After the busiest transfer season in college basketball history thanks to the one-time transfer waiver and an extra year of eligibility being granted by the NCAA as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the preseason discussion surrounding newcomers centered on transfers. Sure, the Chet Holmgren vs. Paolo Banchero debate was interesting and there was plenty of talk about Memphis and its star freshmen, but there was also focus on Chris Beard and Texas building a preseason top-five team via the portal, and several traditional winners going the transfer route at point guard.
One month into the season, there are a still lot of eyes on transfers and a great deal of debate that goes with that attention. Is building a roster primarily via the portal more effective than going with mostly high school prospects? Through the first few weeks, there have been mixed results and no clear way to answer that question.
But as the data continues to trickle in, let's take a look at some of the notable early-season impact transfers, as well as some who haven't quite panned out just yet.
(Shoutout to Bart Torvik's Transfer Portal Finder, which makes it easy to track transfers and their production.)