Stanford basketball is loading up. On Wednesday, June 3, the Cardinal made their second pickup of the transfer portal window official, landing a commitment from Delaware standout Christian Bliss. The Conference USA's Freshman of the Year for this season joins a Cardinal team looking to take that next step forward into the NCAA tournament in 2026-27.

Spending the first two seasons of his college career at Virginia, Bliss redshirted both years there and made his college debut with the Blue Hens this past season, averaging 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists.

He ended the season ranked seventh in the C-USA in scoring and led the conference in assists, while also leading Delaware in both categories. Bliss opted to enter the transfer portal in order to showcase his skills at the Power Four level, and Stanford looks like the perfect fit.

For the Cardinal, signing Bliss is crucial as they look to ease the loss of Ebuka Okorie, who averaged over 23 points in his lone season on The Farm. Okorie is headed to the NBA Draft as a projected first-round talent. 

While the 6-foot-4 guard is an elite scorer, the Cardinal will look to him to create shots and opportunities with his passing. The Cardinal finished with 11.76 assists per game, ahead of just Boston College's 11.32, while well behind the pace of No. 1 Louisville's 17.06.

A high school standout at George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania, Bliss was a three-star recruit and fielded over a dozen offers, including from Virginia, Villanova, Xavier, St. John's and Miami before signing with Virginia to begin his college career.

Bliss joins center Austin Maurer as a transfer portal pickup for the Cardinal, with Maurer coming from Seattle University. Players had until April 21 to enter the portal, but there is no set timeline for transfers to sign with new schools, giving the Cardinal more time to add to their roster.

With needs still to fill before the new season begins, do not be surprised if Stanford basketball continues to look for ways to improve the program this summer. 

Finishing 20-13 for their second consecutive 20-win season of the Kyle Smith era, the Cardinal still fell well short of their goals and missed March Madness once again, extending their tournament drought to 12 years.

This season, the Cardinal will have a re-tooled roster with two incoming transfers and a number of talented recruits. They'll also be aided in their quest to join the Madness by the expansion of the tournament from 68 to 76 teams. 

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