Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Jamie Squire / Getty Images, Craig Strobeck, Brian Bishop / Imagn ImagesApril 9, 2026Updated May 5, 2026Michigan just won the national championship with five starters who began their careers elsewhere. College free agency has become an integral part of roster building, and the ability to make quick assessments on players is as important as ever.At The Athletic, we try to give insightful, researched analysis of the best players available, using film, occasional input from coaches or NBA scouts and our own prior knowledge to shape our scouting reports and rankings. We consider remaining eligibility, positional scarcity — so wings with size and bigs are more valuable than a scoring guard — and the ability to contribute to winning. Counting stats matter, but they’re not everything.The transfer portal closed on April 21, but players will continue to commit throughout the spring. Here are the best of the best available in 2026:Expand allCollapse allHt: 6-10 Wt: 235Bidunga is the best player in the transfer portal and will likely remain the best player when the dust settles. The Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year has a real case as the most versatile defender in college basketball. The Congolese big man plays hard all of the time and set the tone for Kansas this season with that constant source of energy. He can slide with guards in a variety of ball-screen coverages, from straight switches to blitzes or hard hedges. Or, he can play in drop and does a solid job of swallowing up drivers by using his long arms. Bidunga led the Big 12 in blocks at 2.6 per game. Bidunga was definitely in my personal top three defenders this season.Offensively, things are more complicated. Bidunga knows his role and only took nine shots per game this season. He’s an elite offensive rebounder who creates chances for himself. As a post player, Bidunga’s go-to move is a lefty hook shot from within six. By and large, he does take advantage of his opportunities at the rim. Just don’t expect to call on him to do more than that. His hands can let him down occasionally, and while he’s not a selfish player, I wouldn’t say that he diagnoses the court quickly. Bidunga is also declaring for the draft. He’s seen as a potential late first-round or early second-round pick, with questions about his offensive fit and size as a center. If he does decide to play at Louisville he’ll very likely make at least double what he’d be projected to get in the NBA next season.