Before the 2026-27 men's college basketball season begins, Andy Katz has put together a preseason reference point that fits the Kenpom conversation: the most impactful players by class and the top transfers to watch. It is not a game-night verdict, but it does give fans an early sense of which names may shape the season.
Katz, the NCAA.com correspondent, has been around the sport for a long time. He has worked at for 18 years as a college basketball reporter, host and anchor, has covered every Final Four since 1992, and has covered the sport since 1986 as a freshman at Wisconsin. That background matters because this is less about hype and more about identifying the players and transfers most likely to matter when the season gets underway.
The class-by-class picture
Katz broke his list into five groups, naming 10 freshmen, 10 sophomores, 10 juniors, 10 seniors and 10 transfers. That structure gives the preseason rankings a clean shape and allows the focus to stay on impact rather than pure reputation.
Among the freshmen, the list includes Jordan Smith Jr., Tyran Stokes, Bruce Branch III, Cameron Williams, Caleb Holt, Anthony Thompson, Jason Crowe Jr., Christian Collins, Abdou Toure and Quentin Coleman. For a preseason list like this, the message is straightforward: these are the first-year players Katz sees as capable of influencing games quickly.
The sophomore group features Braylon Mullins, David Mirkovic, Trey McKenney, Thijs De Ridder, Dame Sarr, Tounde Yessoufou, Shelton Henderson, Matt Able, Acaden Lewis and Nigel James Jr. The junior list includes Tyler Tanner, Juke Harris, Ian Jackson, Flory Bidunga, Robert Wright III, Matas Vokietaitis, John Mobley Jr., Boogie Fland, Billy Richmond III and Tahaad Pettiford.
Why the transfer list matters
The transfer category is often where preseason expectations get real, because older players can change the ceiling of a roster much faster than freshmen alone. Katz's top transfers to watch are Jeremy Fears Jr., Thomas Haugh, John Blackwell, Elliot Cadeau, Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu, Milan Momcilovic, Pryce Sandfort, Andrej Stojakovic and Coen Carr.
That group is significant because it gives coaches and fans an immediate checklist before the season begins. Transfers are usually expected to provide quicker returns, and Katz's list identifies the names he believes are most likely to do that.
The early-season lens
There is no box score yet and no KenPom ranking to lean on in a game-by-game sense, but that is the point of a preseason feature like this. It sets the conversation before the first tip, and it does so with a clear split across classes and transfers.
For supporters tracking the 2026-27 season, Katz's lists are a useful starting point. They do not settle anything, but they do tell you where some of the most important debates may begin once the games start.
