One can argue that nothing has changed the state of college basketball more the past few years than the proliferation of transfers and the explosion of graduate transfers. The number of transfers has continued to grow, with over 1,000 entering the transfer portal in 2018-19. (As an aside, the NCAA's transfer portal made a change from last year to this year -- differentiating between graduate transfers and everyone else.)
But how impactful are transfers as a whole? Coaches spend the entire spring recruiting transfers, fan bases and media get excited about their potential, but the market is relatively hit or miss.
We're less than one month into the season, but some early trends are developing with the most anticipated transfers for this season.
Graduate transfers
Nothing changes the offseason and preseason expectations of a team more than a graduate transfer, especially one that put up gaudy numbers at their previous school. Coaches love it: it's usually a short recruitment, the risk is minimal because the player is only on campus for one season and they can play immediately. How have the top transfers done so far?
Kerry Blackshear, Florida: The Gators were a massive disappointment through the season's first two weeks but then went out and won the Charleston Classic -- and the way Blackshear bounced back after getting ejected in the opening-round game against Saint Joseph's was key. He had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists against Miami, and then 14 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists against Xavier in the title game.
Nate Sestina, Kentucky: Sestina was expected to provide a different dimension for Kentucky's frontcourt, capable of stepping out and making shots from the perimeter. So far, however, Sestina is just 3-for-13 from 3-point range and is averaging 7.3 points despite starting all six games. And his defense isn't quite there yet. If the former Bucknell big man finds his outside shot, the Wildcats will be more dangerous on the offensive end.
Shakur Juiston and Anthony Mathis, Oregon: The Mountain West graduate transfers have sparked Oregon's hot start, with Juiston (UNLV) averaging 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds and Mathis (New Mexico) averaging 15.0 points and shooting 64.5% from 3-point range. Against Memphis, the two combined for 29 points and 13 rebounds.
Justin Pierce and Christian Keeling, North Carolina: We're not used to seeing Roy Williams lean heavily on graduate transfers, but Pierce has carved out a role with his ability to score, rebound and make perimeter shots. He hasn't started a game yet but is averaging 9.3 points and 8.5 rebounds. Keeling was expected to provide scoring punch, and has scored nine points in each of his past two games after totaling nine in his first two.
Admon Gilder and Ryan Woolridge, Gonzaga: Mark Few's graduate transfer backcourt has made a massive impact. Woolridge is handling most of the point guard duties, and also scored 19 points against UT Arlington. He's averaging 11.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Gilder, a former Texas A&M guard, has hit double figures in all six of his games so far, averaging 13.0 points. While Few figures out his frontcourt, he knows he can lean on his veteran backcourt.
Chris Clarke and TJ Holyfield, Texas Tech: Both players missed last season, but Clarke's versatility and Holyfield's inside play have given Chris Beard's new-look roster much-needed experience and production. Clarke isn't scoring much but is averaging 7.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Holyfield already has two 20-point games and is averaging 13.8 points despite totaling 13 points in his past two games.
Most productive
Jahaad Proctor, Purdue: Who was going to help replace Carsen Edwards' scoring? Proctor is obviously not doing it on his own, but he is averaging 15.6 points and had 26 points in the season opener against Green Bay. The former High Point guard was a high-scoring perimeter player in the Big South and it's translating thus far.
Derryck Thornton, Boston College: The one-time five-star prospect and Duke point guard is having his best college season after landing with the Eagles. He's averaging 16.2 points and 4.3 assists, and had 20-plus points against both South Florida and Wake Forest. Jim Christian brought Thornton to ACC Media Day -- a sign he quickly became a leader for Boston College.
Tevin Mack, Clemson: Mack's ability to score was never in doubt; he found ways to get buckets at both Texas and Alabama. And that has carried over to Clemson. He has hit double figures in all six games so far for the Tigers, including 22 points and nine rebounds against TCU over the weekend. Mack is averaging 16.2 points.
Jake Toolson, BYU: Toolson started his career at BYU and played under Mark Pope at Utah Valley, so he should be pretty familiar with the Cougars. And he's having a terrific senior season, averaging 16.7 points and 3.2 assists, while shooting 45.2% from 3. He had 20 points against UCLA in their first Maui Invitational game against UCLA.
Biggest surprises
Marcus Sheffield, Elon: Sheffield, a 6-foot-5 guard who spent his first three seasons at Stanford, never averaged more than 6.7 points or 1.5 assists for the Cardinal. Through six games at Elon, Sheffield is putting up 18.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists -- while shooting 44.4% from 3-point range. He had 22 points against Michigan earlier this season.
Curtis Cobb, Wagner: It's not as if Cobb wasn't given opportunities in the past; he took more than 11 shots per game during his sophomore season at Fairfield and was a part-time starter at UMass last season. But Cobb is taking advantage of a primary role this season at Wagner. He's averaging 21.6 points and shooting 44.4% from 3-point range.
Sit-out transfers
This group has had a higher hit rate so far this season than the graduate transfers. Allowing players to sit out and acclimate themselves to the program eliminates some of the growing pains immediately eligible transfers have, in terms of chemistry and style of play. The biggest names to change schools and sit out at least part of last season have fared well early on.
Omer Yurtseven, Georgetown: When Yurtseven is on the floor and not in foul trouble, he's one of the best big men in the country. He had 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks -- most of that coming in the second half -- against Vernon Carey and Duke, and is averaging 16.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. Yurtseven should push for first-team All-Big East honors.
Koby McEwen, Marquette: McEwen's arrival has taken some of the heat off of Markus Howard, especially because of his ability to play on the ball. But McEwen can score, too, as evidenced by his 23 points against Purdue. Through four games, he's averaging 15.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists but needs to cut back on his turnovers.
Malachi Flynn, San Diego State: A high-level scorer at Washington State, Flynn could have perhaps gone to another high-major school, but he's finding his footing pretty well with the Aztecs. He's averaging 13.3 points, but he's also distributing at a high rate, averaging 5.7 assists -- including two games with at least nine assists.
MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell, Baylor: Scott Drew is relying heavily on his perimeter group this season, and while Jared Butler is getting most of the attention, the transfer duo of Teague and Mitchell have made impacts at both ends of the floor. Teague (15.7 PPG) is coming off 18 points against Villanova in the final of the Myrtle Beach Invitational, and Mitchell (9.2 PPG) has been an impact defender and totaled 28 points and eight assists in the final two games in South Carolina.
Quade Green, Washington: Green received a waiver to play immediately as opposed to sitting out the first semester, but he's off to an uneven start. He had nine assists in the opener against Baylor and 10 assists last time out against San Diego, but he's also shooting just 27.3% from 3-point range. Once Green finds his shot, he's going to help provide perimeter balance for Mike Hopkins and the Huskies.
Marcus Carr, Minnesota: Carr's numbers have gone up across the board since transferring from Pittsburgh. Highlighted by an 18-point, 7-rebound, 8-assist outing in the season opener, Carr is averaging 14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists for Minnesota.
Biggest impact
Nate Darling, Delaware: Currently second in the nation in scoring, Darling has been the go-to-guy for the unbeaten Blue Hens. Darling averaged 10.1 points at UAB but is now up to 26.4 at Delaware, shooting 57.5% from 3-point range. He had 37 points in a win over UTSA and has been held below 20 points only once in five games.
Ryan Daly, Saint Joseph's: Another Delaware connection, the former Blue Hen has produced in all facets for the Hawks. He's averaging 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists, hitting 30 points once, 25 points four times, double-figure rebounds four times and double-digit assists once. Daly earned rave reviews in fall practice and he's living up to the hype.
Blake Francis, Richmond: Francis put up strong numbers at Wagner as a sophomore, averaging 17.3 points, and he has raised his game for the Spiders. Francis was averaging 18.6 points heading into Tuesday against Auburn after dominating Wisconsin to the tune of 19 points and six assists on Monday night.
C.J. Jones, Middle Tennessee: Jones didn't get much of an opportunity to show his scoring prowess at Arkansas, with 6.3 points as a sophomore his best season in Fayetteville. He's getting a chance now at Middle Tennessee. Jones is averaging 18.4 points and shooting 52.6% from 3-point range, while making all 13 of his free throw attempts.
Jalen Harris, Nevada: One college coach who scouted Harris at Louisiana Tech told me before the season that Harris would put up numbers regardless of level; he's just that type of player. So far, that has turned out to be true. Through seven games at Nevada, Harris is averaging 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists -- while taking on a primary scoring role for the Wolf Pack.
Immediately-eligible waiver approvals
Some of the biggest storylines of the latter part of the offseason involved players who transferred last spring and were hoping to be eligible immediately at their new school. So far, several players have shown the waiver was a massive boost to their current program -- especially ones who left for lesser leagues.
Worth the waiver
Quentin Grimes, Houston: The former five-star prospect and projected lottery pick needed to regain his confidence after an inconsistent freshman season at Kansas, and Grimes really broke out against Rice in the third game of Houston's season. He finished with 32 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in a comeback win. He's averaging 15.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists, and just needs to find consistency.
Donnie Tillman, UNLV: Tillman was productive in the Pac-12 with Utah, so it's not a surprise to see him play well in the desert. He has scored in double figures in all but one game this season, including totaling 35 points and 15 rebounds in back-to-back games against California and UCLA earlier this season. He is averaging 12.6 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Rasir Bolton, Iowa State: Iowa State needed to replace a lot of scoring from last season, and Bolton getting a waiver to play immediately after leaving Penn State was a boost for Steve Prohm. He's really struggling to shoot the ball so far, making only two of his first 18 3-point attempts, but he has been efficient inside the arc and is averaging 12.5 points.
Charlie Moore, DePaul: Moore needed a change of scenery. He was solid as a freshman at California, barely made an impact at Kansas, and is now back home in Chicago at DePaul and is thriving during the Blue Demons' surprise start. He had 27 points in a game earlier this season and just dropped 24 points against Boston College. Moore is averaging 16.3 points, 4.7 assists and shooting 43.3% from deep.
Jury still out
Bubba Parham, Georgia Tech: Parham was one of the best scorers in the country last season at VMI, but Georgia Tech is still waiting to see that type of ability. He scored only six total points in Tech's first two games but has bounced back with 10 points in back-to-back games against Georgia and Arkansas. Josh Pastner will need him as a consistent offensive threat.
Khavon Moore, Clemson: After barely playing during his first season at Texas Tech, Brad Brownell was hoping Moore would return to how he performed when he was a top-50 recruit coming out of high school. We're still waiting to see it. Moore has scored 14 points total in Clemson's first six games, shooting just 31.6% from the field.
Jaedon LeDee, TCU: Another former ESPN 100 recruit, LeDee has played in TCU's past three games after being ruled immediately eligible in mid-November. He hasn't hit his stride yet, going scoreless against Air Force and Clemson. Jamie Dixon could use the frontcourt depth.
Transfer-down impact
D.J. Burns, Winthrop: Burns reclassified from 2019 to 2018 to enroll at Tennessee last season, then redshirted, then left the program and transferred to Winthrop last spring. He has been huge for Pat Kelsey and the Eagles, as Burns is averaging 12.6 points through six games, shooting 62.1% from the field. Burns had 12 points in an upset win over Saint Mary's earlier this season.
Teshaun Hightower, Tulane: Tulane is off to a surprising start under new coach Ron Hunter, and the Green Wave's transfer quartet of K.J. Lawson, Christion Thompson, Jordan Walker and Hightower has led the way. However, it's Hightower who is leading the team in scoring after transferring from Georgia. He's putting up 17.0 points, and went for 20 points in Myrtle Beach against Middle Tennessee.
Alex Barcello, BYU: Barcello left a crowded perimeter group at Arizona to play at BYU, and it's looking as if he made the right decision. After totaling 149 points and 34 assists in two seasons with the Wildcats, Barcello is averaging 10.8 points and 2.7 assists for the Cougars. He had 17 points in the season opener against Cal State Fullerton, and also had 16 points against Houston in mid-November.