For the next couple of weeks, players will be making announcements one way or the other about their plans for next season.
Important Dates and Rules for the 2025 Offseason regarding the transfer portal for college basketball.
The window for men's basketball transfers opened on March 24, 2025, and will close on April 22, 2025. The 45-day window before this transfer window was longer; this one is shorter.
Any student athlete who wants to access the site must first get written approval from the school's approved administrator. They don't need permission from their coach and/or athletic director at the school they attend to get in. That is why some coaches are notified after a student-athlete on their team has entered the transfer portal with the intent to play their college basketball next season for a different coach at a different school.
Getting contracted by coaches from various schools as long as the player doesn't choose "do not contact," which usually means they've already committed to a new school; other coaches can contact them about possibly transferring to play for them for the next season.
Players have until April 22 to visit, talk to coaches, and choose a different school. The transfer portal will stay open until then.
Student athletes can play right away after transferring to a different school. This means they can move around a lot without missing a season, unlike in past years, when they needed to obtain a transfer waiver or, before that, sit out an entire season.
When a school's head coach changes, players on that team have 30 days to use the transfer portal to leave, even if the general transfer window has already closed.
If a player goes through the portal and then chooses to stay, their existing school will decide if they should keep their scholarship or not.
Following the 2025β26 school year, Division I basketball teams can give out two more scholarships if they choose to do so. The only drawback is that teams will only be able to have 15 players, meaning having multiple student-athletes as walk-ons and exceeding 15 players on your roster will no longer be possible. However, schools will be able to offer scholarships to all 15 of those players on their roster.
Eligibility for COVID-19-eligible student athletes who were given an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic played in their last game this season. This is thought to have caused a small drop in the total number of transfers compared to previous years, but the transfer portal is still open, and it remains to be seen.
These are things that college basketball fans, like UCLA fans, have to look forward to during the off-season in 2025
There will probably be many playersβmaybe even over a thousand in the first week this transfer portal opens. It is usual for players with ties to mid-major or low-major teams to say they want to transfer before their high-major prospects do. The transfer site allows players to join and commit to other schools quickly, making the situation a bit like "a job fair." Before they officially join the transfer portal, many agreements and choices can already be made. This can benefit a school like UCLA because they can convince a player from a mid-major school to transfer to UCLA for the next season.
Why NIL matters and how it can benefit UCLA in regards to the transfer portal. The Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) options are essential for players in the transfer portal and where they choose to transfer to because the financial incentive to make more as a college athlete is a major factor in which school they transfer to. It is also assumed that the amount of money involved will go up a lot when income sharing starts soon for schools like UCLA, which is a member of the Big Ten conference. However, to be fair, NIL is not the only reason why student-athletes choose to transfer to a certain school.
Many college basketball players may be looking for new opportunities in 2025, so the transfer portal is likely to be full of top players. During the 2025β26 season, many players will be moving between teams, so coaches will need to be creative about how they use the portal to fill open spots and put together new rosters. Mick Cronin and his staff will once again be busy this off-season with the transfer portal.
Because coaches are changing at many schools, many players will be looking to play for new coaches, which could lead to more playing time and better player development.
Transferring between colleges by student athletes has become much easier since the transfer site was made available. This translates to Cronin and his staff being able to look at which players have entered the transfer portal. Mid-major teams and teams that had their coach leave for another coaching position may have many players leave and come back this offseason.
By bringing in experienced players from the transfer site, teams can quickly fix their flaws or replace players who are leaving. UCLA improved from last season to this season by participating in the transfer portal during the previous off-season.
However, teams like UCLA, which were very active in the transfer portal last season, may not be as engaged this season because building team unity and cohesiveness might be more challenging.
Along with constantly seeking out high school talent in traditional recruiting, coaches like Cronin and his staff should do everything they can to keep their key contributing players they already have and still be aggressive about recruiting in the transfer portal to fill key needs to build the best possible roster for the 2025-2026 season.
The transfer portal, NIL, and players' greater control over their collegiate playing careers have made college basketball more like professional basketball, but with more flexibility and without long-term contracts.
Now that the spring transfer portal window is in place for this off-season, student-athletes can officially tell their current schools that they want to transfer and look for new possibilities at other schools through the college basketball transfer portal. UCLA can build on what they did in the offseason and look to help them make a roster to win championships in 2026.