Richard Pitino might as well be the transfer king after what he pulled off in this late college basketball signing period.
Three starting spots open. Three transfers committed to fill them. All of that happened within a span of three months, ending with Utah transfer Both Gach picking his home state Gophers on Monday.
If the waiver gods bless the Gophers in the next several months, then Gach will be in the starting lineup for the season opener in November. Same goes for fellow junior and Drake transfer Liam Robbins. Western Michigan's Brandon Johnson is already a projected U starter as a graduate transfer.
College basketball recruiting classes led more by transfers than high schoolers could become the new norm in the not-so-distant future. Instead of having to sit out a year under NCAA transfer rules, increasing numbers of players have been granted waivers, with further relaxation of that rule on the way.
Transfers were already the next big thing. For teams such as the Gophers, it has become critical for turning around a program.
"It really has changed the recruiting landscape," 247Sports.com recruiting director Evan Daniels said. "Coaches can wait until the offseason to snag a graduate transfer or get [an eligibility waiver] right away. And it changes the course of their season."
The trend now is for college coaches to have multiple scholarships to recruit transfers in the spring. Every coach would love to stay older by adding experience each year. The transfer portal has both quality and quantity these days.
It used to be grad transfers looking to move up a level were the hot commodity. But now underclass transfers from Power Five schools are fleeing for different opportunities, too. Much of that started earlier in the spring with speculation about a one-time transfer rule for immediate eligibility being close.