Second-year transfer breakouts to watch out for in 2025-26

By Sam Federman

While all of the hype in college basketball right now surrounds the transfer portal, championships may be won in the previous year's transfer portal more so than anything.

Florida's best player, Walter Clayton Jr., was in his second year in Gainesville after transferring. Meanwhile, UConn's First Team All-American in 2023-24, Tristen Newton, was also a second-year transfer. Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis was a second-year transfer, while two other USBWA All-Americans, LJ Cryer and Hunter Dickinson, were also at year two in their spot.

Johni Broome, Mark Sears, Terrence Shannon Jr., Baylor Scheierman, and Antonio Reeves are five other players who were All-Americans as second-year transfers in 2023-24 (Shannon would've been an All-American had he not been involved in the controversy).

So, who are the candidates to break out even further in their second year with their school in 2025-26? Here are a few that come to mind

I'm omitting JT Toppin and PJ Haggerty as they were All-Americans already this season.

Milos Uzan, Houston

It took Uzan a little bit of time to get settled and fit within Houston's system, but once he did, he had an excellent season. He struggled in the last three rounds of the tournament but was a key piece of the Cougars' impressive run through Big 12 play. From mid-January through the Big 12 Tournament, Uzan averaged 14.2 points and 3.8 assists per game on 49/49/76 splits. He probably won't be quite that efficient with a higher offensive load, but there's no reason to believe he can't be an All-American caliber player next season, especially with how good Houston is projected to be.

Eric Dailey Jr and Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA

The double-barrel of two UCLA Bruins comes next, as Dailey and Bilodeau were the two leading scorers for Mick Cronin last year, averaging a combined 24.9 points per game. Dailey is the athletic chess piece that brings versatility on both ends of the floor. He's not Gary Clark, but the two do share some similar traits that make it easy to see why Cronin brought him in last year and featured him in a prominent role. Meanwhile, Bilodeau was UCLA's best option for getting a bucket, no matter what it looked like. His shotmaking from the mid-range and beyond the arc was huge all year. Now with Donovan Dent coming into the program, there's an elite table setter that will generate more offense for them, and elevate the Bruin team.

Tarris Reed Jr., UConn

Whenever Reed was on the floor, he was making an impact for UConn. He's a dominant force in the low post, shooting 72% at the rim and dunking the ball 37 times in his first year in Storrs. With Dan Hurley's recent track record of developing big men, Reed could be in for a massive second year. He was also an impactful piece defending the rim, but struggled with foul trouble. Perhaps if he plays a bigger role, he'll dial down the aggressiveness defensively to stay in the game and provide his toughness on the glass. Reed was KenPom MVP of seven different games for UConn and scored 20+ four times, proving that he has the capacity to be a high-volume offensive piece.

Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State

It's hard to even call Jefferson a breakout candidate, but he has continued to blossom as a player, and there's no reason to think his ceiling isn't even higher than what has been shown. Jefferson, already known as a truly elite defender from his time at Saint Mary's, added more offensively to ISU than he did at SMC. He grew as a playmaker, averging 4 assists per contest over his last ten games, upped his scoring averages and efficiency, drew more fouls, and fit like a glove for Iowa State's defense. With Tamin Lipsey, Curtis Jones, and Milan Momcilovic all seemingly coming back to Ames, the Cyclones are set to have elite continuity and a chance to compete for a national championship.

Otega Oweh, Kentucky

Another one that is hard to call a breakout candidate, considering that Oweh was Kentucky's best player by the end of the season, but he might be a shoo-in for preseason All-America next year, assuming he returns to Lexington. He averaged 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, including seven 20-point performances in his final 12 games. As the Cats dealt with a variety of injuries throughout the season, Oweh was one of just four players to play in all 36 games, and made several last-minute buckets once he became the team's clear alpha. Kentucky has attacked the transfer portal and built around what Oweh can provide, and is set up for a big year two under Mark Pope.

Mark Mitchell, Missouri

For being the leading scorer on a five-seed, I feel like nobody talked about Mark Mitchell this year. He's the truest modern distillation of a traditional power forward. A long, athletic, strong, 6 foot 9, 230-pounder with the power to finish inside and the skill to impact the game from outside the paint as well. While Mitchell will almost assuredly never be a good shooter, growing more comfortable into his role at Mizzou, and leaning even further into who he is in year two could make him a sleeper candidate for All-America if the Tigers have built the right roster around him.

Additional Names to watch

Tobe Awaka, Arizona
Felix Okpara, Tennessee
Devin McGlockton, Vanderbilt
Braeden Smith, Gonzaga (redshirted this past season)
Desmond Claude, USC
Javan Buchanan, Boise State
Aden Holloway, Alabama
Malik Mack, Georgetown
Malik Dia, Mississippi
Kylan Boswell, Illinois
Elijah Mahi, Santa Clara
Baba Miller, Florida Atlantic
Paulius Murauskas, Saint Mary's

Third-year transfers that took a leap last year and are returning/could be taking another leap

Jaden Bradley, Arizona
Curtis Jones, Iowa State
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's