Former Memphis guard PJ Haggerty is arguably the top remaining player in the men’s college basketball transfer portal. Haggerty was a big-time scorer for the Tigers last season, averaging 21.7 points per game, which ranked No. 3 in DI and is tops for any player slated to return for the 2025-2026 season.
College basketball transfer portal front-runner emerges for top unsigned men’s player
There’s a new front-runner for PJ Haggerty, the top unsigned player in the men’s college hoops transfer portal.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
When Haggerty put his name in the transfer portal, he was reportedly asking for $4 million for his commitment. With so many rosters around the country already close to being finalized, it set up a fascinating scenario for an elite player reportedly ready to go to the highest bidder that didn’t already exhaust their NIL budget. A new front-runner has emerged for Haggerty, and it’s a program with a new head coach that reached the Final Four only two years ago.
The NC State Wolfpack are the favorite to land Haggerty, according to college hoops insider Jeff Goodman. NC State hired head coach Will Wade over the offseason, fresh off the 42-year-old winning an NCAA tournament game with McNeese this past season.
Goodman reports that Chris Beard and Ole Miss are no longer a serious suitor for Haggerty. NC State makes a lot of sense coming off a terrible 12-19 season one year after making a Cinderella run to the 2024 Final Four as a No. 11 seed.
Haggerty can be the lead engine for a good college team next season. He had some big games for Memphis in important moments, including 42 points against Wichita State in the AAC tournament quarterfinals, and 23 points against UAB in the conference tournament title game.
Wade has had a solid offseason in the transfer portal for NC State so far, but is still missing a lead guard. The Wolfpack’s class is currently headlined by Terrance Arceneaux as a long and agile wing defender coming over from Houston, and Tre Holland as an experienced guard from Michigan State. Jerry Deng, a 6’9 forward from Florida State, is another intriguing addition in the portal as a former top-100 high school recruit.
With Haggerty, NC State would have a chance to make the NCAA tournament in the ACC. The 18-team conference only produced four men’s NCAA tournament teams last season.
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