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The 2026-27 ACC men’s basketball season will feature significant roster turnover as teams navigate the transfer portal and new coaches look to quickly turn around programs whos struggles led to leadership changes.
Syndicate Sports examines each ACC program to identify those transfers who could make the biggest impact, whether by helping a tournament contender reach the Final Four or by helping a struggling program earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
Duke Blue Devils
The preseason favorite to win the ACC typically does not rely heavily on the transfer portal. The Blue Devils continue to rank among the nation’s top five high school recruiting classes.
Coach Jon Scheyer added three transfers, each of whom averaged at least 10 points, three rebounds and two assists per game. John Blackwell headlines that group. The former Wisconsin Badger averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 38.9% from 3-point range.
Miami Hurricanes
Miami, who advanced to the ACC semifinals last season, relied on the transfer portal to replace most of its roster. The Hurricanes returned just 18.4% of their scoring from last season, with only Malik Reneau and Shelton Henderson having averaging more than 10 points per game.
Among their nine newcomers, the Hurricanes added talented shooters from both power conferences and mid-major programs. DeSean Goode, who played at Robert Morris last season, averaged 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. From the power conference, Acaden Lewis arrives in Coral Gables from Villanova, where he averaged 12.2 points, 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
Louisville Cardinals
Louisville lost to Miami in the ACC quarterfinals last season before losing most of its scoring production in the offseason. An August injunction granted 38 players a fifth year of eligibility under the NCAA’s five-for-five eligibility model. After the injunction was overturned earlier in October, Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Brian Edwards granted a new temporary injunction.
Seth Trimble, who played at North Carolina, brings 14 points and three assists per game to Louisville.
Flory Bidunga, who played at Kansas, and LJ Wells, who played at Northern Kentucky, each averaged 13 points and seven rebounds per game. Bidunga also averaged 2.6 blocks while Wells averaged 2.1 assists.
The primary risk with Trimble and Wells, both plaintiffs in the case, is that their eligibility depends on the lawsuit continuing through the 2026-27 season. If the injunction is overturned during the season, the Cardinals could lose both players.
Virginia Cavaliers
Unlike the teams discussed so far, Virginia returns 10 players from last season and 54.7% of its scoring production. Although the transfer portal wasn’t as essential for the Cavaliers as it was for some other programs, they still added players capable of contributing offensively.
All four of Virginia’s transfers appeared in at least 27 games last season. Jurian Dixon started 35 games for UC Irvine, averaging 15.9 points and 2.5 assists per game. Christian Harman arrives in Charlottesville from Arkansas State, where he averaged 12.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 32 games, including 28 starts.
North Carolina Tar Heels
Michael Malone, who led the Denver Nuggets to an NBA championship just a few years ago, looks to usher in a new ear of success in Chapel Hill. Malone became North Carolina’s first head coach without a previous affiliation with the school since Frank McGuire was hired in 1952.
Five players return from last season, but only Jarin Stevenson saw significant playing time.
The Tar Heels added six players through the transfer portal, led by Terrence Brown from Utah. Brown averaged 19.9 points and 3.8 assists last season for the Utes.
North Carolina also added two players from ACC programs: Neo Avdalas from Virginia Tech and Matt Able from NC State. Both will look to contribute offensively at the Dean Smith Center
Clemson Tigers
Clemson reached the ACC semifinals last season before falling to eventual champion Duke. The Tigers then lost to Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Seven players return, but none averaged more than 8.3 points per game.
Dylan Faulkner headlines a four-player transfer class. Faulkner started 30 games at Samford last season, averaging 17.2 points and 8.6 rebounds. Cole Certa arrives at Littlejohn Coliseum from Notre Dame after averaging 12.8 points and shooting 36.7% from 3-point range.
Florida State Seminoles
Despite finishing above .500 and pushing Duke in the ACC quarterfinals last season, Florida State declined an invitation to the NIT. The Seminoles then saw more than 95% of their scoring from last season leave Tallahassee.
In his second season at Florida State, coach Luke Loucks added six players through the transfer portal. Kam Taylor brings his production from UNC Asheville, where he averaged 18.9 points, five rebounds and three assists per game last season.
Cooper Schwieger started just 11 of his 34 games at Wake Forest but shot 34.3% from 3-point range.
NC State Wolfpack
NC State endured a turbulent end to last season. After dominating rival North Carolina 82-58 to improve to 19-8 overall and 10-4 in ACC play, the Wolfpack lost six of their final seven games of the season before coach Will Wade left for LSU.
Justin Gainey, who helped lead the Wolfpack to the ACC championship game in 1997 and a fourth-place finish in the 2000 NIT, returns to Raleigh to rebuild the program. The returns of Paul Mc Neil Jr. and Ven-Allen Lubin were significant, but NC State also needed reinforcements, adding 10 players through the transfer portal.
Preston Edmead of Hofstra and Christian Hammond of Santa Clara headline the class. Edmead averaged 16.1 points and 4.4 assists last season while starting all 35 games. Hammond averaged 15.6 points and three rebounds. Darius Adams brings power-conference experience from Maryland, where he averaged 10.8 points per game last season for the Terrapins.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech added several transfers from power-conference programs, including Jaylen Curry from Oklahoma State. Curry was the only incoming player with power-conference experience who averaged more than nine points per game last season.
The Hokies also added several players from mid-major programs, led by Ethan Copeland of Stetson. Copeland averaged 15 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season for the Hatters.
SMU Mustangs
SMU lost more than 85% of its scoring production form a team that reached the First Four last season before falling to Miami (Ohio). Ozlyah Sellers arrives in Dallas from St. John’s, where he averaged 10.3 points per game on a team that reached the Sweet 16.
Rowan Brumbaugh brings a well-rounded game to the Mustangs from Tulane. He started all 33 games he played last season, averaging 19.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals. David Terrell Jr. arrives from North Texas after averaging 13.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
Syracuse Orange
Syracuse was another ACC program to make a coaching change, hiring former Orange player Gerry McNamara after two seasons at Siena. Three of his seven transfers followed him from Siena, which pushed Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Gavin Dody, who started 35 games last season, averaged 18 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
The Orange also added Luke Wilson from Appalachian State. Wilson averaged 10.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in 32 appearances last season. Aiden Tobiason arrives from Temple after averaging 15.3 points per game.
Pittsburgh Panthers
Pittsburgh underwent a major roster overhaul, with coach Jeff Capel bringing in 11 players through the transfer portal. Four came from other ACC programs, including Baye Ndongo from Georgia Tech. The former Yellow Jacket averaged 11.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
A’lahn Sumler arrives from Charleston Southern after averaging 18.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Amani Mighty of Mercer averaged a double-double last season, recording 13.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game while adding 1.7 blocks.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake Forest is rebuilding its roster in an effort to return to the NCAA Tournament. The Demon Deacons added eight players in the transfer portal, including several from power-conferences who saw limited playing time last season.
Kevair Kennedy, however, arrives from Merrimack after a productive season. He averaged 18.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.9 steals in 34 games.
Justin Ray of Monmouth also adds scoring, having averaged 11.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game last season.
Stanford Cardinal
Stanford enters its third season under coach Kyle Smith after winning 20 games and earing a berth in the College Basketball Classic. The Cardinal made relatively few moves in the transfer portal.
Nick Townsend arrives from Yale averaging 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game last season. Christian Bliss joins the Cardinal from Delaware, where he averaged 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
Boston College Eagles
With only 15 teams qualifying for the ACC Tournament, Boston College failed to reach the postseason last season. That result prompted a major roster overhaul as Luke Murray took over in Chestnut Hill after serving as an assistant at UConn.
The Eagles added 11 players, only one of whom came from a power-conference program.
Brandon Benjamin averaged a double-double at Fairfield last season, recording 14.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Money Williams averaged a career-high 20.6 points per game for Montana while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame also failed to qualify for the ACC Tournament but retained 30% of its scoring production last season. Several players from mid-major programs are heading to South Bend.
Logan Duncomb averaged 18.3 points and 8.9 assists per game at Winthrop last season, while Ethan Roberts averaged 16.9 points in 23 games at Penn.
California Golden Bears
California won 22 games last season and earned its first posteason berth since 2017 by being selected for the NIT. Although nine players returned, three did not appear in a game last season, and four played in fewer in 12 games, combining for just 17 points.
Michael Cooper headlines a five-player transfer class after averaging 13.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists at Wright State. He started just 15 of 31 games he played. Among the four other transfers with power-conference experience, Nojus Indrusaitis had the most productive offensive season, averaging 9.1 points at Pittsburgh.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech finished last in the ACC last season and returns only two players to Atlanta. Scott Cross arrives after seven years at Troy and has brought in seven transfers, including two players who averaged more than 20 points per game last season.
Colby Garland averaged 20.3 points and 4.6 assists for San Jose State while shooting 37.2% from 3-point range.
Nasir Whitlock also brings strong 3-point shooting to the Yellow Jackets. He averaged 20.5 points and shot 43.3% from beyond the arc last season at Lehigh. Victor Valdes followed Cross from Troy to Atlanta after averaging 14.8 points and 4.5 assists per game for the Trojans.