The outlook for the 2026-27 college basketball season shifted earlier this month when a judge in Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction on Friday requiring the NCAA to declare athletes from the high school class of 2022 eligible. Although a handful of players across multiple states took to the actual courts to get an extra year of eligibility, the injunction in the Centennial State opened the floodgates in what could be a chaotic next several weeks before the season begins in November.
The impact of the injunction — as well as cases in Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, and others — has already led several big-name players to commit to play at a new school. Perhaps the biggest name to hit the market was NC State forward Darrion Williams, who committed to play for Texas Tech for the 2026-27 campaign.
Williams played two seasons at Texas Tech before transferring to NC State last offseason.
Another player who has already found a new home is former North Carolina guard Seth Trimble. The experienced, defense-minded guard will remain in the ACC after transferring to Louisville. The Cardinals already had one of the top transfer portal classes in the sport, and the addition of Trimble is just the cherry on top.
Technically, these players have not been fully cleared yet, but the momentum sure seems to be shifting in their favor. As a result, the landscape of college basketball will tangibly shift due to a widespread influx of 22-, 23- and 24-year-olds boomeranging back for one more year of college hoops.
So, who else could be on the move in the coming weeks? Some of those names include Keyshawn Hall, Donovan Dent, Malik Reneau and Jaxon Kohler. With more big names expected to be on the move and some already committed to their next and final stop, our panel is answering the question of who will be the most impactful player among those seeking to play another season of college basketball ... if/when they are fully cleared by the courts.
Seth Trimble, Louisville
Coaches I've talked with in recent weeks are pretty divided on whether it's good or bad to take a fifth-year player this deep in the calendar and with the season set to start in less than three months. There's really no great way to do it without reducing somebody else's role, and some coaches are conflicted about it.
Pat Kelsey isn't, though -- at least not when it came to Seth Trimble.
When I talked to the Louisville coach on Wednesday and asked about his decision to add Trimble, Kelsey told me there was no hesitation. In his opinion, you'd be crazy to not add a player and person of the caliber of Trimble, if presented with the opportunity. So he did it. As a result, I moved the Cardinals into the top 10 of the Top 25 And 1.
I really do believe no fifth-year senior will have more of a positive impact on his team than Trimble will have at Louisville. The 6-foot-3 guard will likely defend opponents' best perimeter players while averaging double-digit points.
Will he be the Cardinals' best player? Perhaps not.
But, don't forget, Trimble was the second-best player on a North Carolina team that was ranked 10th in the AP poll last season before its best player, Caleb Wilson, was sidelined with injuries. In other words, Trimble has already proven capable of being a top-two piece on a top-10 team, and I won't be surprised in the least if he's exactly that again this season for a different school in the same league. -- Gary Parrish
Mark Mitchell, TBD
Mitchell is the best player on the board. The 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward averaged 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists this past season for Missouri, and he's a true needle-mover for numerous teams who need frontcourt help at the final hour.
Kentucky is firmly in the chase for Mitchell, and he'd completely change the complexion of that UK club. A trio of Mitchell, Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno could be an excellent trio with complementary skillsets. Mitchell's slashing paired with Moreno's offensive rebounding and Momcilovic's shooting prowess could be quite potent. The biggest hurdle awaits in court. -- Isaac Trotter
Darrion Williams, Texas Tech
The idea of this question and exercise is to identify the most impactful player of this group of "super seniors." In this case, Williams will not only be the most impactful of this group, but also the best player of the bunch. His one year at NC State was a mixed bag, and that's being generous. It got so bad that former NC State coach Will Wade defended Williams after a win over Wake Forest last year. Simply put: he didn't look like the player he was at times during his two-year stint at Texas Tech.
When Williams is at his best, he has an All-American ceiling. The reason he checks both boxes is due to the uncertainty surrounding the return of All-American forward JT Toppin as he works his way back from a torn ACL. Adding a player of Williams' caliber this late in the cycle is a luxury for Texas Tech because they can work Toppin back slowly and ramp him up for an NCAA Tournament run in March. Williams had the best season of his career playing with Toppin during the 2024-25 campaign when Texas Tech was just minutes away from defeating Florida in the Elite Eight. With this roster at full strength, Texas Tech should be the favorite to win the Big 12. -- Cameron Salerno
Donovan Dent, TBD
Like Trotter, I'm picking a player that hasn't picked a team yet. But should Dent make his way back for one more season (interestingly enough, he actually announced his retirement from basketball in May, and then changed his mind less than two months later), he probably will carry more value than any other fifth-year senior due to his two-way capability.
Dent is coming off a season at UCLA averaging 13.3 points, 7.6 assists and 1.7 steals. He was injured part of last season, which led to his worst shooting year in college. Feels like that would be corrected with one more year. At his best, Dent (who is sometimes a blur with the ball) would be a top-five point guard in college basketball. Even if he's shy of that, he's likely top 10. And a top-10 floor general is more valuable and impactful than just about anyone else trying to squeeze one more season and another half-million or so out of their college basketball experience. -- Matt Norlander
