Sports
10 of the top women’s transfers: Yohannes, Thompson, Clinton, more
The women’s transfer window is closed until January and there have been some big moves this summer. As if one world record wasn’t enough when Olivia Smith went to Arsenal for $1.4 million, we saw London City Lionesses land midfielder Grace Geyoro from Paris Saint-Germain for $1.9m on Women’s Super League (WSL) deadline day.
Alyssa Thompson‘s $1.5m move from Angel City FC to Chelsea was also huge, but clubs didn’t always need to spend a lot of money to get themselves a good deal.
At the end of June, we looked at some of the best transfers so far and we already covered Smith’s transfer in detail in July. So here is another look at the best of the rest.
Lily Yohannes, CM, Ajax to OL Lyonnes
Yohannes has been one of the most sought after talents in women’s football since bursting on to the scene at Ajax as a 16-year-old in November 2023, becoming the youngest player ever to start a UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage match.
Despite offers from multiple clubs, including Chelsea, the United States star decided to join French champions OL Lyonnes for a fee of around €450k ($526k) and she will add midfield depth for Jonathan Giraldez’s side as the eight-time UWCL champions attempt to get back to the top of the European game.
– Keogh: Chelsea, LCL, Arsenal, win window; Man United biggest losers
– Transfer grades: Chelsea get an A for Thompson deal; C for Angel City
– Women’s world transfer record history: Geyoro’s $1.9m overtakes Ovalle
Yohannes is a technically gifted midfielder, blessed with excellent vision and variety in her passing. She likes to go high risk/high reward, frequently disrupting the opposition’s shape, and a standout quality is the release time on her passes. Her calculated touches and dynamic positioning allow her time to choose an option, and she consistently makes herself available to receive the ball during progression phases.
Without the ball, Yohannes is good at pressing high up the pitch, though she is still in the early stages of her physical development, which puts her at slight disadvantage in duels. While her off-the-ball positioning is decent, she also has a tendency to drift in and out of games and is susceptible to concentration lapses. But OL Lyonnes have got themselves one of the best young players in the world.
Alyssa Thompson, FW, Angel City FC to Chelsea
The USWNT winger completed her move on WSL deadline day for an initial fee of $1.5m, and sources told ESPN it could reach $2m with add-ons.
Thompson, 20, had eight goal contributions in 16 appearances in the NWSL this season and is capable of playing on both flanks, as she can attack on either side of her opponent. While primarily right footed, she is adept at getting shots off with both feet and has a great change of direction, plus acceleration, making her unpredictable with the ball at her feet.
While her goal-scoring output isn’t in the elite tier yet, Thompson has started to shoot more frequently and receive possession in more advanced areas this season. Her ball carrying, chance creation and versatility adds a lot of value for Chelsea — she has ranked sixth for carries into penalty area (29) and seventh for progressive carries (52) in the NWSL this season.
With Mayra Ramírez and Lauren James set to miss the start of the season due to injury, and Sam Kerr only just returning from a lengthy injury layoff herself, Thompson adds depth and goal threat for the Blues in a much-needed area.
Rasheedat Ajibade, FW, Atlético Madrid to Paris Saint-Germain
PSG have lost quite a bit of talent this summer, some to direct rivals OL Lyonnes. However, they added the 2025 WAFCON Player of the Tournament, and Nigeria captain, to their ranks. The 25-year-old joined from Atlético Madrid after finishing as their top goal scorer last season, while also putting in 36 goal contributions (26 goals and 10 assists) in 80 league appearances across the last three seasons.
Ajibade is an explosive right-footed winger; an excellent progressive outlet (as the graphic above shows), capable of carrying the ball forward. Indeed, she was ranked in the top 10 in Liga F for most progressive passes received last season (35% of total passes she received last season were progressive), averaged the fifth-most progressive carries per 100 open-play touches, and her 83 attempted dribbles were the fourth most by any player.
With her ability to cause danger in transition, Ajibade will be a talismanic figure for PSG, much like Tabitha Chawinga was when she moved to OL Lyonnes a couple of seasons ago.
Grace Clinton, CM, Man United to Man City
Clinton moved from one side of Manchester to the other — with England teammate Jess Park also swapping rival clubs — having scored eight goals in 21 appearances for United last season in the WSL.
The 22-year-old midfielder has good line-breaking ability and uses her strong frame to her advantage. She is excellent beating players in midfield to create space for herself and no player attempted more take-ons in the WSL last season (72). Her eight through balls were also the most by any player.
One of Clinton’s best attributes is her ability to get into the box from midfield; she makes late runs to bypass her marker and attack cutbacks and crosses, scoring a good proportion of her goals in this fashion. She will certainly add attacking threat for City and, playing alongside maestro Yui Hasegawa, will be allowed to roam forward and find the runs of her teammates in behind the defense.
Grace Geyoro, CM, Paris Saint-Germain to London City Lionesses
London City Lionesses pulled off a coup on WSL deadline day to land Geyoro from PSG for a world-record fee of $1.9m.
Geyoro, 28, has spent her entire career at PSG, playing 250+ games for the club, and is capable of contributing in every phase of play as she has marshalled their midfield in different roles, playing as a ball-playing defensive midfielder, a box-to-box midfielder, or even as an advanced No. 8.
One of the finest press-breaking midfielders in women’s football, her ability to maneuver away from danger and consistently move the ball forward is exceptional, while she ranked fifth for progressive passes in the French Première Ligue last season (121).
Geyoro will reunite with her former PSG manager Jocelyn Prêcheur and will help with the wealthy London club’s ambitions of finishing in the upper half of the table in their first season in top flight.
Julia Zigiotti Olme, CM, Bayern Munich to Man United
Sweden‘s semifinal run at Euro 2025 proved to be a crowning moment for Zigiotti Olme, as her performances in midfield earned her a move to United this summer.
The 27-year-old, who was at Brighton between 2022-2024, is a robust ball winner and provides an excellent screen in front of her defense. Her on-ball qualities are geared towards ball circulation and retention primarily, while she isn’t afraid of diving into well-timed challenges and duels when out of possession. Her nine attempted tackles in the middle third was the fourth-most by any player in that region at Euro 2025, while only Italy‘s Cristiana Girelli (19) and England‘s Lucy Bronze (18) won more aerial duels than her (13).
Zigiotti Olme will adapt quickly to the WSL, having only recently left, and will add a bite to United’s midfield alongside Hinata Miyazawa and Ella Toone, with her presence enabling her teammates to take up more attacking positions.
Lia Wälti, CM, Arsenal to Juventus
Juventus quietly pulled off one of the best transfers this summer as they landed Wälti for nothing after seven years with Arsenal.
The 32-year-old is one of the most technically gifted midfielders in women’s football and is as two-footed as they come, with her excellent vision and passing helping to break defensive lines. Her ability to find solutions when in possession is elite, as she constantly spots and creates passing options, and her defensive output is impressive too. Indeed, she offers an excellent screening presence in front of the defense and has incredible game awareness, allowing her to disrupt opposition attacks and recover possession via duels and fine positioning.
Injuries have been a concern in recent seasons, as she only started 10 WSL games and played just 50.5% of the total minutes in the available last season, her lowest share since she arrived at the club in 2018. But her move could have a big impact on Juve if she can stay fit.
Sophia Kleinherne, CB, Eintracht Frankfurt to Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg let go of 10 players this summer, including the likes of Jule Brand and Sveindis Jonsdottir, but replaced them with 11 incoming players, including one of Germany‘s most promising center backs in Kleinherne. (Though she will miss the start of the season due to a muscle injury picked up during the Euro 2025.)
The 25-year-old defender, who played 153 league games for Frankfurt, has tremendous quality on and off the ball, with an excellent range in her distribution — she had the second-best passing accuracy (92.9%) in the Frauen-Bundesliga, and played the second-most passes into the final third (131).
Kleinherne is also excellent in one-vs.one situations and loves to go into challenges; she had a tackle success rate of 79% last season, winning 30 of her 38 attempts, and should provide a defensive boost for Wolfsburg when she returns to fitness.
Sara Holmgaard, LB, Everton to Real Madrid
Real Madrid lost their captain and starting left back, Olga Carmona, to PSG this summer, but filled that hole with one of the best available options on the market.
The Denmark international was arguably the best left back in the WSL last season and ranked in the top 10 for tackles won (successful from 40 of her 60 attempts). She is excellent at reading the opposition’s movements and winning challenges in one-vs.one situations, while her recovery pace allows her to get her team out of danger.
Holmgaard, 25, is able to deliver a fine cross, with good weight and timing, and her 78 crosses in the WSL were the fourth most across last season. She is proactive with her positioning and runs in possession, often marauding forward and attacking the box, so her relationship with striker and international teammate Signe Bruun in the final third could be decisive in Madrid’s season.
Jade Rose, CB, Harvard University to Manchester City
City replaced the outgoing Laia Aleixandri with Canada international Rose, who was voted “Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year” after her Sophomore year and joins on a four-year deal.
The 22-year-old is 5-foot-10, an aggressive defender and a towering presence in duels. She is also a threat from attacking set-pieces thanks to her height, but is good on the ball too and capable of carrying it forward and distributing over medium ranges.
Rose has been named Canada’s Young Player of the Year three times and already has 32 appearances for the senior side. There is room for improvement on her first touch and body shape when picking up the ball, but she looks set to complement Alex Greenwood in central defense and has the potential to be a breakout star in the WSL this season.
In the months ahead, the top men’s college basketball talents will fight to secure player of the year honors in their respective conferences.
Who is most likely to battle for those rights is more apparent in the major conferences. Duke’s Cameron Boozer and NC State’s Darrion Williams are candidates in the ACC. Donovan Dent, the UCLA star who transferred from New Mexico, could push Purdue’s Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn in the Big Ten. Kentucky’s Otega Oweh and Florida’s Alex Condon lead a crowded field of candidates for individual honors in the SEC. And BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson could compete for Big 12 — in addition to the No. 1 spot in the 2026 NBA draft.
But those leagues shouldn’t get all of the buzz; these races are intriguing in every conference. That’s why we’re here to identify the strongest candidates — and their top competition — in all 31 conferences entering the 2025-26 season.
Note: Stats are from 2024-25 season unless otherwise noted.
Jump to a conference:
A-10 | American | ACC | America East | ASUN | Big 12 | Big East | Big Sky | Big South | Big Ten | Big West | C-USA | CAA | Horizon League | Ivy League | MAAC | MAC | MEAC | Mountain West | MVC | NEC | OVC | Patriot League | SEC | Southern | Southland | Summit League | Sun Belt | SWAC | WAC | WCC
America East Conference
Until last season, Vermont had lost just 13 conference games since the start of the 2016-17 season on its way to an eight-year run as regular-season champion in the America East. This season, Hurley aims to help the Catamounts start a new streak finishing second in the standings last season. The 6-foot-5 guard, who averaged 15.8 points and connected on 38% of his shots from beyond the arc, was an All-America East selection a year ago.
Top competition: TJ Long, Vermont (11.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.3 SPG)
American Conference
Rowan Brumbaugh, Tulane Green Wave
In a tough one-point loss to Memphis in last season’s American Conference tournament semifinals, the 6-foot-4 Brumbaugh scored 22 points to keep Tulane alive until the final seconds. This season, Brumbaugh — an all-conference selection in 2024-25 (15.5 PPG, 4.8 APG, 1.6 SPG) — is the league’s top returning scorer.
Top competition: Jordan Riley, East Carolina (14.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG)
Atlantic Coast Conference
Cameron Boozer, Duke Blue Devils
The son of former Duke standout Carlos Boozer will try to establish a legacy of his own as the program hunts for Jon Scheyer’s first national championship. Cooper Flagg won the Wooden Award as a freshman last season, and this year, the versatile 6-foot-9 forward and two-time Gatorade Player of the Year will begin the season with the same ambitions.
Top competition: Darrion Williams, NC State (15.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.3 SPG at Texas Tech)
ASUN Conference
Jack Karasinski, Bellarmine Knights
The 6-foot-7 center finished top-10 in ASUN scoring a year ago, including field goal and free throw percentage. Unfortunately, Karasinski’s impressive numbers — 15.4 PPG, 39% from 3 and 77% from the charity stripe — were not enough to keep Bellarmine out of the basement (the Knights went 5-26). But a rebooted roster led by Karasinski should change the program’s fortunes this season.
Top competition: Chris Ashby, Queens (12.7 PPG, 89% FT%, school record 115 3-pointers made)
Atlantic 10 Conference
Robbie Avila, Saint Louis Billikens
Avila is still wearing the goggles. A year after leading Indiana State to the NIT championship game, Avila (17.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.2 SPG) had similar success at St. Louis. He was a second-team all-conference in 2024-25, and if the silky 6-foot-10 center can regain the 3-point stroke he had at Indiana State (39.4% 3P% in 2023-24), he could become the most dominant force in the A-10.
Top competition: Rafael Castro, George Washington (14.0 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.4 BPG)
Big East Conference
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s Red Storm
Ejiofor played a critical role in St. John’s winning the Big East crown for the first time in 33 years and securing the Big East tournament championship for the first time in 25 years. The 6-foot-9 forward was rewarded with an All-Big East nod (14.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.4 BPG) to go with the league’s most improved honor.
Top competition: Alex Karaban, UConn (14.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.5 BPG)
Big Sky Conference
Money Williams, Montana Grizzlies
The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 13.2 points and made 80% of his free throw attempts last season, but he saved his best for last. In the final month of a season that ended with Montana’s first NCAA tournament appearance in six years, Williams averaged 17.1 points per game over six contests. If he carries that momentum into this season, he could end the year with a Big Sky Player of the Year trophy.
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Money Williams drains the long 3-pointer
Money Williams drains the long 3-pointer
Top competition: Terri Miller Jr., Portland State (12.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.6 SPG)
Big South Conference
Toyaz Solomon, UNC Asheville Bulldogs
A 6-foot-9 forward, Solomon’s prominence is the result of durability: he was the only player on UNC Asheville’s roster to start every game last season. After connecting on 61% of his field goal attempts and earning second-team All-Big South honors last season (15.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.6 BPG), Solomon can build on that effort to fight for player of the year honors.
Top competition: Rob Martin, High Point (14.8 PPG, 4.5 APG, 40% 3P%)
Big 12 Conference
JT Toppin, Texas Tech Red Raiders
A second-team AP All-American last season, Toppin will enter this one as a serious contender for the Wooden Award. He had arguably the most surprising breakout season after transferring from New Mexico to Texas Tech, averaging 18.2 PPG, 9.4 RPG and 1.5 SPG for the Red Raiders. The 6-foot-9 forward withdrew from the NBA draft to help Texas Tech chase its first national title and boost his draft stock.
Top competition: Darryn Peterson, Kansas (No. 2 recruit in SC Next 100; projected No. 1 pick in ESPN’s latest 2026 mock draft)
Big Ten Conference
Braden Smith, Purdue Boilermakers
In ESPN’s ranking of the 2022 recruiting class, Smith was listed as the 31st-best guard. Fast forward three years, Smith enters this season as the favorite to win the Wooden Award. The 6-foot guard, who earned a spot on the AP All-America team last season, is back after earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors (15.8 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.2 SPG, 38% 3P%). He could become Purdue’s third Wooden Award winner in four years.
Top competition: Donovan Dent, UCLA (20.4 PPG, 6.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 40% 3P% at New Mexico)
Big West Conference
Aidan Mahaney, UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
Mahaney’s decision to leave Saint Mary’s for UConn following back-to-back All-West Coast Conference seasons did not yield the results he had anticipated. But if the 6-foot-3 guard can put that lackluster 2024-25 showing behind him and once again look like the young star he was in the WCC (13.9 PPG, 81% FT% at Saint Mary’s in 2023-24), he could make an immediate splash in his third conference in three years.
Top competition: Jason Fontenet II, UC Santa Barbara (9.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 77% FT%)
Coastal Athletic Association
Colby Duggan, Charleston Cougars
Duggan’s 32-point explosion in Campbell’s 97-81 loss to North Carolina last season — he led all scorers and finished 5-for-9 from beyond the arc — proved that the 6-foot-7 forward can compete against the game’s top tier. After that outing, he went on to lead the CAA in scoring (19.9 PPG) before transferring to Charleston.
Top competition: Tyler Tejada, Towson (16.7 PPG, 82% FT%)
Conference USA
Simeon Cottle, Kennesaw State Owls
When the 6-foot-2 guard scored 32 points in a win over New Mexico State in last season’s Conference USA tournament, it wasn’t a shocker. In fact, it was Cottle’s eighth outing with 25 or more points during the 2024-25 campaign. Another strength for Cottle? He has a gift for drawing fouls and making his free throws (87%).
Top competition: Jemel Jones, New Mexico State (18.9 PPG at Cal State Bakersfield)
Horizon League
Tuburu Naivalurua, Oakland Golden Grizzlies
In addition to the 6-foot-8 Australian forward’s raw numbers last season (13.9 PPG and 7.1 RPG), the Oakland star was also one of his conference’s most efficient players. Naivalurua made 56% of his shots inside the arc and was ranked sixth in the Horizon League among players with a usage rate of 20% or higher, per KenPom.
Top competition: Orlando Lovejoy, Detroit Mercy (16.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.6 APG)
Ivy League
The 6-foot-7 forward made an incredible leap from a sophomore reserve to a junior star and All-Ivy League selection last season, proving he’s a top contender for the league’s player of the year honors. A year ago, the third-generation Ivy League star — his mother and grandfather both played sports at Harvard — averaged 15.4 points and made 48% of his 3-point attempts. He could take his game to another level in 2025-26.
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Nick Townsend fights off defender for and-1
Nick Townsend fights off defender for and-1
Top competition: Brandon Mitchell-Day, Dartmouth (13.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.8 APG)
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Amarri Monroe, Quinnipiac Bobcats
Monroe has been a catalyst for Quinnipiac’s 2023-24 and 2024-25 conference titles (18.1 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.3 SPG last season). Rather than bolt for a higher-profile team, however, the 6-foot-7 forward quickly exited the portal and returned for a third year. He’ll be a school legend if he can lead the Bobcats to the NCAA tournament for the first time as a Division I program.
Top competition: Justice Shoats, Siena (16.1 PPG, 4.7 APG)
Mid-American Conference
Peter Suder, Miami (OH) RedHawks
The 6-foot-5 wing secured All-MAC honors after helping his squad win 25 games to finish second in the conference standings last year. Suder, who started all of his team’s 34 games in 2024-25, connected on 57% of his shots inside the arc and 77% of his free throw attempts, while also compiling averages of 13.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 3.8 APG.
Top competition: Tavari Johnson, Akron (13.0 PPG, 3.8 APG, 39% 3P%)
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Ahmad Torrence, Norfolk State Spartans
A year after leading Norfolk State to its first MEAC conference tournament title and NCAA tournament appearance in three years, Robert Jones has reassembled a new team that will be led by Torrence, a three-star recruit. The New York prep standout could have picked a handful of mid-majors, but the 6-foot-5 combo guard chose to compete for a Norfolk State team that has won three of the last five MEAC regular-season titles.
Top competition: Bryce Harris, Howard (16.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 38% from 3P% in 2023-24; suffered a season-ending foot injury and played just seven games in 2024-25)
Missouri Valley Conference
Chase Walker, Illinois State Redbirds
The 6-foot-9 forward earned all-MVC honors last season with a dominant effort: 15.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 60% mark inside the arc. But Walker is in this spot because he finished the 2024-25 campaign with an excellent effort during his team’s run to the CBI championship (20.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.3 BPG in three games).
Top competition: Johnny Kinziger, Illinois State (14.6 PPG, 39% 3P%)
Mountain West Conference
Mason Falslev, Utah State Aggies
The 6-foot-3 wing helped Utah State finish third in the one of the strongest Mountain West races in recent history as the conference received four bids in last season’s NCAA tournament. The anchor of an Aggies squad that finished 20th in adjusted offensive efficiency and won 26 games (15.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.3 SPG, 39% 3P%), Falslev could become one of America’s best players this season.
Top competition: Elijah Price, Nevada (10.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 1.3 SPG)
Northeast Conference
Malachi Davis, Long Island University Sharks
In his first year with the program after transferring from Arizona State, Davis earned All-NEC honors after averaging 17.7 PPG and 3.2 APG. The 6-foot-4 guard saved his best performance for the end of the season, though: he averaged 19.5 points as his team won seven of its last eight games in 2024-25.
Top competition: Jamal Fuller, Long Island (12.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 37% 3P%)
Ohio Valley Conference
KK Robinson, Little Rock Trojans
Entering last season, Robinson (15.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.2 SPG in 2023-24) was picked as Blue Ribbon’s Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Player of the Year before a knee injury ended his 2024-25 campaign. This season, the 6-foot guard is back to lead a new roster at Little Rock, which is seeking its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2016.
Top competition: Johnathan Lawson, Little Rock (15.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 43% 3P%)
Patriot League
Austin Benigni, Navy Midshipmen
His 18 points weren’t enough to lead Navy past American in last season’s Patriot League tournament title game, but that lopsided 74-52 loss should give the 5-foot-11 guard — who averaged 18.8 PPG and 4.3 APG — motivation to push his squad to compete for the program’s first conference tournament championship and NCAA tournament appearance since 1998.
Top competition: Kyrone Alexander, Boston University (12.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.2 SPG)
Southeastern Conference
The brother of Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Odafe Oweh, the 6-foot-5 guard could become the family’s brightest star if he earns an All-America nod, competes for the Wooden Award and leads Kentucky to the Final Four after a decadelong drought for the program. For Oweh, the SEC’s Preseason Player of the Year, all of those goals seem attainable. He’s on a shortlist of the best players in the country in 2025-26.
Top competition: Alex Condon, Florida (10.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.3 BPG)
Southern Conference
Rickey Bradley Jr., VMI Keydets
Bradley is one of the rare players in college basketball who left a school, transferred to another program (Georgia State), then returned to his original program. The 6-foot-2 guard made the most of that homecoming when he earned third-team All-Southern Conference honors (16.3 PPG, 37% 3P%) and led his team to the conference tournament semifinals, where the Keydets lost to Wofford.
Top competition: Billy Smith, Chattanooga (14.0 PPG, 39% 3P%, 95% FT% at Bellarmine)
Southland Conference
Javohn Garcia, McNeese Cowboys
Garcia, the reigning Southland Player of the Year who led his team to the second round of the NCAA tournament, was the perfect candidate to make a move in the portal. But even with Will Wade’s departure for NC State, Garcia (12.6 PPG, 81% FT%) stayed at McNeese State, where the 6-foot-2 guard can tack onto a remarkable 2024-25 season.
Top competition: Jakevion Buckley, New Orleans (14.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.8 SPG at Southeastern Louisiana)
Summit League
Isaac Bruns, South Dakota Coyotes
The 6-foot-4 guard made a leap of more than eight points per game between his freshman and sophomore season at South Dakota (14.6 PPG in 2024-25). That jump helped him earn All-Summit League honorable mention honors last season. This season, he can compete for player of the year if the 6-foot-4 guard can once again connect on 56% of his shots inside the arc and 85% of his shots from the charity stripe.
Top competition: Nolan Minnessale, St. Thomas-Minnesota (11.2 PPG, 1.2 SPG, 63% 2P%)
Sun Belt Conference
Robert Davis Jr., Old Dominion Monarchs
Davis is a volume shooter who led the Sun Belt in minutes played (nearly 36 per game) and launched more 3-pointers than any player in America (348). The 6-foot-6 guard’s next challenge is to become more efficient (15.6 PPG, 84% FT%, 38% 2%, 33% 3P%). If he can do that this year, he can be a more dominant force in the conference.
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Robert Davis Jr. drains 3 vs. Troy Trojans
Robert Davis Jr. drains 3 vs. Troy Trojans
Top competition: Jalen Speer, Marshall (10.8 PPG, 81% FT%)
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Daeshun Ruffin, Jackson State Tigers
The impact of the 5-foot-10 guard on former NBA standout Mo Williams’ team was evident last season. Although Jackson State played a challenging nonconference schedule with matchups against Houston, Xavier, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Iowa State, the Tigers finished 16-8 when Ruffin (15.7 PPG, 4.2 APG) — who returned from a season-ending injury the previous year — was on the court.
Top competition: Michael Jacobs, Southern (11.3 PPG, 2.8 APG)
Western Athletic Conference
Dominique Daniels Jr., California Baptist Lancers
Last season, the 5-foot-10 guard scored at least 21 points in 11 games, a stretch that helped him earn All-WAC honors. He also finished with an average of 19.6 PPG, a tie for 27th place nationally with John Tonje, who was a second-team AP All-American at Wisconsin. Daniels’ 3.1 assists per game showed his unselfish approach to the game, too.
Top competition: Kendal Coleman, California Baptist (11.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 37% 3P%)
West Coast Conference
Surprise, surprise: Mark Few has another squad strong enough to potentially end the season with the program’s first national championship. The return of Ike (17.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG) gives the Bulldogs another star who should keep them alive deep into March. The 6-foot-9 forward earned All-WCC honors last year and is one of the most complete players (62% 2%, 81% FT%) in America.
Top competition: Paulius Murauskas, Saint Mary’s (12.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 74% FT%)
San Francisco hired University of Tennessee coach Tony Vitello, who has no professional baseball experience of any kind.
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Inspirational thought of the week:
(Cole Trickle drives his mangled Chevy Lumina into the pit stall)
Buck Bretherton: “Well, how about that? Something we don’t have to fix!”
(Crew chief Harry Hogge walks over and kicks a dent into the side of the car Bretherton is looking at)
Harry Hogge: “I don’t want you to get spoiled, Buck.”
— “Days of Thunder”
Here at Bottom 10 Headquarters, located behind the footlocker on the “College GameDay” bus where Nick Saban keeps his secret stash of “Anchor Down” Vanderbilt football apparel, we are beginning to worry that perhaps those of you who visit these rankings, as the kids say, “on the regular” might be like those who benefited from Saban’s time in Tuscaloosa. You’re getting a little spoiled.
Just two weeks ago, we had an all-time majestically meh Pillow Fight of the Week of the Year Mega Bowl matchup between UMess and State of Kent, winners of a lot of the most recent Bottom 10 titles. (We tried to look up exactly how many, but someone spilled Yoo-hoo on the archival floppy disk.) Then, this past week, we had the Sam Houston Bearkats kutting it up with UTEPid. Now the stage is set for a third consecutive PFOWY, as Georgia State Not Southern hosts the South Alabama Redundancies. And, as you will read in the words ahead, this is just the tip of a season-sinking iceberg of not-big games coming, as the spotter on the Titanic shouted way too late, “Right ahead!”
So, for all the talk about Power Autonomous Haughty Four conference realignment, in-conference scheduling, CFP committee résumé reading and the headliner showdowns that all of the above seem to bring with them, how about some props for the same happening down here with us? And by props, I totally mean rubber chickens, whoopee cushions and one of those Groucho Marx plastic-nose-on-the-glasses things.
With apologies to former Wichita State wide receiver Mike Proppe, former Drake tight end Hal Proppe, USC DB Prophet Brown and Steve Harvey, here are the post-Week 8 Bottom 10 rankings.
The Minuetmen continued their Backtion in #MACtion schedule, playing a former fellow Bottom 10 anchor, the Buffalo Bulls Not Bills. With 59 seconds remaining, the Amherst Amblers hauled in an interception that seemed to ice a 21-20 win. As the ESPN Analytics Ouija board said they had a 90.9% chance of victory, UMass players proceeded to demonstratively wave goodbye and do faux snow angels in celebration, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. After a three-and-out followed by a punt, the Minuetmen surrendered a four-play, 50-yard, 22-second TD drive to lose in the closing seconds, their lead turning out to be as real as that snow.
The bad news? The Bearkats lost the Pillow Fight of the Week of the Year Episode II: Attack of the Groans to UTEPid 35-17. The good news? If they don’t tell anyone it happened, no one is likely to ever know, because the crowd they played in front of was so small it would have saved time in the pregame to have had the PA announcer introduce the people in the stands to the starting lineups instead of the starting lineups to the people in the stands.
Official attendance for Sam Houston vs. UTEP : 671
Smallest crowd in SHSU history https://t.co/rnNmBetqfQ
— UTEPnews (@theUTEPnews) October 16, 2025
What a stretch for the Beavs. They finally won a game, beating the Lafayette Leopards, current leaders of the Patriot League. After a week versus the Fightin’ Bye of Open Date U, they will play the first of their in-season home-and-home double feature against Washington State, with whom they are currently tied for first in the 2Pac. Then they host Sam Houston State in the Pillow Fight of the Week of the Year Episode IV: A New Dope.
The Minors won their second game of the season, but their boat remains mired in the Bottom 4 because Pillow Fight victories over other teams in the Bottom 4 come with trophies made of lead. Plus, that pickax of theirs is always accidentally punching holes in the boat.
Ah, the rites of autumn. You can set your clock to their inevitability. The cool dip of the evening temperatures. The changing colors of the leaves. Suburban moms mainlining pumpkin spice. The Miami Hurricanes interrupting their latest “We’re back!” campaign with a midseason loss that lands them in the Coveted Fifth Spot. And the fans of those Canes not understanding what the Coveted Fifth Spot is despite the fact that they are here every year and thus raise Cane by filling my social media timelines with strings of cuss words stronger than Cuban coffee.
The Woof Pack keeps losing close games, the latest being their two-point defeat at the paws of New Mexico. But you know what they say. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. And atomic bomb tests, which happened about 300 miles east of Reno. Feels pretty close to us.
Much like we should all keep a safe distance between ourselves and atomic bomb testing, the Blew Raiders have a built-in buffer between Murfreesboro and the Bottom 5 in the form of Novada, whom they edged by the closest of margins, 14-13 way back in Week 3. But their Nov. 22 visit from Sam Houston does have the makings of a possible boundary-smashing Pillow Fight of the Week of the Year Episode VII: The Farce Awakens.
Meanwhile, the Pillow Fight of the Week of the Year Y’all Edition was won by Georgia Southern Not State over Georgia State Not Southern. I made a joke last week that the loser would have to change their name from GSU to GUS but was angrily informed that this game already has a GUS in the form of the Georgia Southern Eagles mascot named, yes, Gus. The nastiest letter I received wasn’t signed, but it was covered in white feathers.
Our second-favorite red, white and blue team named USA returns to these rankings just in time for its matchup with Georgia State Not Southern, a meeting of the last-place teams in each division of the Fun Belt, aka the Pillow Fight of the Week of the Year Episode V: The Empire Looks Wack.
In my mind I can see this one resident of Massachusetts who had his heart broken by the Red Sox to start the MLB postseason … so he decided to go to the UConn-Boston College game to clear his head, only to watch the Eagles get run over by the Artist Formerly Known As U-Can’t … but then had the thought, “Hey, I can make it out to Amherst for the second half!” and started waving bye with 0:59 remaining when he thought UMass was going to win and watched the Minuetmen blow it … so, when he finally got home to Southie, and after his dog bit him, he made himself feel better by opening a six-pack of Sam Adams and going on the new ESPN App to watch the replay of Bill Belichick’s Tar Holes losing to Cal by fumbling the ball at the goal line late in the fourth quarter.
Waiting list: Northern Ill-ugh-noise, State of Kent, EMU Emus, Oklahoma State No Pokes, Charlotte 1-and-6ers, Wisconsin Bad-gers, Akronmonious, UNC Chapel Bill, the USC-Notre Dame series ending.
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