The Division II to Division I pipeline has consistently grown over the years, and more players are reaping the benefits of the new Division II portal introduced in 2020.

To recap, the NCAA released a statement in January of 2020 saying, “Division II has adopted the notification of transfer model, replacing the current permission-to-contact rules with legislation that will allow student-athletes to explore transfer opportunities without being limited by their current school.” It was slated to begin in August of that year, which started the rise of Division II transfers that we consistently see today.

In 2021, a total of 258 players entered the transfer portal at the Division II level, according to NCAA data. In 2022, 300 student-athletes entered, and in 2023, that figure reached 340.

Of the 340 student-athletes that entered the portal in 2023, 80 were found as first-year players on Division I rosters for the 2023-24 season, thanks to extensive research using College Basketball reference and Verbal Commits.

Idaho led the pack with three Division II transfers, while Austin Peay, Boston, Cal State Northridge, Green Bay, Howard, Miami (Ohio), Prairie View A&M, Presbyterian, and South Alabama each welcomed two.

Auburn, Charleston, Colorado State, Howard, Montana State, Oakland, St. Peter’s, Samford, Utah State, and Washington State all danced their way into the NCAA tournament in 2023-24 with a 2023 Division II transfer on their rosters. Among the headliners was Oakland’s Jack Gohlke, who was the second-leading scorer for the Golden Grizzlies, helping guide them to a 24-12 season.

Gohlke topped the NCAA in three-pointers made and attempted during the season. During the NCAA tournament, He erupted for 32 points, drilling 10 treys in Oakland’s stunning upset over third-seeded Kentucky. He followed that with a 22-point showcase against NC State in an overtime thriller in the Round of 32.

Charleston’s Kobe Rogers finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists in Charleston’s Round of 64 loss to Alabama. Rogers averaged 9.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, shooting an impressive 45 percent from three and 50 percent from the field despite being a guard.

Montana State’s Brian Goracke scored 15 points and grabbed four rebounds in the First Four game against Grambling State, hitting four of his nine three-point attempts. He was second on the team in scoring during the 2023-24 year with 13.5 points per game, starting 33 of 35 contests.

Joel Scott helped Colorado State advance past the First Four against Virginia with 23 points and 11 rebounds on 69 percent shooting from the field. He was the second-leading scorer and rebounder for the Rams on the season.

Jaylen Wells went from Sonoma State to Washington State, where he helped the Cougars to a second-round appearance, averaging 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game on 50 percent shooting in his two NCAA tournament games. Wells led the Cougars in three-point percentage, hitting 42 percent.

He would go on to be drafted in the 2024 NBA draft in the second round by the Memphis Grizzlies.

On a season level, Purdue Fort Wayne’s Rasheed Bello led all 80 players that we found, averaging 14.9 points and dishing out a team-high 4.3 assists per game.

Akuel Kot, who transferred from Fort Lewis to Wyoming, was the second-leading scorer for the Cowboys with 14.0 points per game.

Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones went from Hawaii-Hilo to San Diego, where he started 33 games and averaged 13.8 points and a team-leading 5.8 rebounds per game.

Samage Teel came from Winston-Salem to Presbyterian, where he was the second-leading scorer, averaging 13.6 points per game, and led the program in three-point percentage at 42 percent.

Jordan Jones from Coker starred at Central Connecticut State, where he was the second-leading scorer for the Blue Devils, who had their first 20-win season since 2006-07.

Sai Witt went from Lincoln to Austin Peay, where he averaged 12.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for a 19-16 Governors squad that won their most games in a season since 2019-20.

Quinn Denker went from Cal State Marcos to Idaho, where he led the Vandals in scoring and assists, averaging 12.5 points and 3.7 assists per game.

Isiah Gaiter went from Assumption to South Alabama, where he averaged 12.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, shooting 38 percent from three.

These are just a few examples of the talented Division II transfers making waves at the Division I level. It’s not just high school or JUCO to Division I anymore; big-time playmakers from Division II are proving they belong on the grand stage.

In 2024, 128 prospects have made the leap from Division II to Division I, according to data from Verbal Commits.

St. Thomas Aquinas‘ James Patterson, the fourth-leading scorer in Division II last season, averaging 24.0 points per game, is headed to Iona. Caldwell’s Darnell Evans, who was right behind him at fifth, averaging 23.5 points per game, is heading to Georgia State. K.J. McClurg, the eighth-leading scorer for California (PA), averaging 22.6 points per game, is headed to Longwood. Rounding out the top 10, Zawdie Jackson of West Georgia, who averaged 22.0 points per game last season, is headed to New Mexico State (NOTE: West Georgia is making their transition to D-I this upcoming 2024-25 season but played D-II basketball last season).

Brennen Burns, the second-leading assist man at 6.8 per game at the Division II level, is headed to Sam Houston State.

Charles Johnston, the fourth-leading rebounder in Division II last season, averaging 10.7 per game, is heading to Furman. The fifth-leading rebounder, Cantia Rahming, averaged 10.7 rebounds per game for Saint Leo and will now play for South Alabama.

Among other notable names is Melo Sanchez, who averaged 14.6 points per game and hit 73 of his 211 three-point attempts. He will now be playing for John Calipari at Arkansas. Trevor Baskin, at 6-foot-9, averaged 18.2 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 37 percent from three for Colorado Mesa has transferred to Colorado.

Lincoln Meister, who averaged 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last season for Minnesota-Duluth, transferred to Minnesota.

Jeremy Sanchez, who averaged 2.6 points per game in 20 games for Saint Leo in 2023-24, transferred to Missouri as a preferred walk-on. He once played for current Missouri head coach Dennis Gates at Cleveland State.

There are many examples of Division II players getting opportunities at Division I programs this season, and more will likely come during the next transfer portal season. In 2023, 80 made the jump. In 2024, it’s up to 128, with IUPUI welcoming seven, the most of any program at the Division I level.

Program	# of D-II transfers
IUPUI	7
Cal Poly	6
Drake	4
South Alabama	3
Chattanooga	3

It’s safe to say that this trend will continue as more Division II players show their impact on Division I rosters.

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