Rick Pitino’s latest boost in transfer portal impresses fans: “St. John’s is winning the national championship”

St. John's men's basketball head coach Rick Pitino went all out to add new talents from the transfer portal ahead of the 2025-26 season. The Red Storms suffered a shocking exit in the 2025 men's NCAA Tournament second round, after falling to John Calipari's Arkansas, ending what could have been a fantastic run last season.

On Monday, an Instagram post by Bleacher Reports Hoops, revealed that Pitino is looking to add four players from the transfer portal - Ian Jackson from North Carolina, Bryce Hopkins from Providence, Joson Sanon from Arizona State and Oziyah Sellers from Stanford- to the roster.

"Rick Pitino and St. John’s are bringing a loaded transfer class to Queens, NY ⛈️," the post was captioned.

The news created a buzz among college hoop fans, who trooped to the comment section to share their excitement at Pitino's bold move in the transfer portal.

"Rick really went and got straight dogs!" A fan wrote.

"St. John’s is winning the national championship," another fan wrote.

"Since Big East teams can put all their revenue sharing into basketball. Teams like St John’s are gonna be so strong," a fan commented.

Fans react to Rick Pitino's loaded transfer class on IG. Image via @br_hoops

Here are more positive comments from fans on Pitino's loaded transfer class:

"Ian gets to be a PG again too 😮‍💨," a fan wrote.

"Going to embarrass teams next year 🙌," another fan wrote.

"St. John’s going to be cold," a fan commented.

"Whole lotta buckets," another fan commented.

Fans react to Rick Pitino's loaded transfer class on IG. Image via @br_hoops

Rick Pitino signs Ian Jackson

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino landed a huge signing on Monday. Former North Carolina Tar Heel forward Ian Jackson announced his commitment to the Red Storm, as reported by On3's Joe Tipton. Shortly after, St. John's official Instagram page confirmed his signing.

The New York City native was a five-star prospect and was ranked as the No. 4 shooting guard in the nation. He was also the No. 8 player in the nation and the No. 2 prospect in New York. St. John's initially showed interest in Jackson as a high school recruit but he ended up at North Carolina where he played in 36 games during the 2024-25.

Jackson started in 12 games and averaged 11.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He also averaged 23.8 minutes per game. He is expected to be a key addition to Pitino's offensive team, which the Red Storm struggled with in the past season.