The transfer portal opened today, and the Tigers will look to assemble their 2026 roster over the next few weeks.
Eight players had eligibility remaining on Penny Hardaway’s roster, but currently, only two players have indicated they will return next season. That means Hardaway will have 12 open spots to fill factoring in the return of Julius Thedford and William Whorton, as well as the addition of high school recruit Cello Jackson.
Hardaway has not been afraid to bring back former players who transferred away from the program, and five former Tigers are currently in the transfer portal, including PJ Haggerty. After bringing back players like Moussa Cisse and Ashton Hardaway, it will be interesting to see if any former players reunite with Hardaway and Memphis ahead of next season.
PJ Haggerty (Kansas State)
Haggerty enters the transfer portal for the fourth time after one season at Kansas State. It’s not a surprise after head coach Jerome Tang was fired during the season.
Haggerty found a lot of success with the Wildcats, and he finished fourth in the country in scoring, averaging 23.4 points per game. The guard has averaged more than 21 points over his last three seasons, and he should have many suitors prior to his final season of eligibility.
Following his lone year with the Tigers, Haggerty flirted with a return to Hardaway’s roster, but he ultimately left to play in a high-major conference.
The Texas native will receive high major interest, but it’s clear that he has found the most success he’s had during his collegiate career at Memphis. Hardaway said earlier in the season that he held off on the transfer portal in an attempt to get Haggerty to return, and it’s extremely likely that he’ll make another run at his former leading scorer.
Baraka Okojie (Mercer)
Okojie transferred to Memphis after spending his freshman season at George Mason, but he struggled to find consistent playing time with the Tigers. The point guard appeared in 31 games, only making two starts, and averaged 11.5 minutes per game before hitting the transfer portal again and landing at Mercer.
With the Bears, Okojie started every game, averaging 19.7 points, 5.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 34.1 minutes per game, and he was clearly the leader of the team. Following his best season, the Canadian is entering the portal again, and he’s rated as a four-star transfer and ranked No. 153 in the country, according to EvanMiya.com.
It’s unclear what Okojie’s market will look like and what the interest would be in a return to Memphis. If Okojie is open to a reunion, it would make sense for Hardaway to bring the point guard back to play a more significant role next season.
Damarien Yates (Alabama State)
Yates spent his sophomore season at Memphis and appeared in 14 games in a limited role. Yates transferred to Alabama State and spent his junior year playing for Tony Madlock.
The guard has appeared in all 32 games, but he averaged 6.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 17 minutes per game.
With one season of eligibility remaining, it’s unclear what Yates wants to do with his final season, but after playing for Hardaway and Madlock, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Tigers show some interest in the Somerville native.
Jared Harris (Wyoming)
Harris spent his freshman season at Memphis, where he was named the preseason American Conference Freshman of the Year, but he only appeared in 16 games. He transferred to Wyoming but only averaged 9.7 minutes in 12 games before suffering a foot injury that ended his season.
Harris still has two seasons of eligibility remaining, but it would be a surprise if he returns to Memphis.
Bouna Kebe (Delaware)
Kebe redshirted for Memphis before transferring to Delaware, and he appeared in 14 games with the Blue Hens last season. While he is listed as a senior, it appears Kebe has a season of eligibility remaining.
The forward averaged 1.2 points, a rebound and 0.3 assists in 5.7 minutes before suffering an injury and missing the rest of the season.