USF and Chris Mack face major roster overhaul as transfer portal opens
Mack will have to replace all but one player from last year's USF squad.
New South Florida men’s basketball head coach Chris Mack will be busy on the recruiting trail over the next several weeks as the program undergoes a significant roster change.
Gavin Hightower is the only eligible player who has not entered the transfer portal. Eight players from USF’s 2025-26 roster have entered the portal: (Update: Hightower has now entered the portal. USF has no players returning from last year’s roster.)
- Senior guard Xavier Brown
- Senior forward De’Ante Green
- Junior guard Wes Enis
- Sophomore guard C.J. Brown
- Freshman guard Adriel Nyorha
- Freshman forward Onyx Nnani
- Freshman forward Tristan Beckford
- Freshman forward Caleb Sanders
In addition, six seniors — including American Conference Player of the Year Izaiyah Nelson — are graduating and leaving the program.
USF will need to replace its entire starting lineup from last season, losing 83.4 of its 87.5 points per game.
Roster turnover has become the norm across college basketball. The Michigan Wolverines became the first team in NCAA history to win a national championship with a starting lineup made up entirely of transfers. Last season, nearly 40% of Division I men’s basketball players entered the transfer portal.
The Bulls experienced similar turnover last season under former head coach Bryan Hodgson, replacing four of five starters and 13-of-15 players overall. USF added eight transfers, seven of whom were seniors.
Mack is no stranger to rebuilding through the portal. At Charleston, his teams brought in six transfers across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Three of last season’s transfers were incoming seniors, two were juniors and one was a sophomore.
Last season, Charleston had four players average double figures in scoring — all transfers in their first year with the program. Former Middle Tennessee State guard Jlynn Counter increased his scoring average from 10.5 to 15.7 points per game after transferring, leading the team and earning first-team All-CAA honors.
What Mack and his staff will look for in potential Bulls is simple
“There’s a term we use in basketball — ‘dawgs’ — and we need some dawgs,” Mack said at his introductory news conference.
He added that he looks for four traits in recruits: physical and mental toughness, resiliency, unity with teammates and consistent energy everyday.
Mack could also bring in familiar talent. Charleston sophomore guard Mister Dean, who averaged 10.3 points per game, and sophomore center Chol Machot, the CAA Defensive Player of the Year, have both entered the transfer portal. (Update: Charleston center Christian Reeves has also entered the portal. He averaged 11.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game last season.)
With the portal now open, USF will look to rely on its recent experience in roster rebuilding as Mack works to assemble a team capable of competing for an American Conference title and an NCAA Tournament berth in the 2026-27 season.