Top 10 Men's basketball programs that won the 2025 transfer portal ft. St. John's

As the transfer portal season closes up, the winners of the portal are looking clear. While there are a few holdouts left who rely on high school recruiting, more and more teams at least dabble in the portal. But on another level, far ahead of that are the true masters of the portal. Here's a rundown of the biggest portal winners of 2025.

Top 10 men's basketball portal winners of 2025

North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson headlines an epic St. John's recruiting class. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

10. Indiana

The Hoosiers get the nod because, under new coach Darian DeVries, they have added 10 players in the portal. DeVries's son, Tucker, projects as an impact player. But among the other standouts are Lamar Wilkerson, whom IU beat out Kentucky to sign, and forward Reed Bailey from Davidson. Indiana had to start over in the portal and they did so very well. This class was a definite upgrade.

9. Texas

The Longhorns added an impressive portal class. Among the highlights were St. John's shooting guard Simeon Wilcher, Xavier forward Dailyn Swain and Florida Atlantic 7-footer Matas Vokietaitis. The Horns did lose Devon Pryor, but on the whole had a successful portal haul.

8. USC

With seven players added, USC had a bit portal run. Some of the biggest moments came late in the process, as Auburn's Chad Baker-Mazara and Maryland's Rodney Rice were both recent pick-ups. Eric Musselman's Trojans had a rough 2024-25 season, but they are definitely better situated for the season to come.

7. Auburn

Auburn lost plenty of talent, including Baker-Mazara, near the portal deadline. But the Tigers didn't just sit pretty. Among the big names added were Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy and UCF forward Keyshawn Hall. Don't sleep on Division II transfer Elyjah Freeman, who could be an elite sophomore addition to the team.

6. Iowa

The Hawkeyes had a ton of talent in and out, but the balance tips Iowa's way on a team upgrade. Drake point guard Bennett Stirtz was a massive pick-up for Iowa. Florida Atlantic big man Alvaro Folgueiras will have a big role, as will Kansas State guard Brendan Hauser. The Hawkeyes did lose 10 players to the portal, but added plenty of talent as well.

5. Tennessee

Tennessee added just three players, but clearly went for quality over quantity. Maryland's Ja'Kobi Gillespie was just what UT needed. Forward Jalen Carey jumped from Vandy and Amaree Abram is a solid guard from Louisiana Tech. Rick Barnes took his time and got some real help for his team next year.

4. Louisville

It was just a three-player class for the Cards, too. Louisville added a trio of guards: underrated future star Adrian Wooley, Virginia shooter Isaac McKneely and Xavier steady force Ryan Conwell. Pat Kelsey proved he was legitimate in the portal a year ago, but in his second season, he's taking a more measured and careful approach.

3. Kentucky

Mark Pope is also in his second season and had a big portal haul. The most exciting player here is big forward Jayden Quaintance, who had committed to Kentucky in the Calipari era before then leaving. But Pitt's Jaland Lowe and Florida's Denzel Aberdeen are two significant signees for the Wildcats.

2. Michigan

The Wolverines signed the biggest prize in the portal in BYU forward Yaxel Lendeborg, a near-automatic double-double. Of course, there are legitimate questions as to whether Lendeborg will end up staying in the NBA Draft, but credit Michigan for taking the gamble. The Wolverines also added Morez Johnson from Illinois and Elliot Cadeau from North Carolina. Great portal run for UM.

1. St. John's

The Red Storm had an up-and-down portal experience, but ended up doing well. Sure, St. John's lost RJ Luis and Simeon Wilcher. But St. John's added high-scoring guard Ian Jackson from North Carolina, often-injured Providence forward Bryce Hopkins and Cincinnati wing forward Dillon Mitchell. Rick Pitino picked up seven players in total and will field a competitive squad from his portal batch.

What do you think of our portal winners? Weigh in with any changes you might make on the list below in our comments section!