Andy Katz Identifies Key Players and Transfers for 2026-27 Men's Basketball Season

As the 2026-27 men's college basketball season approaches, Andy Katz highlights the most impactful players across different classes and noteworthy transfers.

Among the most impactful freshmen are Jordan Smith Jr. from Arkansas, Tyran Stokes from Kansas, and Bruce Branch III from BYU. Other notable newcomers include Cameron Williams from Duke, Caleb Holt from Arizona, Anthony Thompson from Ohio State, Jason Crowe Jr. from Missouri, Christian Collins from USC, Abdou Toure also from Arkansas, and Quentin Coleman from Illinois.

For sophomores, the top names include Braylon Mullins from UConn, David Mirkovic from Illinois, and Trey McKenney from Michigan. Additional players to watch are Thijs De Ridder from Virginia, Dame Sarr from Duke, Tounde Yessoufou from St. John’s, Shelton Henderson from Miami, Matt Able from North Carolina, Acaden Lewis from Miami, and Nigel James Jr. from Marquette.

The list of impactful juniors features Tyler Tanner from Vanderbilt, Juke Harris from Tennessee, and Ian Jackson from St. John’s. Other significant juniors include Flory Bidunga from Louisville, Robert Wright III from BYU, Matas Vokietaitis from Texas, John Mobley Jr. from Ohio State, Boogie Fland from Florida, Billy Richmond III from Arkansas, and Tahaad Pettiford from Auburn.

Seniors making an impact this season include Jeremy Fears Jr. from Michigan State, Thomas Haugh from Florida, and John Blackwell from Duke. Others of note are Elliot Cadeau from Michigan, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu from Florida, Milan Momcilovic from Kentucky, Pryce Sandfort from Nebraska, Andrej Stojakovic from Illinois, and Coen Carr from Michigan State.

Katz also identifies key transfers to watch, including John Blackwell from Duke (previously at Wisconsin), Milan Momcilovic from Kentucky (formerly Iowa State), and Juke Harris from Tennessee (formerly Wake Forest). Other transfers include Flory Bidunga from Louisville (previously at Kansas), PJ Haggerty from Texas A&M (previously Kansas State), Miles Byrd from Providence (previously at San Diego State), Tounde Yessoufou from St. John’s (previously at Baylor), Acaden Lewis from Miami (previously Villanova), Stefan Vaaks from Illinois (previously at Providence), and Matt Able from North Carolina (previously at NC State).