This is a living, breathing document that will continue to be updated as more players hit the portal and, frankly, as we further evaluate the players already in it. Every day, our conversations with college coaches begin with us asking each other if we’ve begun scouting a certain player. Often, we all admit we simply haven’t had the time yet. The sheer number of players in the portal has required around-the-clock work to get eyes on everybody that is necessary.
While our goal every year is to create the best, most comprehensive transfer portal scouting product, it takes time to evaluate each player. If you don’t see a player ranked that you believe should be, be patient. If that player is good enough, we’ll get to them eventually. As of the last weekend in April, we have ranked more than 160 players.
Our rules for when a player becomes eligible for the list are simple: Either the player himself must announce he is entering the portal, or his name must actually be in the portal. If you are curious about only the players who have committed or remain available, you can filter for either using one of the search sidebars. Once the player commits, we have and will add a separate section within the player’s write-up with thoughts on how they fit with their new school.
A few other rankings notes for these are worth bringing up.
First, positional scarcity is taken into account. The easiest player type to find in the portal, as you’ll see below, are scoring guards. The hardest types are versatile wings and bigs who can play on both ends of the court. That’s why, for the most part, you will see us rank wings and bigs more favorably.
Second, years remaining in school play a key role in our rankings. Players with potential to play more than one season for their new school are given a boost. The portal closes on Wednesday, May 1, except for players whose coaches left for another school. They will have another 30 days to enter the portal.
Here are The Athletic’s evolving 2024 transfer portal rankings.
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