Transfer portal madness hitting Florida’s top basketball programs

In many ways, the transfer portal (powered by NIL money) has become more important to college basketball than recruiting. After each season, coaches must assess their roster and re-recruit their existing players while also looking to lure top talent from around the country.

Here’s how top programs in the state of Florida have fared so far:

The biggest “get” for the Florida Gators is a player they are keeping. Forward Alex Condon returns for his fourth season in Gainesville after averaging 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. Condon was projected as a second-round pick in the NBA Draft, prompting his return for another season in Gainesville.

Point guard Boogie Fland is returning for his second season in Gainesville. Forward Thomas Haugh has not made his intentions known. He has been projected as a mid-first round pick in many mock drafts.

Center Rueben Chinyelu could also return. He has been projected as a second-round pick.

The Gators are also adding Denzel Abderdeen, who transferred from Florida to Kentucky and now returns to Gainesville. He is awaiting word on a fifth season of eligibility.

Florida State is adding three players and losing six in the portal. Small forward Shon Abaev, a Broward County native, arrives from Cincinnati, where he averaged seven points per game. Point Guard Anthony Robinson II leaves Missouri to join the Seminoles. The Tallahassee native averaged 8.9 points and 3.0 assists per game for the Tigers. Shooting guard Kameron Taylor comes to Tallahassee from UNC Asheville, where he led the team in scoring (18.9 points per game) and assists (3.0 assists per game).

The Seminoles could lose second-leading scorer Chauncey Wiggins. The 6-foot-10 forward has entered the portal after averaging 13.3 points per game for Florida State. Also entering the portal is point guard Martin Somerville (8.0 points per game). Reserve guard Cam Miles is the only one of the six players who entered the portal to have committed to a new program. Miles is heading to UNLV.

Coming off a 26-win season, Miami is also seeing change on the roster. Villanova freshman guard Acaden Lewis joins the Hurricanes after averaging 12.2 points and 5.3 assists in his first year of college basketball. Miami is also adding Georgia center Somto Cyril, who averaged 9.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore for the Bulldogs.

Miami’s portal losses include Tru Washington, the Canes’ fourth-leading scorer, who is committed to Xavier, and a handful of underclassmen who each averaged fewer than 5 points per game.

USF is losing shooting guard Wes Enis to Creighton. The junior averaged 16.4 points for the Bulls and scored more than 20 points in each of USF’s American Conference tournament wins. He dropped in 19 in a first-round victory over Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament before struggling in a loss to Louisville in the round of 32.

UCF has added shooting guard Mister Dean from Charleston. He tore his ACL early in the season. He was the Big South Freshman of the Year at USC Upstate in 2024-25. The Knights are also adding small forward Lewis Walker, who set North Carolina A&T’s freshman scoring record. Shooting guard Cayden Vasko joins UCF from Wofford after finishing fifth in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Florida Gulf Coast power forward Isaiah Malone, the ASUN defensive player of the year, also joins the Knights. He’s a top shot blocker with one more year of eligibility remaining.

Those four will fill roster spots vacated by shooting guard Kris Parker, center Jeremy Foumena, power forward Jamichael Stillwell, point guard Poohpha Warakulnukroh, and guard Chris Johnson, who all entered the transfer portal.