The transfer portal is officially open, and with the first waves of players having poured through the parted gates, we’ll pause to take a look at how the new Pac-12 looks as this crucial stage of the offseason calendar begins.
Even though the portal didn’t officially open until April 7, it’s effectively been progressively more and more open since mid-March. Whenever a team’s season ended, players began to leak through their agents that they “intend to enter the transfer portal.” As such, hundreds were already known to be planning on entering the transfer portal more than a week prior to its official opening day.
At the same time, teams have worked tirelessly to re-recruit their rosters with varying degrees of success.
So, now we weigh the success and shortcomings of teams in the Pac-12. How many players they look to have kept out of the portal and which guys will pass over that threshold to find the supposedly greener grass beyond.
Keep in mind, the players entering the portal and any re-signings listed are probably going to be out of date within hours, but the underlying analysis should stay mostly intact for a bit longer.
Boise State
Graduating Players
- Dylan Andrews
- Dominic Parolin
Players Entering Portal
- Javan Buchanan
- Drew Fielder
- RJ Keene II
- Andrew Meadow
Players Re-Signed
Biggest Needs
- Re-stock frontcourt
- Dynamic backcourt transfer
The Broncos have taken a pretty big hit already as all five of their top players in minutes are likely on the way out, and four of those are departing via the transfer portal. It’s perhaps even more harsh as guys like Andrew Meadow, Javan Buchanan and RJ Keene are players that have spent multiple seasons in Boise and contributed to a relatively successful last two season.
Now, Leon Rice has to rebuild most of his rotation.
There will be a few players to potentially build with, namely guard Aginaldo Neto and wing Pearson Carmichael. Though, unless that either half of that duo makes a massive jump by next year, they aren’t exactly the kind of star-caliber player Boise State needs in its inaugural Pac-12 season.
Even as dire as the situation can look at the moment, there’s hardly reason for Broncos fans to panic. Rice will do as he always does in bringing a 20-win caliber roster to Boise. The only question to be pondering is whether Rice will bring in high-caliber backcourt players. The Broncos always have good frontcourt athletes, it’s Rice’s specialty after all. But in a guard-dominant college environment, having elite backcourt play will usually be the difference between *just* a 20-win season or enjoying the better side of March.
And, as it turns out, the Broncos may have already found their man. North Dakota State transfer Damari Wheeler-Thomas has signed with Boise State. He averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists last year for the Bison. He could be among the first building blocks for next year’s team.
Colorado State
Graduating Players
Players Entering Portal
- Augustinas Kiudulas
- Jon Mekonnen
- Brandson Rechsteiner
- Darnez Slater
Players Re-Signed
- Carey Booth
- Jase Butler
- Charlie Dortch
- Kyle Jorgensen
- Rashaan Mbemba
- Jojo McIver
- Docker Tedeschi
Biggest Needs
- Re-sign Rechsteiner or Pascarelli
- Add a transfer wing
Even before the transfer portal starting pistol could fire, Ali Farokhmanesh has already secured most of his roster. There are four guys going portaling, including the painful departure of Brandon Rechsteiner that only gets worse with the graduation of Jevin Muniz. But even with those losses, Colorado State is well-equipped for the future and will have five or so roster spots to work with in adding high school and transfers to build around the star-level talent that is coming back.
Kyle Jorgensen very well ought to be a preseason All-Pac-12 player, heading into what will only be his junior season. At his side in the frontcourt will be Carey Booth, an underrated forward who took big strides when Jorgensen was out injured and even kept it up when he returned to the lineup. And the backcourt will be in the safe hands of Jase Butler and the up-and-coming Jojo McIver. Even more so if Josh Pascarelli, still undecided on staying or going, opts to return for the Rams.
Fresno State
Graduating Players
- Cameron Faas
- Jake Heidbreder
Players Entering Portal
- Zaon Collins
- Makhan Diouf
- David Douglas
- DeShawn Gory
- Wilson Jacques
- Gasper Kocevar
- Jac Mani
Players Re-Signed
Biggest Needs
- Veteran transfers
- Try to reel back at least one of the portal guys
With head coach Vance Walberg heading into his third year, now was the time for some level of roster continuity. Instead, the Bulldogs are getting hit with seven players planning on entering the transfer portal, including the talented and productive DeShawn Gory (13.7 points, 6.2 rebounds) and Wilson Jacques (8.8 points, 8.8 rebounds).
As of now, it’s looking like around six players haven’t made a public announcement one way or the other, though all of them will be sophomores or redshirt freshmen in 2026-27.
Gonzaga
Graduating Players
- Tyron Grant-Foster
- Noah Haaland
- Graham Ike
- Adam Miller
- Jalen Warley
Players Entering Portal
- Emmanuel Innocenti
- Cade Orness
- Braeden Smith
Players Re-Signed
Biggest Needs
- Reload in the frontcourt around Huff
- Add impact wing and point guard
Gonzaga is getting hit decently hard by graduation and the transfer portal. Graham Ike and Tyon Grant-Foster are two big losses to graduation that get only tougher when guys like Emmanuel Innocenti and Braeden Smith hit the portal. The latter were guys that could have taken major steps forward next year to fill in and make landing high-impact transfers less necessary.
As things are, Gonzaga should still have a solid path toward rebuilding. The Bulldogs have shown they can add impact transfers, such as Ike, in the offseason. It’s just a matter of identifying places of need and filling those.
Oregon State
Graduating Players
- Malcolm Christie
- Jorge Dias Graham
Players Entering Portal
- Noah Amenhauser
- Gavin Marrs
- Johan Munch
- Olavi Suutela
- Isaiah Sy
- Kaan Yarkut
Players Re-Signed
Biggest Needs
Up until the portal opened, Oregon State looked OK with the number of players entering as it was limited to Gavin Marrs and Johan Munch. Then four additional players opted to enter their names into the portal. Almost all are frontcourt players, especially centers, with two seven-footers and a couple almost-seven-footers looking for a new home. That makes the job of new head coach Justin Joyner pretty straightforward: rebuild the frontcourt.
San Diego State
Graduating Players
- Reese Dixon-Waters
- Sean Newman Jr.
- Jeremiah Oden
Players Entering Portal
- Miles Byrd
- BJ Davis
- Magoon Gwath
- Miles Heide
Players Re-Signed
Biggest Needs
- Retain youth
- Add veteran point guard
- Bring at least one of the portal entries back
The portal entries for San Diego State are nearing worst-case scenario. Losing any one of BJ Davis, Miles Byrd, Miles Heide and Magoon Gwath is bad enough. But all four? That’s something Brian Dutcher is going to have to prevent from happening by trying to draw one or multiple of these guys back.
Beyond that task, Dutcher needs to make sure his promising freshmen and sophomores, like Pharaoh Compton, Taj DeGourville, Elzie Harrington and Trae Simmons, return and grow so that the Aztecs don’t take a step back from its standard of success.
Texas State
Graduating Players
- Jalen Bolden
- Kyndall Davis
- Makai Willis
Players Entering Portal
Players Re-Signed
Biggest Needs
- Build frontcourt depth behind Hall, Fields
- Bring in transfer PG and/or hold onto Drone, Gumbs
The Bobcats are in a good position, having retained Sun Belt Freshman of the Year DJ Hall and fellow freshman big Robert Fields. That’s not enough for a full team, but it mirrors, to a degree, what Utah State has managed in retaining two of its more important pillars of the future. You have a core for the team, now build around it.
Crucial in building around Hall is retaining and/or effectively replacing (if they go portaling) Mark Drone and Kaden Gumbs. Keeping the experienced backcourt around would go a very long way in helping Texas State make a good first impression with its Pac-12 brethren.
Utah State
Graduating Players
- Drake Allen
- Garry Clark
- MJ Collins
- Zach Keller
- Kolby King
Players Entering Portal
- David Iweze
- Jordy Barnes
- Tucker Anderson
- Adlan Elamin
- Elijah Perryman
Players Re-Signed
- Brayden Boe
- Karson Templin
- Mason Falslev
- Kingston Tosi
Biggest Needs
- Point guards, several of them
- A transfer center or two
Utah State secured its two most important veteran returners in Mason Falslev and Karson Templin, and also managed to bring back two talented redshirts in Brayden Boe and Kingston Tosi. That’s a good starting point, though the Aggies have plenty of work to do from here. New head coach Ben Jacobson needs to either reel back Elijah Perryman and Adlan Elamin (a tough task given how hard his predessesor is trying to get those two to Cincinnati), or find suitable replacements via the transfer portal.
With Jordy Barnes also on the list of transfers, that completely empties the point guard depth chart, making finding new players for that room a top priority. Fans have also pined over a nice, shiny seven-footer at center but those remain rather expensive. One player to keep an eye in in the portal is Will Hornseth, a 6-foot-8 forward who played under Jacobson at UNI and has entered the portal with a “do not contact” tag. That hints pretty heavily that reuniting with his head coach is his top option. Another UNI transfer that could replace lost depth on the wing is Leon Bond III.
Washington State
Graduating Players
- Simon Hildebrandt
- Adria Rodriguez
Players Entering Portal
- Parker Gerrits
- Ace Glass
- ND Okafor
- Tomas Thrastarson
- Emmanuel Ugbo
- Rihard Vavers
- Kase Wynott
- Eemeli Yalaho
Players Re-Signed
Biggest Needs
If you assume all players in the transfer portal are gone, things look pretty bleak for the Cougars. Jerone Morton is the only rotation player that hasn’t put his name in the portal. There are a couple redshirt freshmen as potential returners and then Dio Blakely, who played six minutes this past season. That leaves virtually an entire roster and rotation that needs to be built largely through the transfer portal.
With all of that info put out there, here’s a very early power ranking. These rankings are based on what concrete player movement is publicly available, history, and good ol’ fashioned vibes.
- Gonzaga
- Utah State
- San Diego State
- Colorado State
- Boise State
- Texas State
- Oregon State
- Washington State
- Fresno State
Yeap. That’s a really bold top three. Very unique and not what everyone else would do. But Gonzaga is one of the few mid-majors (not all even call them a mid-major) that doesn’t really have to worry much about players getting poached. The Bulldogs may even do the poaching themselves. There’s every expectation they’ll reload just fine, even with departing players via graduation, and likely a few more in the portal.
Utah State slides in at the second spot thanks to some just-before-the-portal opens news that Gwath and Heide will enter the portal. Were SDSU able to keep those two, among others, the Aztecs would be better positioned. The situation at present leaves Dutcher reliant on youth and his ability to land a top producer from the portal.
Colorado State is the last of the teams to be really confident in as of this moment, thanks to its host of re-signed players.
Boise State, with its history, is one good portal window from regaining its optimism. The early loses to the portal mean Broncos have to sit in wait before we see how high expectations can be placed for next season. Grabbing Wheeler-Thomas from NDSU is a nice step.
After the top five, things get worrying. Texas State being as high as sixth may be an affront to Cougars and Beavers fans, but at least the Bobcats have a returning star player and will only see a rise in recruiting capability with their jump to the Pac-12. Washington State, Oregon State and Fresno State are all dealing with high levels of turnover this offseason. Each will need the recruiting cycle of a lifetime to start things out on the right foot in the new Pac-12.
