Ten Under-the-Radar Transfers Poised to Reshape Men’s College Basketball in 2025

From established stars to former top recruits, some of the biggest names in men’s college basketball hit the transfer portal in the spring and will suit up for new teams this fall. But every year, a few under-the-radar players emerge as significant additions. Few would have predicted Alijah Martin turning into a top-40 draft pick at Florida or John Tonje becoming one of the best players in the Big Ten at Wisconsin. Who are some quietly essential additions that could reshape their new teams? Here’s a look at 10 names to know.

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LeJuan Watts, Texas Tech

Watts hasn’t gotten nearly enough attention after moving to Lubbock from Washington State in the offseason. He was one of just four players nationally last season to average at least 13 points, six rebounds and four assists on 50% from the field, and is a near-perfect fit in a system that allowed a very similar player in Darrion Williams to shine the last two seasons. Watts’s passing ability should take pressure off rising star sophomore Christian Anderson as he makes the transition to being a full-time point guard. Plus, he’ll have the luxury of rarely seeing double teams because of all the shooters Tech can surround him with.

Xaivian Lee, Florida

Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland has gotten a bit more attention this offseason, but those around the Gators program have raved about how well Lee’s game has translated from Princeton this offseason. Lee is a supremely talented offensive player, with rare off-dribble shotmaking abilities to pair with his playmaking chops in ball screens. At Florida, he’ll have the luxury of playing with an elite lob threat in Rueben Chinyelu and in a system that allowed Walter Clayton Jr. to blossom into the nation’s best guard a year ago.

Dylan Darling, St. John’s

The biggest question mark with an otherwise-loaded St. John’s roster is its point guard play. And while Rick Pitino said earlier this offseason he thinks the Red Storm can play without a true point, the one option they do have at that spot is Darling. The Spokane, Wash., native lit it up a year ago at Idaho State, averaging 23 points and nearly six assists per game in Big Sky play. That said, how his game translates to a higher level is a question mark especially given his size and athletic limitations. St. John’s can afford to let him be more of a game manager than offensive engine when on the floor, but may well need his stability if experiments with more natural scoring guards Ian Jackson and Oziyah Sellers at point don’t go as well as hoped.

Chansey Willis Jr., Minnesota

New Minnesota head coach Niko Medved has long been known for having an elite eye for talent and might have gotten a steal in Willis, a transfer from Western Michigan who averaged just shy of 17 points and six assists per contest a year ago. Willis almost single-handedly kept an anemic WMU offense afloat in 2024–25, showcasing impressive on-ball capabilities in ball screens. Minnesota added a ton of three-point shooting in the offseason to put around Willis, which should make his life a whole lot easier after playing for a team that shot just 32.2% from beyond the arc last season.

Mackenzie Mgbako, Texas A&M

Mgbako is the perfect example of a highly talented player who simply needed a change of scenery. Things never quite clicked for him at Indiana, in part because of concerns about his motor and in part because of Mike Woodson’s unimaginative offense that created plenty of spacing issues. But the former five-star recruit began rebuilding his stock with a strong week at the NBA combine this spring and has a chance to continue that rise in a much better system for him at Texas A&M. He should get plenty of easy buckets in Bucky McMillan’s up-tempo style as long as he buys in.

Christoph Tilly, Ohio State

Ohio State’s poor frontcourt held it back in 2024–25, a big reason the Buckeyes came up just short of the NCAA tournament in Jake Diebler’s first season. Enter Tilly, one of the most skilled bigs in the portal who comes from a winning situation at Santa Clara. He certainly has his flaws defensively and on the glass, but Tilly’s ability to distribute and play on the perimeter will open up so much for Buckeyes guards Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. Plus, he’s a big target around the rim that Thornton can find as a lob threat at times.

Liutauras Lelevicius, TCU

Lelevicius didn’t put up eye-popping numbers at Oregon State but was inundated with interest from some of the sport’s best programs before picking TCU in the portal. He’s the type of player every team can use, with excellent positional size, feel for the game and shooting ability. TCU’s offense was a tough watch last season due to a lack of efficient shotmakers, but Lelevicius and a pair of former high-major starting point guards in Brock Harding (Iowa) and Jayden Pierre (Providence) should give this unit a boost.

Shawn Phillips Jr., Missouri

Missouri believes it may have gotten a steal in Phillips, once a well-regarded recruit who has never quite put it together in three seasons at LSU and Arizona State. From a tools perspective, Phillips has all the makings of a highly effective SEC big: He’s 7-feet tall with a strong frame, impressive leaping ability and instincts to protect the rim. Dennis Gates has had success with these types of reclamation projects at Missouri, and Phillips could be an X-factor to monitor.

Carter Welling, Clemson

Clemson invested most of its portal resources into the frontcourt and brought in four new faces, all with diverse skill sets. Perhaps the most intriguing talent of the group is Welling, who flashed a compelling combination of shot blocking and floor spacing for a good Utah Valley team in 2024–25. UVU was 12 points better per 100 possessions with Welling on the floor a year ago, a good illustration of his impact when he can be at his best.

Quentin Jones, Saint Louis

Jones’s college career so far has taken him to two rough situations, a 4–28 year at Cal Poly followed by a 6–25 campaign at Northern Illinois. That said, the film for the 6' 5" guard is highly impressive at times, showing off three-level scoring ability and smooth flow in ball screens that impressed Josh Schertz and the Billikens in the portal. There’s often a learning curve with players who haven’t been part of much winning when moving up, but if Schertz can get the best out of him Jones could go down as one of the steals of the spring.