletic in the frontcourt.

Kwame Evans (Oregon) is a former five-star recruit who is coming off his best season as a college player, averaging 13.3PPG and 7.4RPG for the Ducks. Barring some significant change, I’m expecting Evans to be one of the first players to announce a commitment to a Big East School as early as this weekend, and I think the Wildcats are a team to watch for Ohio State F Devin Royal. Royal’s a bruiser who reflects a Villanova team that will be playing a completely different style next season.

The Wildcats need more than just those guys, including a true lead alpha guard, but securing Evans would be a very good start for the Cats.

Xavier

Transferring Out: Roddie Anderson, All Wright, Anthony Robinson, Pape N’Diaye

HS Commits: Kalek House, Asher Elson, Gedeon Basson 

Portal Commits: Michael Nwoko (LSU)

The Musketeers offseason started with securing a commitment from Jovan Milicevic to return, but part of his return was specified on the fact that he can play his more natural PF position, rather than being a small-ball five. That led Xavier to quickly recruiting LSU big man Michael Nwoko, who the Musketeers landed quickly. Nwoko is an athletic powerhouse who dunks everything he can, and is super active on the glass. There are some rim protection concerns, but Xavier was missing an aggressive rebounder all season, and they should have one in Nwoko.

Commit Kalek House played in the Chipotle Nationals this past week for his school, Compass Prep, this past week and hit a layup to send a game to overtime, which Compass unfortunately fell in. House’s eyes are on playing for the Musketeers now and for Coach Pitino, much like his older brother Jaelen did a few years back.

The Musketeers also returning Gabriel Pozzato from an injury he suffered in the offseason will be big, as Pozzato was expected to play a fairly significant role for the Muskies last season. Xavier is still in desperate need of a backcourt, but securing Nwoko and not having to worry about the center position, traditionally the toughest to manage in the portal era, is a terrific start.

As I will continue to say all offseason (and stole from this tweet linked below), there are no bad contracts, just bad rosters.

For more updated on the Big East/Transfer Portal as they happen, follow me on Twitter and subscribe to my Solo Podcast. Make sure to follow Road to the Garden on Twitter as well, and subscribe to the RTTG Podcast here. Shameless self-promo done, and we'll be back with updates shortly.