As we shift from portal entrants to portal commitments, Friday’s action featured another portal pledge for the Butler Bulldogs and a commitment from a former top-40 recruit. The Portal Report has your up to date news and analysis from Friday’s movement in the transfer portal.
Commitments
Former four-star recruit and California native Devin Askew announced his decision to transfer home to Cal and play for Mike Fox. During his lone season as a Longhorn, Askew averaged 2.1 points and 1.3 assists in 34 games. The 6-foot-3 guard’s best season came as a freshman at Kentucky where he started 20 games, tallying 6.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest. As Askew is a two-time transfer, the rising junior will require a waiver from the NCAA to become eligible for the upcoming season.
UCF added their third portal pledge and their second from the Power 5 level, as Pitt transfer Ithiel Horton is headed to Orlando. The Vauxhall, NJ native averaged 9.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13 games during his second season in the ACC. The former Delaware Blue Hen is a career 39.2 percent shooter from beyond the arc.
Thad Matta continues his portal success at Butler, landing Purdue transfer Eric Hunter Jr. The Indianapolis, IN native tallied 6.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 37 games this past senior. The senior connected on a career-high 43 percent of his shots from three-point range. Hunter Jr. will have one year of eligibility in his hometown.
After one year at Illinois, former top-100 recruit Brandin Podziemski is headed to the west coast to play for Santa Clara. The former Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year recorded 1.4 points and 0.9 rebounds in just 4.3 minutes per contest. As a high school senior, Podziemski averaged 35.1 points and 10.0 rebounds, earning a four-star ranking. The 6-foot-5 guard will look to take Santa Clara to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996.
Wisconsin native and Wofford transfer Max Klesmit is headed home to play for the Badgers. The 6-foot-3 sophomore was selected to the Third Team All-SoCon, pouring in 14.9 points and 1.6 steals per game. The Neenah, WI native is the second mid-major portal pledge for the Badgers this offseason and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Kansas State transfer Kaosi Ezeagu is returning to The Lone Star State, committing to Sam Houston State on Friday. Ezeagu, who began his career at UTEP, tallied 4.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in Manhattan this past season, shooting a career-high 68.5 percent from the field. The 6-foot-10 forward will have two seasons of eligibility remaining in the Western Athletic Conference.
Legend Geeter will transfer to Eastern Michigan after one season at Providence. The River Rouge, MI native did not see any action for the Big East regular season champions this past season. Geeter is the second portal addition for the Eagles, joining Georgetown transfer Jalin Billingsley in Ypsilanti.
