Top 5 transfer portal targets for Dan Hurley, UConn basketball

03/29/2025 07:30 PM

The UConn basketball team’s two-year streak of national titles ended in the 2025 Round of 32 with a loss to Florida. As the loss ended Dan Hurley’s three-peat bid, it also forced the team into uncharted territory ahead of the 2025 offseason. With multiple key players departing, the Huskies are compelled to rebuild their roster for the first time in years.

In the offseason, UConn will lose Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson to graduation. The team’s most notable departure will come from Alex Karaban, who is expected to enter the 2025 NBA Draft. With Karaban, Diarra and Johnson all projected to leave, the Huskies will have several holes to fill over the summer.

However, given the notable exits, the Huskies will still maintain a significant portion of their core. Big East Freshman of the Year Liam McNeely is expected to return, as is guard Solo Ball and sixth man Tarris Reed Jr. In the current era of the college basketball transfer portal, UConn consistently remains one of the top programs in terms of annual retention.

Known for his recruiting, Hurley has another top-10 freshman class coming in. The team’s next batch of recruits is led by five-star prospect Braylon Mullins, a consensus top-15 recruit and arguably the best shooter of the class. Mullins will be joined by Jacob Furphy, Darius Adams and Eric Reibe, a trio of four-star prospects.

Even with the incoming freshman class, UConn will need to address the growing college basketball transfer portal in the offseason. The Huskies have not historically been aggressive in the portal under Hurley, but their uncharacteristic early NCAA Tournament exit could force a unique approach. One way or another, Hurley’s team will look noticeably different once it returns in November.

PG Eliot Cadeau, North Carolina

The loss of Diarra could be equally as damning to UConn’s offense as Karaban’s departure will be. While not a high-volume scorer, Diarra took over as the captain of the offense in his fifth year with Stephon Castle and Cam Spencer moving on to the NBA. In his final year in Storrs, he averaged a team-high 5.7 assists per game.

Without Diarra, Hurley will be in the market for a new point guard. North Carolina’s Elliot Cadeau became one of the top options when he entered the college basketball transfer portal and has to be on UConn’s radar. As a sophomore, Cadeau averaged 9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game in 2024-2025.

With 68 starts in two seasons, Cadeau has the experience that Hurley admires in a prospect. Even better, he is a scrappy, pass-first guard who competes defensively, averaging 1.1 steals per game in 2024-2025. As good as UConn’s incoming freshman class is, it does not contain a point guard ready to contribute out of the gates. The Huskies will need to address that position in the transfer portal, where Cadeau profiles as arguably the top option on the market.

In the modern NIL era, transfer prospects such as Cadeau tend to seek lucrative opportunities with their next teams. While UConn continues to expand its NIL efforts, it has not been a school to fully open up its pockets yet. That could be a potential roadblock in pursuing Cadeau, but he has to otherwise be at the top of Hurley’s radar.

SG Josh Dix, Iowa

Once Fran McCaffrey was unceremoniously fired, a large chunk of the remaining Iowa basketball team entered the transfer portal. Josh Dix, one of the best shooters in the Big 10, was among them. In a true breakout season, Dix averaged 14.4 points per game as a junior while hitting 42.2 percent of his threes. Dix incredibly managed to improve his already elite efficiency from deep even as his usage increased.

Throughout his seven-year run at UConn, Hurley has always prioritized shooting in his lineup. While Hurley tends to deploy at least one knockdown shooter, his team lacked that element in 2024-2025. The Huskies could gain it back by signing Dix.

With credentialed shooters like Mullins and Adams arriving in Storrs in the fall, adding a player like Dix could be crucial to their development. All teams will pursue an elite shooter like Dix in the college basketball transfer portal and UConn has to be involved in his sweepstakes.

PF Tae Davis, Notre Dame

Not much went well for Notre Dame in 2024-2025, causing Tae Davis’ third-year leap to fly under the radar. After putting up 9.2 points per game as a sophomore, Davis improved his production to 15.1 points per game as a junior. Following the best year of his career, Davis entered the portal at the end of the Irish’s dismal campaign.

With Karaban and Johnson both likely leaving, Hurley is set to lose both of his starting big men. The 6-foot-9 Davis is not the most physical player but has the perimeter-based style that Hurley tends to favor on his roster. His 30.2 percent three-point clip in 2024-2025 leaves a lot to be desired, but it was a significant improvement from the 18.4 percent he hit the year before.

Johnson’s graduation will leave a hole at center that will likely be filled by Tarris Reed Jr., making Davis a potential complementary piece in the frontcourt. Davis’ athletic, slashing approach would fit in nicely between Johnson and McNeely.

While Davis might not be the type of player to change the entire landscape of a team, he is seemingly being underrated in the portal. Davis could be a valuable high-level role player for UConn with all-Big East potential.

PF Jacob Ognacevic, Lipscomb

Lipscomb did not have the chance to shine in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, which could have potentially increased Jacob Ognacevic’s stock in the portal. Regardless, after three years in Jefferson County, Ognacevic is looking to make an impact at the next level, where he has the potential to contribute to a championship roster.

In his four years thus far, Ognacevic has improved his numbers each season. His gradual development culminated with 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in 2024-2025 while hitting 40.2 percent of his three-point attempts. Ognacevic does not have the athleticism or versatility to be a 20-point-per-game scorer in a conference like the Big East, but his play style fits a lot of what Karaban has done for Hurley and the Huskies.

It is not necessarily Hurley’s goal to find a carbon copy of Karaban in the college basketball transfer portal, but Ognacevic’s similar skill set allows UConn to use him in many similar situations. Hurley loves having forwards who can shoot in his lineup that open up the drive-and-kick action from his guards. Ognacevic has shown enough in his career to be a reliable source of points on any roster.

SG/SF Nick Boyd, Iowa

If one thing is certain, Hurley loves using players who emulate his personality on the court. Nick Boyd is not the type of vocal guard who would seem to match well with Hurley, but his physical grittiness makes him the type of athlete UConn desires.

Boyd entered the portal after one season with San Diego State, in which he averaged 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game for the Aztecs. However, he is perhaps best known for his previous three-year stint with Florida Atlantic. Boyd was a crucial member of Dusty May’s 2023 Final Four team.

Though he increased his scoring with San Diego State, Boyd is not an offensive juggernaut by nature. He is, instead, a well-rounded, reliable and versatile guard-forward who fits what Hurley likes to have on his team. Boyd would fit in well next to Ball and McNeely, making him a player UConn should target in the college basketball transfer portal.

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