Jayden Ross made official Thursday night what already had been surmised.

He is returning to UConn this fall for a fourth season.

“Never wavered. 1 more #bleedblue,” he posted to Instagram.

The roster for head coach Dan Hurley is starting to take shape, despite a significant number of losses to graduation and the transfer portal.

Gone from the 2026-27 roster will be Alex Karaban, Dwayne Koroma, Alec Millender, Tarris Reed Jr. and Malachi Smith, all out of eligibility,

Centers Eric Reibe and Rrezon Elezaj, along with guards Jacob Furphy and Uron Paunovic, put their names in the portal.

That’s nine departures from a 15-member roster. Who does that leave for Hurley and the staff potentially to coach? 

Starting guards Solo Ball, Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins, and reserve forwards Ross and his younger brother, Jacob Ross, and Jaylin Stewart are the holdovers.

Write Jayden Ross and Demary on the roster in ink; they’re committed. So is Najai Hines, a transfer center from Seton Hall who will help to fill the spot vacated by Reed and Reibe.

Add add the names of incoming freshmen Junior County and Colben Landrew, too.

Ball, Mullins and Stewart have until April 24 (11:59 p.m. ET) to declare early entry into the draft, which reserves their right to withdraw and return to school next season. Their decisions will be known soon, with Mullins the biggest wild card.

Mock drafts project Mullins could be taken somewhere in the middle of the draft, around pick 15, and Hurley said last week that Mullins could equal the pay slotted for that spot with NIL money. That would allow the freshman to get at least one more year of experience, build strength and enter the 2027 draft with the possibility of moving up to a lottery pick.

Hurley told reporters on Tuesday that the evolution of the transfer portal forces players to think hard about wanting to remain at UConn -- and he didn't think that necessarily was a negative.

" actually like the fact that players have to recommit to wanting to be a UConn Husky, and really having to look deep inside their soul, and obviously there’s a business component to it too. … I’m embracing that right now.”

There is no replacing Karaban in the lineup, but Nikolas Khamenia, whose name is in the transfer portal, could provide some of the same energy that Karaban brought to the court.

Khamenia, who spent his senior season at Duke, took an official visit to UConn on Wednesday,

A Los Angeles native, Khamenia had a stellar career at Harvard-Westlake, leading the school to state championships in 2023 and 2024, 247Sports rated him as the No. 2 small forward in the nation and the No. 15 player overall in the Class of 2025.

A 6-foot-8, 215-pound wing player, Khamenia was a five-star recruit and a 2025 McDonald’s All-American.

He played in 38 games (five starts) for Duke and averaged 5.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist over 19.8 minutes per game. He shot 34.0 from 3-point range.

Against UConn in the Elite Eight on March 29, won 73-72 by the Huskies, Khamenia scored seven points on 3-of-5 shooting in 22 minutes.

The 247Sports crystal ball is leaning toward Khamenia choosing UConn.

The UConn recruiting people put out a fun video on Thursday welcoming Hines.

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