The transfer portal in the NIL era has played an outsized role in shaping how college basketball coaches mold their respective teams and build both for the present and for the future. Ditto for how champions have been built.
Take 2024-25 title-winning Florida as an example: The top three scorers — Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard — all began their careers elsewhere before landing with the Gators across the last three offseasons. And three transfers into Gainesville last offseason — Martin, Rueben Chinyelu and Sam Alexis — all played varying levels of importance during the team’s title season.
So to recognize the contributions of transfers and acknowledge the shifting landscape of the sport, which is increasingly reliant on the portal, CBS Sports is introducing our first All-Transfer Team — replete with our Transfer of the Year.
College basketball transfer rankings 2025: Heated debate at No. 1 headlines updated Top 100 And 1 free agents
Isaac Trotter
College basketball experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports cast individual ballots for the TOY and the All-Transfer Team. We then tabulated the results and landed on the following.
CBS Sports 2024-25 All-Transfer Team
JT Toppin | Texas Tech | F | 6-9 | Soph.
CBS Sports 2024-25 Transfer of the Year
There was no other choice for the Transfer of the Year than Toppin, who doubles as a CBS Sports First Team All-America honoree. Texas Tech had a terrific second season under Grant McCasland: a 28-9 record, including a rare second-place showing in the Big 12; top-10 finishes in multiple advanced metrics; a No. 3 seed in the NCAAs; and an Elite Eight run that ended dramatically, 84-79, to eventual national champion Florida. (OK, that loss was agonizing, but the season on the whole was one of the best in school history.) At the center of this revitalization was Toppin, a powerful power forward who arrived via New Mexico last May.
Toppin averaged 18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 33 games for the Red Raiders. Tech ranked top-five in adjusted offensive efficiency thanks in good portion to playing its offense through Toppin, who got better as the year went on. The 6-9 sophomore scored 20-plus points in 11 of TTU’s final 15 games, including a career-high 41-point, 15-rebound dazzler during Texas Tech’s 111-106 double-OT win against Arizona State on Feb. 12. Best of all for TTU: Toppin isn’t going anywhere. He’s bypassed the NBA Draft process altogether to stay in Lubbock for another season, making him a shoo-in for preseason First Team All-America status — and perhaps the 2025-26 preseason national player of the year. Toppin’s decision to return includes massive financial incentives: He’s set to earn at least $4 million, sources told CBS Sports. – Matt Norlander
PJ Haggerty | Memphis | G | 6-3 | Redshirt soph.
Haggerty was one of the best redshirt freshmen in the sport last season for Tulsa before transferring to Memphis. Haggerty took his game to a new level this season for the Tigers and averaged a career-high 21.7 points. Haggerty also posted career-bests in rebounds while being one of the elite scorers in the country. Haggerty was named an All-American selection by CBS Sports. – Cameron Salerno
John Tonje | Wisconsin| G | 6-5 | Graduate
Tonje started his career at Colorado State and spent four seasons with the program before transferring to Missouri last offseason. After appearing in eight games and averaging 2.6 points at Missouri, Tonje enrolled at Wisconsin for his final season. Tonje had a strong case as our Transfer of the Year, but that honor went to Toppin. Tonje earned All-American honors by CBS Sports after averaging a career-high 19.6 points per game. – CS
Danny Wolf | Michigan | F/C | 7-0 | Junior
Wolf possessed one of the most unique skill sets in the sport this season for Michigan. The former Yale standout raised his draft stock tremendously during his lone season in Ann Arbor by operating as essentially a point center for first-year coach Dusty May. Wolf is the kind of player you need to watch in person to appreciate his skillset. I saw Wolf and Michigan play earlier this season against USC. I came away impressed. Wolf should be a mid-to-late first-round pick in the NBA Draft this summer. – CS
Chaz Lanier |Tennessee | G | 6-5 | 5th year senior
Volunteers coach Rick Barnes struck gold for the second consecutive season by landing another star transfer from the mid-major ranks. Last offseason, Barnes added former Northern Colorado star Dalton Knecht, who ascended into a first-round pick during his lone season in Knoxville. Lanier transferred in from North Florida and helped Tennessee reach the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season. Lanier averaged 18 points and shot just under 40% from the 3-point line. – CS
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