Over the last few years, the transfer portal has become the primary source of player movement in college basketball. Each summer, across the country, star players find a bigger stage with more available NIL money, lightly-used reserves bet on themselves and look for opportunities for more playing time, and high-achieving students move for specialized graduate programs and career-driven reasons.
All of it has certainly had a profound effect on the Horizon League. One needn’t look any further than the 2024-25 all-HL teams, which featured just four players out of the 15 selections who were playing with their original college team. Then, of the six with remaining eligibility, five parlayed their success into another change of address (Detroit Mercy’s Aaliyah McQueen was the exception, if you’re wondering).
So who’s next? It’s impossible to say for certain, as last year’s hit-and-miss version of this post shows. Regardless, here’s another attempt at figuring it out.
Before getting started, it’s important to note that the words “top impact transfers for 2025-26” were chosen deliberately. These are players who should have an effect on their teams and the conference as a whole this coming season, and the (admittedly subjective) ranking criteria prioritized that over incoming transfers who might have a high ceiling but, for one reason or another, are more likely to contribute further down the road.
1. Maddy Skorupski – Green Bay (G)
Previous Schools: Michigan State (2022-23), Oakland (2023-25)
There’s plenty of opportunity to get things wrong when doing a ranking like this. Inevitably, by the end of the 2025-26 season, some of these picks (and non-picks) will look really stupid. But when someone who was arguably a top five player in the Horizon League last year goes into the transfer portal and ends up staying in the conference, that’s pretty much a gimme. Given Skorupski’s elite defense (her 2.8 steals per game were 16th nationally last season) and ability to score from just about anywhere inside the arc, it’s easy to see her sliding into a Natalie McNeal-like role at Green Bay.
2. Bailey Kuhns – Robert Morris (F)
Previous School: Mercyhurst (2022-25)
Kuhns is a player who somehow got better as Mercyhurst transitioned to Division I last season. She became an absolute workhorse for the Lakers, including a 32.9 percent usage rate, which paid off to the tune of 20.3 points per game, alongside 5.5 rebounds. Robert Morris tends to share the wealth more than most, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see her offensive numbers take a dip – but then again, the Colonials haven’t had someone quite like the All-NEC First Team selection in recent years. Notably, Kuhns averaged 17.5 points and eight rebounds in games against RMU and Youngstown State early in the 2024-25 schedule.
3. Alana Nelson – Purdue Fort Wayne (F)
Previous Schools: Northwood (DII) (2020-22), Spring Arbor (NAIA) (2022-25)
Some may see those schools above and wonder why Nelson rates so highly, but it’s important to know that Purdue Fort Wayne’s coaches know how to scout and recruit the NAIA better than just about anyone (see: HL Sixth Player of the Year Jordan Reid). It’s also important to know that they’re extremely high on Nelson, and for good reason, given that she averaged a double-double (21.6 points and 10.6 rebounds) at Spring Arbor last season, including 40-point and 21-rebound games. She was an NAIA All-American Second Team selection (for context, Reid was a third-teamer), and could cap her career with an award in the HL.
4. Aislin Malcolm – Robert Morris (G)
Previous School: Pittsburgh (2022-25)
Back in 2022, Malcolm was rated as a four-star prospect and the 98th-best player in the country by ESPN. She stayed close to home, committing to Pitt, and by her sophomore year, Malcolm was an every-game starter who was second on the Panthers in both scoring (9.3) and assists (2.2). Then, rather abruptly, her playing time evaporated last season, and she left Pitt’s team in January. Robert Morris now has a classic case on its hands: a big-time player who ends up on a mid-major roster to re-discover her game and, possibly, herself. It sounds a little like a movie, though the genre depends on how things go from here.
5. Nneka Obiazor – Youngstown State (F)
5. Jada Leonard – Cleveland State (G)
Previous Schools: Saint Peter’s (2022-24), Bryant (2024-25)
Between Leonard and Colbi Maples, the Vikings should have plenty of high-end talent capable of serving as a primary ballhandler and top scorer, though there’s a catch: both players missed most or all of last season with knee injuries. That’s something of a technicality in Leonard’s case, as all indications are that she could have returned, but was parked to preserve her eligibility. Regardless, that’s Bryant’s loss, as the Bronx, NY native fired home 12.1 points per game during her final year at Saint Peter’s, while grabbing 2.1 steals. Don’t underrate that latter number – Cleveland State’s rebuild has focused largely on defense, after the team’s usual transitional ethos disappeared at times last year.
6. Kamy Peppler – Green Bay (G)
Previous School: Milwaukee (2022-25)
Green Bay’s raid of established Horizon League talents included landing not only Skorupski, but also both Pepplers (with Kamy’s younger sister, Kallie, in the haul as well) from their I-43 rivals. Given the graduation of Bailey Butler, who held down the HL’s very-unofficial “best pure point guard” title for a long time, snagging one of the chief contenders for that designation was a savvy move, to say the least. They’re not identical players of course; Peppler is the better shooter of the two, while Butler’s defense and assist-to-turnover numbers were virtually without peer. In terms of filling a massive hole with a proven commodity though, Kayla Karius did very well.
7. Casey Santoro – Youngstown State (G)
Previous Schools: Kent State (2020-23), FGCU (2023-25)
Recruiting, by its nature, is a network-based activity, though Melissa Jackson’s network is more transparent than most. Santoro, who was one of KSU’s best players when Jackson coached at archrival Akron, is a pretty good example of that. Between the Ohio native’s 5-4 height and steady play, she’s certainly not going to jump off of a screen at anyone. However, Santoro’s experience on a still-young team, her willingness to get the ball to Youngstown State’s bevy of talented frontcourt players, and her ability to stretch defenses a bit with her eight-to-ten points per game seem like exactly what the Penguins need right now.
8. Kailee Davis – Detroit Mercy (G)
Previous School: Northern Kentucky (2021-25)
Last year, Detroit Mercy brought Emaia O’Brien back to her hometown after three years at LIU, and the payoff was an All-Horizon League season from the 5-1 point guard. Why not try to run the whole situation back with the 5-2 Davis, herself a Detroit native and a former All-HL pick? Though she missed last season at NKU, Davis is a well-known quantity around the conference as someone who can fill it up from three (39.8 percent two years ago), while also being the sort of ballhandler the Titans haven’t had in quite a while. She had 3.3 assists per game during her all-conference season in 2022-23, a number no UDM player has topped since 2016-17.
9. Izabella Zingaro – Cleveland State (C)
Previous Schools: Iowa State (2020-23), Montana (2024-25)
Without Jordana Reisma, who is now at Missouri, Cleveland State’s post rotation is much more likely to actually look like one, with neither Zingaro nor Laurel Rockwood touching Reisma’s 30 minutes per game last season (in fact, neither player has ever managed even 20 before). However, the position remains vital to Chris Kielsmeier’s systems, so both should have a chance at career years. Why Zingaro here, over Rockwood? She presents as the better finisher of the two, including a 57.6 percent rate on field goals last year at Montana, a number that ranked among the top 60 players nationally. Rockwood’s best skill, rebounding, rates as less of a premium on the Vikings’ roster.
10. Lauren Lee – Purdue Fort Wayne (G)
Previous School: Campbellsville (NAIA) (2020-25)
Lee is another NAIA-to-PFW special, one that should be an immediate factor for a Mastodons team that’s typically relied heavily on its backcourt, but now only has Ella Riggs as a guard with any experience in Maria Marchesano’s program. As a two-time first team All-American who played a stellar point guard (including 5.7 assists per game last season, and 5.0 per game for her career) for a dominant Campbellsville program, Lee is a strong candidate to emerge from the uncertainty. She’s not the sort of three-point bomber that the Dons always enjoy, but the Kentuckian does just about everything else well.
11. Lily Hansford – Green Bay (G)
Previous Schools: Oregon State (2022-24), Iowa State (2024-25)
It’s never easy to figure out what to make of high-major players who transfer to the Horizon League, and rarely has that been more true than in the case of Hansford, who is returning home to close her career with the Phoenix. She was mostly a bit player in three years at Oregon State and Iowa State, but the Appleton East graduate certainly reads like the Green Bay ideal. She’s a long (6-2) guard with an outstanding shot, and an outstanding shot works just about anywhere. In fact, she led the Pac-12 in 2023-24 by connecting on 52.8 percent of her threes, and her 44.9 percent overall number that year ranked 26th nationally.
12. Breezie Williams – Wright State (G)
Previous Schools: New Hampshire (2022-24), Bryant (2024-25)
A teammate of Leonard’s at Bryant last year, Williams will have quite a bit on her shoulders with a Wright State team that saw its scoring drop by six points per game from its generally-successful 2023-24 season, lost centerpiece Amaya Staton to graduation, then only had the flexibility to add four new players. The good news is that the Canton, OH native seems to have the sort of offensive confidence that the Raiders’ backcourt has lacked at times. She’s a three-level scorer who attempted more than ten field goals per game in two of her three collegiate seasons; that translated into 9.8 points per game last year, including 25 and 23 in consecutive efforts early in the schedule.
13. Carley Duffney – Green Bay (F)
Previous School: South Dakota (2022-25)
Karius inherited an absolutely ridiculous roster when she took over at Green Bay last summer, and the result was a double-title season. However, with the core of that group all graduating at once, the task is now to rebuild on the fly, while also continuing to shape a program that hasn’t experienced coaching changes very often. What better way to accomplish both things at once than with Duffney, who Karius coached at South Dakota? Duffney’s game is steady, if unspectacular, but it seems obvious that her impact will extend well beyond the 10.3 points and 4.1 rebounds she averaged for the Coyotes last season.
14. Layla Gold – Oakland (G/F)
Previous School: Valparaiso (2023-25)
It’s hard to know what to make of the Golden Grizzlies’ roster at this point, with its customary new-regime mish-mash of holdovers, freshmen, and short-term transfers, but Gold seems like a sure thing. In fact, the former Indiana All-Star averaged 16.3 points per game in three contests against the Horizon League last season (against Purdue Fort Wayne, Milwaukee, and Detroit Mercy). The outings against the Panthers and Titans were clear outliers, to be fair, but her overall average of 7.3 tallies is still sturdy. Gold also offers the versatility to fit just about anywhere on the floor. To that point, she shot 34.2 percent from three in 2024-25, while also blocking roughly one shot per game.
15. Taysha Rushton – Northern Kentucky (G)
Previous Schools: Concordia (NE) (NAIA) (2020-24), UT Permian Basin (DII) (2024-25)
Northern Kentucky was quieter than most in the portal, with Jeff Hans opting instead to re-construct his roster the old-fashioned way, with jucos and freshmen. However, one of the Norse’s two exceptions was Rushton, an intriguing under-the-radar move involving a player who has been a fearless superstar everywhere she’s been to this point. After three NAIA All-American selections (peaking with a second team nod in 2023-24), Rushton spent last season at her hometown Division II school, and was the Lone Star Conference Newcomer of the Year, thanks to 17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Her game translated seamlessly from the NAIA to DII, why not from DII to DI?
16. Shay Magassa – Cleveland State (F)
Previous School: La Salle (2024-25)
Even though Magassa, a former juco player, started every game for the Explorers last season, she hit the portal in search of more. Whether Cleveland State is “more” remains to be seen, of course, but it almost seems as if the Parisian was custom built to fit the Vikings systems. Magassa is athletic and disruptive on defense, a good rebounder, and able to run the floor well. She doesn’t really shoot the three proficiently enough to play one of the guard spots for CSU, but Magassa could work just about anywhere else on the floor, even including the 5, if needed. Her 6.8 points per game at La Salle included nine double-digit efforts.
17. Gracie Grzesk – Green Bay (F)
Previous School: Wisconsin (2024-25)
Of the five Phoenix players on this list, four are Northeast Wisconsin boomerangs. That group includes Grzesk, a Notre Dame Academy graduate who barely played for the Badgers as a freshman, then ejected from the program after head coach Marisa Moseley resigned. Sparse playing time belies her reputation though, as she was the number four prospect in a basketball-rich state coming out of high school. Grzesk presents as another prototypical Green Bay type: she’s 5-11, and capable of playing with her back to the basket, while also shooting an excellent three-ball. Her ceiling might be even higher than Duffney or Hansford, but that’s a projection that extends beyond the coming season.
18. Lili Krasovec – Purdue Fort Wayne (F)
Previous School: Boston College (2023-25)
The Mastodons need to replace the heavily-underrated tandem of Jazzy Linbo and Sydney Graber in the post, and their roster has exactly two players over six feet tall. One is incoming freshman Avery Wagner, and the other is the 6-3 Krasovec, a Hungarian national who spent the last two years at Boston College. Krasovec played very little – less than 400 minutes in two years – for the Eagles, but has been a frequent national team selection, including the U16, U19, and U20 squads, as well as for the World University Games tournament this summer. Her scouting reports rave about her footwork and ability to play with some tempo.
19. Angelina Smith – Oakland (G)
Previous School: DePaul (2024-25)
Landing Smith out of the portal was a bit of a coup for new OU coach Keisha Newell. The younger sister of Gabriella Smith, a starter on Cleveland State’s 2023 Horizon League championship team, Smith was a high-end recruit out of the Chicago area who stayed home and went to DePaul. She had a solid-enough rookie year with the Blue Demons, earning ten starts and showing some promise, though her playing time fell off a cliff at the end of the year. Between that, and the retirement of long-time coach Doug Bruno, it was time to move on, and Oakland is in a nice position to see the upside of that.
20. Madison Royal-Davis – Cleveland State (F)
Previous Schools: Butler (2021-23), Oakland (2023-25)
It’s not entirely certain what plans CSU has for Royal-Davis, but the school listing her as a forward after she was called a guard on last year’s Oakland roster might be a bit of a clue. Indeed, the Toledo native projects quite nicely as the sort of defense-first wing played to great effect by the Horizon League’s Defensive Player of the Year, Carmen Villalobos, two years ago. Her rebounds (particularly on the offensive glass), blocks, and steals numbers were all among the top ten percent of Division I last season. It’s a crowded position for the Vikings – in fact, Magassa offers a lot of the same skills – but Royal-Davis should have the chance to make a big difference.
21. Eva Levingston – Robert Morris (F)
Previous School: Cal State Fullerton (2023-25)
An every-game starter for the Titans last season, Levingston nevertheless saw enough of what’s building in Hoop Township to leave her home state and head across the country to suburban Pittsburgh. The six-footer is an absolute demon on the glass, averaging 7.6 rebounds per game, including 11 single-game efforts of ten or more. The Colonials were already a team that rarely got outworked in the greasier aspects of the game, but between Levingston and Kuhns (and others not mentioned here), it seems like they’re ready to take things to an entirely new level. The fact that Levingston also logged 7.8 points and 1.3 steals per game feels like a bonus.
22. Allison Basye – Detroit Mercy (G/F)
Previous School: Northern Kentucky (2022-25)
Just when it seemed as if Basye finally had a chance to become a central piece of the Northern Kentucky effort in 2024-25, her season was wiped out by a torn ACL before it even started. A lot of this year will depend on her recovery, to be certain, but Basye had All-HL potential when she joined the Norse after being named Ohio’s Division III Player of the Year. She showed flashes of that in 2023-24, when NKU was hammered with injuries early in the season, including 33 combined points in back-to-back games against Chattanooga and Cleveland State. Along with once-and-again teammate Davis, Basye appears a prime candidate for a “change of scenery” bounceback.
23. Hailey Smith – IU Indianapolis (G/F)
Previous School: Ball State (2023-25)
Kate Bruce grabbed three players from Ball State through the portal, which seems like a decent idea, given that the Cardinals were last season’s MAC champion. None of Smith, twin sister Olivia, or Sydney Bolden had much of an opportunity in Muncie, but all three should get a shot for the Jaguars in the coming season. Smith, in particular, was once a top-ten prospect in Indiana coming out of Fishers High School (where she was a teammate of not only her sister, but former Purdue Fort Wayne guard Audra Emmerson and Detroit Mercy’s Katie Burton as well), and is a strong defender who shot the ball well in her minimal chances at BSU.
24. Alyssa Berry – Purdue Fort Wayne (G)
Previous School: Morehead State (2023-25)
As mentioned earlier, there aren’t a ton of good guesses related to Purdue Fort Wayne’s wide-open backcourt situation, but when in doubt, it’s usually not an awful idea to defer to the veterans. That list includes Berry, Lee, Riggs, and Idaho State transfer Nika Lokica. The somewhat-obvious concern with Berry is her injury situation, given that she only played about half of a season in two years at Morehead State. Nevertheless, when healthy, she proved a capable shooter with a knack for getting to the free throw line, skills that should resonate with Marchesano. Berry has posted four double-digit scoring efforts in 13 career games, including 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists in her second-most-recent effort.
25. Jemma Amoore – IU Indianapolis (G)
Previous School: Sacramento State (2024-25)
At the end of the list, why not take a flyer on Amoore, the sister of the Washington Mystics’ Georgia? It would be unrealistic to expect a similar sort of career from the younger sibling, but she certainly has some untapped potential after appearing for just 65 total minutes at Sacramento State last year. Back in her native Australia, she played two seasons with the Ballarat Miners’ NBL1 South senior team, and won raves for her leadership abilities, even though she was 16 at the time. She’s a bit undersized at 5-4, but Amoore is a well-rounded point guard who can get downhill quickly and has a flair for spectacular passes.
