UIC
- Maurice Commander (Chattanooga) — Sit one, play two
- Zion Griffin (Iowa State) — Sit one, play two
- Teyvion Kirk (Colorado State) — Sit one, play one***
It was only a matter of time before defensive whiz Luke Yaklich got his first head coaching job, and the former Illinois high school coach hit the ground running with players from familiar territory. All eyes are on the eligibility status of Teyvion Kirk, who scored close to 1,000 points in two seasons at Ohio before spending a sit-out year at Colorado State and hitting the portal again. It seems possible he’ll be able to play right away with two years of eligibility left, otherwise he’ll be a sit one, play one. Kirk being able to play right away would help the Flames be relevant in year one as Yaklich looks to reload quickly. Commander and Griffin are also worthwhile adds at the Horizon League level, with both having played rotation minutes at their previous landing spots.
Georgia Southern
- Kaden Archie (UTEP) — Sit one, play two
- Gedi Juozapaitis (Flagler) — Sit one, play two
- Andrei Savrasov (Texas Tech) — Sit one, play two
- Prince Toyambi (Cincinnati) — Unclear eligibility
- Grant Weatherford (IUPUI) — GRAD
Former Texas Tech assistant Brian Burg has been active in the portal since arriving in Statesboro this spring, tasked with retooling a roster that was in flux following the departure of Mark Byington to James Madison. This group of transfers represents a little bit of everything: a D2 transfer in Juozapaitis who can really shoot, an athletic forward in Toyambi who was never cleared due to a heart condition at Cincinnati, a guy on his third school in three years in Archie, a guy following Burg in Savrasov, and finally Weatherford, a tough-minded guard who’ll be immediately eligible. A roster with this amount of newcomers will certainly have its fair share of growing pains, but Burg is a grinder who I expect to do well at Georgia Southern. This class is a good first step.
Brian Hamilton of The Athletic wrote a fantastic piece profiling Burg earlier this month.
East Tennessee State
- Silas Adheke (Northern Kentucky) — GRAD
- Ty Brewer (Southeastern Louisiana) — Sit one, play two
- Jalen Johnson (Tennessee) — GRAD
- David Sloan (Kansas State) — Sit one, play one
All four of these talented transfers committed before Steve Forbes departed for Wake Forest, but as of now, all four remain committed. With the departures of Bo Hodges and Daivien Williamson following Forbes’ move to Winston-Salem, this class becomes even more important as Jason Shay looks to continue the positive momentum in Johnson City. Brewer is the biggest haul of the group: a legitimate high-major forward who can play inside and out who chose to join his brother Ledarrius at ETSU rather chase a higher offer. Athletic wing Jalen Johnson will be looked to as a scorer with the team’s top five scorers departing, while Silas Adheke should provide steady play up front. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Shay dips into the portal again to help fill the team’s two remaining scholarships.
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