The Transfer Portal opened at midnight on April 7, 2026!
The best way to look at the portal: Everyone is a free agent, and until you hear confirmation of a returning player, they’re basically in the portal, with or without officially entering.
The back channeling has been going on for weeks (even months for some guys), and today just happens to be the official wind to get into the portal. Of note, players do not have to commit by the end of the portal window.
Key Dates:
- Portal Opened – Midnight April 7
- Reminder – work has been ongoing for weeks for these guys and we will see some quick commitments.
- Dead Period Ends – April 10
- Yes, “recruiting dead periods” still exist. Some guys who prefer to see the facilities will wait until they can see the school to commit.
- Portal Window Closes – April 21st
- This is a shortened window compared to last year. However, think of it like this: This is the portal ENTRY window, and only that.
- Recruiting dead period begins – May 1
- No in person recruiting will be allowed until May 9.
- May 10 – Recruiting visits can begin again
- I’d bet 95%+ of the portal will be done by this point.
Xavier:
- Back – Jovan.
- Likely Back – Gabriel Pozzato (injured last year).
- Gone – Anthony Robinson, All Wright, Roddie Anderson
- Likely Gone: Mier Panoam appears headed for the portal after a quiet season. Pape N’Diaye is the name to watch; while some signs point to an exit, I’ve heard conflicting reports that he could still factor into the frontcourt depth depending on how the first bit of the portal shakes out.
- Xavier will be looking to fill multiple spots, and the most notable name they’ve been linked to has been Mike Nwoko. There are a couple other guys I expect to see linked publicly, but those are conversations for another day.
Cincinnati:
- Currently only Abaev has entered the portal. Expect that to change drastically this week.
- Cincinnati is already in on a couple of guys, namely Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (UNLV) – he scored 21/3/3, shooting 41% from deep last year.
- Coach Calhoun and co. have been hard at it since touching down in the 513, and expect things to continue to pick up this week when the “official” portal opens.
NKU:
- Gone – 88% of scoring and 75% of their minutes from last year.
- This includes Tae Dozier; while sources initially told Sansom Sports Media there was hope for a waiver, as of yesterday, those same sources indicate a return is now unlikely.
- Still here – Ethan Elliott, Donnie R, and some high upside guys! No one will be hitting the portal.
- I had a couple of NKU fans reach out – yes, I heard rumors about coach Horn looking at other openings. No, I do not believe they were much more than a guy evaluating options.
- One clarifying note for NKU – Ethan Elliott is academically going to be a sophomore, but according to the program, he will only have one more year of college basketball eligibility after playing in Australia before coming to the states this year.
Miami University:
- After last year, of course players will enter the portal and look for bigger NIL deals and roles on p5 teams.
- Right now, all we can confirm is that Travis Steele remains the HC, and Elmer, Perry and Byers are going to the portal.
I know there’s not a ton of information here. The key takeaways should be the dates in the first paragraph as they do matter. After that, if you haven’t heard confirmation that a guy is staying, they’re practically a free agent. Expect surprising twists and turns along the way, and I’ll keep you up to date as fast as possible!
