DetroitSports.Today™

Detroit Sports News Continuously Updated

Big Ten’s Most Impactful Transfer Players in 2024-25

by

Vladislav Goldin is transferring to Michigan.

The Big Ten is going to see plenty of new faces in 2024-25. Usually, that happens yearly with new star freshmen looking to make an impact. This time around the transfer portal has reshaped the league completely. From a complete team rebuild to filling positions of need, the Big Ten has so many impactful transfers this season.

You can find a transfer player if you look up and down each of the 18 teams in the Big Ten’s rosters. That’s just the new era of college athletics. With that being said, it’s time to take a closer look at which of the dozens of transfers in the conference, can be the most impactful in 2024-25.

Big Ten’s Most Impactful Transfer Players in 2024-25

Reflecting on the 2023-24 season, the best teams in the Big Ten had players who didn’t start out at their respective institutions. Purdue the Big Ten Champions and National runner-up added a very important piece last offseason via the portal. That player was Lance Jones , who led the charge off the bench for the Boilermakers last season. Elsewhere in the Big Ten, former Oregon Duck, turned Indiana Hoosier Kel’el Ware proved to be a welcomed addition in Bloomington.

Indiana hopes the portal works in their favor once again in 2024-25, and so do teams like Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, USC, and Ohio State among others.

Indiana Bags Another Big Man

Oumar Ballo will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Ware at Indiana. Ballo comes over from Arizona, after three productive seasons. That included averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds in 2023-24. Coach Mike Woodson certainly will have plenty of big men to work with as Ballo joins the Hoosier frontcourt alongside Malik Reneau . He was yet another big grab by Indiana, as Ballo was the number two best available player in the portal this offseason. The Hoosiers will be looking to compete for the Big Ten, and Ballo gives them a force in the post.

Michigan Completely Retools Under Dusty May

2024-25 marks a whole new campaign for the Michigan Wolverines. New coach Dusty May made a major impact by bringing in multiple players via the transfer portal. There are so many that could be very impactful transfer players on the Wolverine roster alone. Naturally, the two biggest guys will be the ones to watch. Those players are Vladislav Goldin from FAU and Danny Wolf from Yale. Both players are seven-footers, and that has been the name of the game to success in the Big Ten in recent years. Goldin brings great NCAA experience, to Michigan who hasn’t been to the big dance in two years. As for Wolf, he was huge in helping Yale reach the dance in 2023-24. It’s hard to tell right now which one will make a bigger mark, but they are both huge for Coach May’s future. Wolf spoke with Brian Boesch from the Defend The Block podcast , about his childhood dreams of playing for Michigan.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

 

Michigan State Nabs Highly Sought After Shooter

Michigan State’s Tom Izzo has long expressed his dislike for the transfer portal. Yet he knows when he has to make moves, and that was exactly what had to happen this offseason. The Spartans lost Malik Hall and Tyson Walker to graduation, which took away both shooting and rebounding. So the Spartans needed to find a player with length and shooting ability. They appear to have done so by bringing in Nebraska-Omaha’s Frankie Fidler . He was an outstanding player in 2023-24 averaging over 20 points per game. He looks to have already fitted in nicely for the Spartans. Luckily the Spartans were able to outlast some tough competition for the Fidler sweepstakes. Fidler has a chance to step right in and light up the scoreboard, which the Spartans will need in 2024-25.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

 

Illinois Continues to Find Gems

The Transfer portal has been a big key to the Illini’s success under coach Brad Underwood. Illinois previously found now-NBA rookie Terrence Shannon Jr in the portal a couple of years ago. Illinois went back to the portal for 2024-25, and certainly hope it pays off again. Can Kylan Boswell take over the Illini backcourt? That’s the hope for the former Arizona Wildcat. Boswell averaged nearly 10 points, two rebounds, and four assists last season. His numbers will have to take a big step if he wants to keep the starting point guard spot for the Illini. He’s got plenty of youth with talent right behind him. Transfer players have been a key to Illinois staying in the Big Ten hunt, and that will be no different with Boswell.

Ohio State Gets Their Big

New full-time head coach Jake Diebler wasn’t messing around in the offseason. He went for some big fish in the transfer portal. That’s exactly what he got, and it should be fun to see what the Buckeyes can do in 2024-25. Ohio State was able to land Aaron Bradshaw from Kentucky. The former John Calipari-coached player was looking for something new, following a flirtation with the draft process. His numbers weren’t that great as a freshman averaging less than five points and four rebounds. However a new system, with the way Diebler coaches, should bode well for Bradshaw. The Buckeyes needed a new face in the post following a lot of transfers themselves, and they got it with Aaron.

The Rest of the Big Ten Has Plenty of Transfers to Watch

The Big Ten made sure to grab as many impactful transfer players as possible for 2024-25. That should make the race for the crown very wide open. Like Michigan, USC has a lot of new players, as does UCLA. Washington certainly made a huge move to grab Great Osobor  from Utah State. Who knows when the season is said and done, he might be the best player from the portal in the Big Ten.

The post Big Ten’s Most Impactful Transfer Players in 2024-25 appeared first on Last Word On Basketball .