Illinois, Louisville and the biggest winners in the transfer portal so far

As soon as the maize and blue confetti fell on Michigan after a rousing championship victory over UConn, college basketball's transfer portal chaos began. There isn't really much time for reflection in the modern college hoops landscape. Dusty May was on the phone with recruits the morning after his team cut down the nets.

So far, plenty of noteworthy players have already changed allegiances for the 2026-27 season. Here are the programs who have gained the most in the early going.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Incoming: Stefan Vaaks

Illinois landed one of the transfer portal's top prizes in former Providence wing Stefan Vaaks. The sophomore from Estonia — a Baltic, not Balkan, nation, but close enough — made waves for the Friars last season, averaging 15.8 points and 3.2 assists on .403/.350/.839 splits. He gets up 3s at high volume (8.4 attempts per game) and functions as a legitimate playmaker on the wing, with the sort of high feel, mistake-free style (14.8 TO%) Brad Underwood and the Illini value.

Vaaks is not without his shortcomings. He's a poor positional rebounder and a net-negative defender, with a dire need to add strength and operate with more physicality. That said, Illinois has a few bruisers who can hopefully mask Vaaks on that end of the floor. Rebounding was not a problem for the Illini last season.

With Keaton Wagler going pro and Ben Humrichous graduating, the Illini needed someone to fill it up from the perimeter. Vaaks is a damn near ideal candidate. Just ask his new teammate, David Mirkovic.

Vaaks offers the sort of shooting and playmaking intersection that ought to appeal to NBA teams down the line, but there's a good chance he sticks in Champaign a while. Underwood has more or less secured the returns of Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic and the Ivisic twins already, from the look of things, so Illinois won't be going anywhere after a glorious Final Four run.

Louisville Cardinals

Incoming: Flory Bidunga, Jackson Shelstad

Louisville added junior center Flory Bidunga and senior guard Jackson Shelstad in "a major package deal," per ESPN's Pete Thamel. Both players share representation and will now join forces as Louisville looks to build on the success of last season. Bidunga and Shelstad ranked first and seventh, respectively, on FanSided's transfer portal big board.

This is only the beginning for Louisville, too, as the Cardinals are prepared to throw major resources at their basketball program this summer. Other top portal targets, such as Wake Forest's Juke Harris and St. Mary's forward Paulius Murauskas, have also been connected to the program in recent days.

Even as is, this is a massive haul for the Cardinals. With Ryan Conwell graduating and Mikel Brown Jr. NBA Draft-bound, Shelstad should step into a critical role in the backcourt. He's a high-volume shooter with solid distribution skills (31.7 AST% to 12.6 TO%). Bidunga, meanwhile, gives the Cardinals the sort of enforcer and rim protector (9.0 BLK%) that was missing from their defense last season. His vertical spacing and continued progression as a face-up, interior scorer should also carry massive weight.

There's still work to be done, but Louisville was a sneaky force in the ACC last season before injuries became a factor in March. They could do serious damage in 2027.

Texas Longhorns

Incoming: David Punch, Isaiah Johnson

The Longhorns made a quiet but meaningful splash early on, poaching David Punch from in-state rival TCU. A rugged 6-foot-7, 245-pound forward, Punch was the heartbeat of a competitive Horned Frogs team last season, averaging 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists on .503/.239/.653 splits.

He joins hulking center Matas Vokietaitis, whom Texas managed to keep out of the transfer portal, in what immediately becomes the best frontcourt duo in the SEC on paper, with Vokietaitis' graceful interior scoring paired with Punch's more hub-like, face-up scoring. Both will punish mismatches and apply consistent pressure on the interior. Meanwhile, Punch is the sort of defensive playmaker (7.4 BLK%, 2.6 STL%) who can help mask Vokietaitis' issues on that end. This is an excellent pairing, very synergistic.

Texas also brought over rising sophomore Isaiah Jackson, a twitchy 6-foot-1 point guard, from Colorado. A three-star recruit turned major contributor for the Buffaloes last season, Jackson will fill the massive void left by graduating Longhorns Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark on the perimeter. Jackson hit 37.8 percent of his 3s on high volume last season and he weaponizes a killer first step to pressure the rim, all with a remarkably low turnover rate (11.3 TO%) for a young guard handling significant usage.

Syracuse Orange

Incoming: Garwey Dual, Gavin Doty, Aiden Tobiason, Tasman Goodrick

Syracuse's Gerry McNamara must deal with the portal exodus imcumbent upon all new head coaches in college basketball today. Donnie Freeman, Naithan George and five other Orange players are already in the portal and expected to suit up elsewhere in 2026-27.

That said, McNamara kept Kiyan Anthony out of the portal — notable, even if he's a legacy — and has already brought in four new players. Gavin Doty and Tasman Goodrick are imports from Siena, McNamara's former team. Doty played all 40 minutes and dropped 21 points in their near-upset of Duke in the NCAA Tournament. He does not turn the ball over (7.3 TO%) and should serve as valuable connective tissue for Cuse on the wing.

The most notable addition so far, however, is Garwey Dual. This will be his fourth team in four years after stops at Providence, Seton Hall and McNeese State, but Dual is a fringe NBA talent with major breakout potential as a senior. He was incredible for McNeese last season, helping them pick up the slack and make an NCAA Tournament run after Will Wade's departure.

Dual is a 6-foot-5 slasher who can facilitate (28.1 AST%) and wreak havoc on the defensive end (3.2 BLK%, 3.7 STL%). He will be one of the top perimeter defenders in the ACC and a real source of kinetic energy for the new-look Orange.

Aiden Tobiason averaged 15.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists on .480/.338/.800 splits in 35.3 minutes for Temple as a sophomore. There's a good chance he's playing critical minutes for Cuse next season, stepping into the void left by Naithan George and JJ Sterling.

Houston Cougars

Incoming: Dedan Thomas Jr., Delrecco Gillespie

Kelvin Sampson has a knack for building from within, even in the NIL era, but Houston has already made a couple noteworthy splashes in the portal this spring. First and foremost is senior point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., who ducks out of the Will Wade circus at LSU to join one of the most steadfast contenders in college basketball.

This is one of the more underrated portal moves to date. Thomas underwent season-ending foot surgery in February and thus will need to prove his durability, but Houston is set to lose significant firepower in the backcourt with Kingston Flemings going pro and Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp both graduating. Zai Harwell also transferred out after a minimally productive freshman campaign.

Thomas is one of the best facilitators in college hoops when healthy, averaging 6.5 assists (43.6 AST%) to 1.6 turnovers (11.9 TO%) as a junior. He's naturally limited as a defender and rebounder at 6-foot-1, but Houston has the size and infrastructure to compensate on that end of the floor.

Look no further than graduate senior Delrecco Gillespie, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound workhorse who averaged 17.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks on .508/.270/.789 splits at Kent State last season. Gillespie is a monster on the glass, a rangy and active defender and a power athlete in transition. He flashes real touch as a shooter, especially in the mid-range, and he can face up and facilitate from the elbow on occasion.

Gillespie feels like a real breakout candidate for the Cougars, at least in the sense that he is virtually unknown on the national stage right now. He joins Joseph Tugler and incoming freshman Arafan Diane in what should yet again be one of the most imposing frontcourts in college basketball.

More CBB news and analysis: