Transfer portal recap: Ranking top 10 moves in men's college basketball ft. Ian Jackson to St. John's

Withe the entry period complete and the transfer portal winding down, it's time to find the highlights of the portal moves. Plenty of teams make massive moves to improve, like Michigan, Louisville, Kentucky and St. John's. But beyond even classes, individual players are often the story. Here's ten of the biggest moves of the portal.

Top 10 men's college basketball portal moves

Ian Jackson moving from North Carolina to St. John's was a massive portal jump. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

10. Xaivian Lee to Florida

A standout guard at Princeton, Lee was a smart grab from a Florida team that lost several players as seniors and saw Denzel Aberdeen head to Kentucky. Lee averaged 16.9 points and 5.5 assists per game at Princeton and shot 37% from 3-point range. He's a great fit.

9. Donovan Dent to UCLA

Dent is an elite scoring guard and UCLA frankly needs elite talent any way it can add it. Dent averaged 20.4 points and 6.4 assists per game. UCLA outlasted Kentucky to sign him and he'll be a star from day one.

8. Rob Wright to BYU

An outstanding freshman guard at Baylor, Wright headed to an already competitive BYU team. Wright had 11.5 points and 4.2 assists per game as a frosh, shooting 35% from 3-point range. He's a keeper.

7. Silas Demary to UConn

UConn tends to be a bit cautious in the portal, but the chance to add Demary was one Dan Hurley couldn't miss. Demary averaged 13.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last year at Georgia. He's a 37% 3-point shooter and an excellent defender. This was a big find for the Huskies.

6. Ja'Kobi Gillespie to Tennessee

A transfer first from Belmont and now from Maryland, Gillespie is an elite lead guard. He had 14.7 points and 4.8 assists per game last year with the Terps. He'll lead Rick Barnes's team well in 2025-26.

5. Bennett Stirtz to Iowa

Iowa had some up and down in the portal, but Stirtz was a nice add. A transfer from Drake, Stirtz had 19.2 points and 5.7 assists per game as a freshman. He's a 40% 3-point shooter and will fit in well with the Hawkeyes.

4. Adrian Wooley to Louisville

An elite freshman at Kennesaw State, Wooley scored 18.8 points per game and shot 42% from 3-point range. Pat Kelsey nabbed him and Wooley is likely destined to be a star at Louisville.

3. Jayden Quaintance (back) to Kentucky

Kentucky needed a big man and they got a good one. Quaintance was actually headed to Kentucky under John Calipari. Cal left, Quaintance landed at Arizona State, and after a season-ending knee injury, he's heading to Kentucky now. An elite defensive athlete, Quaintance's health is the only question. If he's well, he's an immediate standout.

2. Yaxel Lendeborg to Michigan (if he stays)

Arguably the top player in the portal, Lendeborg was a near-automatic double-double at UAB. The only question is whether he ends up sticking in the NBA Draft. If not, Michigan gets a guy who had 17.7 points and 11.4 boards per game last year. He's also a 36% 3-point shooter.

1.Ian Jackson from UNC to St. John's

Jackson was a standout freshman recruit, but didn't quite fit in at Carolina. He still averaged 11.9 points per game off the bench. Jackson chose to head to St. John's, where Rick Pitino will finish the rough spots in his game and likely have one of the elite scorers in college basketball.

What do you think of our top portal moves? Share your takes below in our comments section!