The transfer portal opened earlier this week, and the Tigers will look to replace most of last season’s roster. While eight players still have eligibility remaining, five have already entered the transfer portal.
Currently, only two players, Julius Thedford and William Whorton, are set to return, while Aaron Bradshaw has yet to announce a decision. With so many pieces to replace, Hardaway will rely on multiple people, including his coaching staff and their relationships with players in the portal.
After finishing 13-19, Hardaway fired all three assistant coaches and hired Tony Madlock, Sean Mock and Trevor DeLoach to fill those roles. All three coaches have experience in the American Conference, and all three have preexisting relationships with players currently looking for new homes.
It’s unclear if any of these players will have interest in playing at Memphis, but here’s a look at the players in the portal who played for the three new assistant coaches on the Tigers’ staff.
Rowan Brumbaugh
After returning to Tulane last season, Brumbaugh enters the transfer portal ahead of his final year of eligibility. Brumbaugh started his career at Texas before transferring to Georgetown and finally landing in New Orleans.
The guard was named the American Conference preseason Player of the Year before the season, and he averaged 19.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 36.1 minutes per game.
Brumbaugh is rated a five-star transfer prospect, according to EvanMiya.com, but the Tigers will likely make an attempt at recruiting him after adding Mock to the staff. The guard had a lot of success under the assistant coach, and Memphis could be in a good position to land the DC native.
Anton Bonke
Bonke entered the portal after spending one season at Charlotte. With the 49ers, the 7-foot-2 center recorded 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 25.6 minutes per game, and he’s rated as a three-star transfer, according to Miya.
The Tigers will look to add multiple big men to the roster, and Bonke would serve as a more traditional big man.
Ben Bradford
Bradford enters the transfer portal after leading Charlotte in scoring last season, and he’s rated as a three-star transfer. The guard averaged 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game as a sophomore.
Bradford has spent his first two seasons with the 49ers, and the Tigers could find themselves in the mix for him with DeLoach on staff.
Jerquarius Stanback
Stanback enters the transfer portal after spending two seasons at Alabama State under Madlock. After serving a redshirt season, Stanback made an immediate impact for the Hornets and was named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.
The 6-foot-9 forward added 8.8 points and 5.8 rebounds to his stat line and could be a nice piece for Hardaway’s team. The Tigers’ head coach values the defensive end of the court, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him show interest in the 6-foot-9 forward with Madlock back on staff.
Spencer Elliott
Elliott is in a rare situation where he played for both Mock and DeLoach, and it’ll be interesting to see if Memphis targets him. The 6-foot-10 forward spent his first two seasons at Tulane before transferring to Charlotte for his redshirt sophomore campaign.
Last season, Elliott averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1 assist in 17.2 minutes per game.
Asjon Anderson
Anderson led Alabama State in scoring last season, averaging 14.2 points per game. The Washington native has played at three schools over the last three seasons, and it’ll be interesting to see if he follows his head coach.
Nick Richart
Richart enters the portal after spending the last three seasons at Charlotte. Richard averaged 0.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 24 appearances.
Scotty Middleton
Middleton has played the last three seasons at three different schools, and he’ll look to make it a fourth next year. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 6.9 points, 4 rebounds and shot 36.9 percent from deep in 33 games last year at Tulane.
Jake Shapiro
Shapiro spent the last three seasons at Tulane and saw limited action.
Curtis Williams Jr.
Williams has played at three different schools over the last three seasons, but he spent the 2025-26 season with the Green Wave. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 12.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 32.1 minutes per game last year.
Jarne Elouna Eyenga
Elouna Eyenga spent his freshman season at Charlotte and averaged 3.5 points and 3 rebounds in 24 games, including 12 starts.
Damarien Yates
Yates is another player who has spent time playing for multiple coaches on this staff after stints at Memphis and Alabama State. It’s unclear if either side would want a return, but he joins several other former Tigers who are currently in the portal.
Micah Simpson
After spending two seasons at Walters State Community College, Simpson transferred to Alabama State and has made 33 starts over the last two seasons. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 13.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, and he’s rated a three-star transfer prospect.
Trey Miller
Miller only played in three games for Alabama State before suffering an injury last season.In those games, he averaged 7.3 points and shot 42.9 percent from deep on 2.3 attempts per game.
Jasteven Walker
Walker has spent the last four years at Alabama State, and he made 14 starts during his redshirt sophomore season. The Oakland, Tennessee native averaged 4.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
Tyler Mason
Mason only spent one season with the Hornets, and he saw most of his action as a role player. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per game.