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What’s next for Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, UNC: Recruits, transfer portal, more
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Myron Medcalf
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Myron Medcalf
ESPN Staff Writer
- Covers college basketball
- Joined ESPN.com in 2011
- Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato
Multiple Authors
The opening weekend of the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament featured its fair share of heartbreaking losses.
Among them? Reigning national champion and No. 1 seed Florida dropped a close battle with scrappy 9-seed Iowa. Kansas was eliminated on a buzzer-beating layup by St. John’s. Kentucky suffered its worst NCAA tournament loss since 1972. And North Carolina surrendered a 19-point lead to fall to VCU in overtime.
With some of the most storied college basketball programs ending their seasons earlier than expected, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf detail what’s next for each. Here’s your guide to their expected departures, returnees, top incoming recruits and where that leaves their personnel priorities for when the transfer portal opens April 7.
Record: 27-8 (16-2 in SEC)
How their season ended: Lost to Iowa in second round
Expected departures
Thomas Haugh (17.0 PPG)
Xaivian Lee (11.4 PPG)
Micah Handlogten (4.2 PPG)
Players with remaining eligibility
Alex Condon (14.9 PPG)
Boogie Fland (11.7 PPG)
Rueben Chinyelu (11.2 PPG)
Urban Klavzar (9.7 PPG)
Isaiah Brown (5.6 PPG)
CJ Ingram (2.2 PPG)
Viktor Mikic (1.3 PPG)
Alex Lloyd (1.2 PPG)
Alex Kovatchev (0.5 PPG)
AJ Brown (redshirt)
Top incoming recruit: Jones Lay (three-star)
Florida has essentially eschewed immediate impact freshmen under Todd Golden, landing only two top-100 recruits in the past four recruiting classes combined. The incoming class is no different, with only the unranked Lay in the fold. He will very likely be a depth player early in his career, then his future will depend on development. The Gators did take a couple of swings at recruiting top-50 prospects, but will instead go to the portal or overseas for the rest of their newcomers.
Portal priorities: Before Florida fully goes into the portal, the Gators will need to figure out which of their starters are returning to Gainesville. Haugh has played himself into a potential NBA draft lottery pick, so we can project him to leave for the NBA. But both Condon and Chinyelu were projected second-round picks in ESPN’s most recent mock draft, leaving their short-term futures more uncertain. Condon was a borderline first-round pick in 2025 and opted to return to school. It probably would cost at least $3 million to retain each, but they’ve been anchors for back-to-back No. 1 seeds, and Golden could see value in building around them again. Fland should return to school after also withdrawing from the NBA draft last spring.
If Condon, Chinyelu and Fland all return, Golden would need a Haugh replacement and additional shooting on the perimeter. Klavzar could move into the starting lineup with Lee gone, but he proved to be incredibly useful as a sixth man. Could any of the seldom-used roster players make a sizable jump and move into a consistent rotation role the way Isaiah Brown did from 2024-25 to 2025-26? It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Florida go into the portal or look at international players to bring in at least two or three more perimeter players. — Borzello
Record: 24-11 (12-6 in Big 12)
How their season ended: Lost to St. John’s in second round
Expected departures
Darryn Peterson (20.1 PPG)
Tre White (13.8 PPG)
Melvin Council Jr. (12.6 PPG)
Jayden Dawson (2.1 PPG)
Players with remaining eligibility
Flory Bidunga (13.3 PPG)
Bryson Tiller (8.1 PPG)
Elmarko Jackson (4.8 PPG)
Jamari McDowell (3.4 PPG)
Kohl Rosario (3.3 PPG)
Paul Mbiya (1.1 PPG)
Samis Calderon (0.4 PPG)
Top incoming recruit: Taylen Kinney (No. 19)
Kinney is one of the best point guards in the 2026 class, and will step in immediately as the playmaking focal point of the offense with Peterson’s departure. He’s better as a scorer at this point in his development, especially when taking his defender off the dribble and attacking the rim. Kinney has improved as a passer and creator over the past year, so the next step on offense is becoming more consistent from the perimeter. His length should help him early as a defender.
Portal priorities: The frontcourt should be in good shape if Bidunga and Tiller both return; it would make sense for both to be retention priorities. Bidunga developed into one of the best defensive players in the country this season while also proving to be a capable scorer in the post. And Tiller showed very impressive flashes despite struggling down the stretch.
With Kinney coming in to run the show at point guard, that leaves the wings as areas to improve for Kansas. It’s worth keeping in mind that the Jayhawks are considered the frontrunner to sign SC Next 100’s top overall recruit Tyran Stokes. If they do land him, that could change the calculus for their offseason roster construction. But with or without Stokes, they will need an immediate impact player on the perimeter — Rosario showed promise early in the season, and though he could take a step forward, Kansas would benefit from more proven production.
There’s also the elephant in the room: Bill Self’s status. Self said after the loss to St. John’s that he hasn’t decided on whether he will return next season. If he doesn’t come back, it’s entirely unclear how the Kansas roster will look. — Borzello
Record: 22-14 (10-8 in SEC)
How their season ended: Lost to Iowa State in second round
Expected departures
Denzel Aberdeen (13.5 PPG)
Otega Oweh (18.6 PPG)
Jayden Quaintance (5.0 PPG)
Players with remaining eligibility
Jaland Lowe (8.0 PPG)
Collin Chandler (9.7 PPG)
Mouhamed Dioubate (8.8 PPG)
Brandon Garrison (4.7 PPG)
Kam Williams (6.0 PPG)
Malachi Moreno (7.8 PPG)
Jasper Johnson (4.9 PPG)
Andrija Jelavic (5.5 PPG)
Trent Noah (3.0 PPG)
Top incoming recruit: None
You’re reading that right: Kentucky does not have a single commitment from the 2026 class as of Tuesday. The Wildcats pursued Tyran Stokes, but as Jeff detailed above, it seems the No. 1 recruit is leaning toward Kansas. It appears that coach Mark Pope will again construct a roster comprising returnees and transfers — but as he learned this season, that’s a risk. The Wildcats reportedly spent more than $20 million on their 2025-26 roster yet finished only two games above .500 in SEC play and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament only because of a miracle buzzer-beater.
Portal priorities: This season’s roster never jelled the way Pope anticipated, which means he might end up building another from scratch, depending on who stays or goes.
The backcourt has to be his top priority. Aberdeen and Oweh are out of eligibility, which means that not only will Pope need elite guards who are capable playmakers and scorers, but he’ll also need depth — especially at point guard. The latter has been a problem throughout his tenure. Even if Lowe returns, Pope will need multiple players at both guard positions to anchor next season’s roster.
The next priority: a big man. Though Moreno could take the next step as a sophomore, and Dioubate has been solid for stretches, the Wildcats didn’t have a dominant big with Quaintance contending with knee injuries. The teams still competing for this year’s national championship — Michigan, UConn, St. John’s and Duke — have imposing big men. Kentucky can’t enter another season without a strong inside presence.
Finally, with Chandler the only reliable 3-point shooter on this season’s squad, Kentucky also needs more support on the perimeter. — Medcalf
Record: 24-9 (12-6 in ACC)
How their season ended: Lost to VCU in first round
Expected departures
Caleb Wilson (19.8 PPG)
Seth Trimble (14.0 PPG)
Players with remaining eligibility
Henri Veesaar (17.0 PPG)
Luka Bogavac (9.8 PPG)
Jarin Stevenson (8.1 PPG)
Derek Dixon (6.5 PPG)
Jonathan Powell (4.8 PPG)
Kyan Evans (4.0 PPG)
Zayden High (3.4 PPG)
Isaiah Denis (1.9 PPG)
Jaydon Young (1.8 PPG)
Top incoming recruit: Dylan Mingo (No. 9)
Mingo is one of the elite guards in the 2026 class, despite being hampered by injuries for most of the high school season. He has great positional size and length, and projects to make an impact at both ends of the court. With Evans potentially leaving for the portal after struggling this season, Dixon and Mingo could share playmaking duties in the backcourt — if Mingo opts to keep his commitment, should Hubert Davis depart. Mingo didn’t pick Carolina until mid-February.
Portal priorities: Though Wilson is probably off to the NBA and Trimble is out of eligibility, Davis or his potential replacement will have to make Veesaar the priority. He had an early second-round projection in ESPN’s most recent mock draft, but he could opt to return to Chapel Hill for a substantial amount of money. If Veesaar is back at UNC, he and Stevenson should form one of the better frontcourt duos in the ACC. If Veesaar leaves, the Tar Heels will need to target a high-level big man in the portal.
In addition to a potential Veesaar replacement, the Tar Heels also probably will need an upgrade when it comes to perimeter shotmaking and explosiveness. None of Bogavac, Powell or Young were overly consistent as scorers. And though Mingo is a terrific addition — as is four-star forward Maximo Adams — neither is a knockdown shooter. If the roster falls apart following Davis’ potential departure, Veesaar, Stevenson and Dixon should be the retention priorities for a new coach. — Borzello
Heading into Sunday afternoon, everything was set up for Florida on a silver platter to not only advance out of Regionals, but to also waltz straight to Omaha. The Gators had their pitching staff in good shape, the bats were hot, and it looked like all the early-season woes would become a footnote in history.
Fast forward a little over 24 hours, and Florida’s season is done after a collapse by its pitching staff, combined with a couple of questionable decisions by Kevin O’Sullivan, along with Florida hitters who just couldn’t solve Troy on Monday night.
Florida loses to Troy and has its season end
O’Sullivan opted to start Cooper Walls, who began the year as the Sunday starter but quickly lost that job and was relegated to jumping back and forth between starting in the midweek and coming out of the bullpen.
It didn’t go well for Walls as he was immediately tagged for two runs in the first inning and pulled for Caden McDonald in the second.
But McDonald settled things down and gave Florida more than a fair shot to take control of the game. And while the Gators had some decent swings here and there, it was clear that they couldn’t catch up to the fastball with any consistency.
Mind you, it was a fastball from Troy that was hovering around 90 MPH, not some 97 MPH flamethrower or frankly someone throwing random junk Florida couldn’t figure out. And the problem for Florida is that even when it did something right, it combined it with something wrong. Kyle Jones hit a RBI single to pull things to 2-1, but got thrown out at second base in the process.
Then came the decision from O’Sullivan in the sixth inning that ultimately sent the game south. McDonald was cruising and was nearing 50 pitches for his outing. Given he had also thrown 26 pitches against Rider on Friday, one could argue O’Sullivan was trying to protect his arm.
So out came Russell Sandefer, who was the starter against Rider. He promptly walked three straight batters.
And in the decision that ultimately swung the game, O’Sullivan went with Ernesto Lugo-Canchola out of the bullpen with bases loaded and no outs. This was after Lugo-Canchola gave up two runs last night against Troy. Five runs later, three of which were charged to Sandefer, it was 7-1, and that was that.
Wasted opportunity for Florida
It’s the first time in program history that Florida started a Regional 2-0 and didn’t make it out to Super Regionals. And what ultimately ended Florida’s season was the inability of anyone on Florida’s staff not named McDonald or Jackson Barberi to get through their outing clean this weekend.
Liam Peterson was shelled on Sunday.
Walls and Lugo-Canchola were hand-picked from the transfer portal ahead of this season and were shelled on Monday night.
The reality is that O’Sullivan pushed all the wrong buttons on Monday. He went to Sandefer hoping to catch lightning in a bottle, and it didn’t work. He went to Lugo-Canchola even after he got tagged last night, while Joshua Whritenour was “saved” for later. In addition, guys like Ricky Reeth and Luke McNeillie were sitting right there after not pitching on Sunday.
And again, whatever approach Florida’s hitters had on Monday was also an issue, as they couldn’t catch up to a 90 MPH fastball. For good measure, all the defensive woes that plagued Florida to start the season also came flooding back.
Florida ends its season 41-21.
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A 64-year-old man accused of trying to kidnap a 74-year-old woman with whom he’d had a romantic relationship was arrested May 31, according to Port St. Lucie Police on June 1.
Jose Tsu Zamora was jailed on charges of attempted kidnapping while armed with a firearm; battery on a person 65 years of age or older; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; aggravated stalking (violation of injunction); and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, police stated.
Zamora, a resident of North Miami, was apprehended May 31 by police and U.S. Marshals in Hialeah.
The case began about 10:49 a.m. May 31 as police investigated an incident at First United Methodist Church on Southwest Prima Vista Boulevard.
“The investigation revealed that Zamora, who previously had a romantic relationship with the victim, approached her in the church parking lot despite an active injunction prohibiting contact,” police stated. “According to the investigation, Zamora … attempted to force the victim into a vehicle against her will while armed with a handgun.”
Two good Samaritans confronted Zamora, telling him to let go of the woman, police stated.
During the confrontation, police stated, Zamora is accused of “displaying a firearm before retreating to his vehicle and fleeing the scene.”
Video surveillance depicted Zamora pursuing the 74-year-old woman in the parking lot, restraining her and trying to “force her toward a vehicle.”
Zamora ultimately was taken into custody in Hialeah.
He is being held in the St. Lucie County Jail on $745,000 bond, according to police.
Zamora was arrested in March in St. Lucie County on charges of possession of a firearm or ammunition by convicted felon and tampering with evidence, though the latter charge ultimately was dropped, according to St. Lucie County Clerk’s records. The case is continuing through the court system, records show.
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
TAMPA, Fla – Tampa homeowners could soon see lower property tax bills under a new proposal that aims to significantly increase the state’s homestead exemption.
Proposed homestead exemption expansion
What we know:
A new state proposal aims to significantly lower property tax bills for homeowners by expanding the current homestead exemption. Tampa homeowner Jeff James noted that current property tax rates have become unaffordable for seniors living on fixed incomes. James explained that a 50% reduction in property taxes would allow local families to redirect their money toward essential costs like groceries or childcare. “It will help the people that have, you know, three or $400,000 houses, property tax-wise, the older people, retired people that sometimes can’t even afford just a property tax payment,” James said.
The Historic Capitol building stands in Tallahassee, where state lawmakers and local leaders are deeply divided over the long-term impact of expanding the homestead exemption.
Timeline for tax changes
By the numbers:
According to the proposal, the state homestead exemption would increase from the current $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027. The exemption would then jump to $250,000 in 2028. Gov. Ron DeSantis said the primary purpose of the change is to make homestead property tax-free, calling the potential shift historic.
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference advocating for constitutional tax relief, stating that the new homestead proposal aims to make primary residences completely property tax-free.
The other side:
Some residents spoke to FOX 13 off camera, expressing fear that the massive tax cuts could eliminate necessary community services. Property taxes are a primary funding source for local schools, public safety, infrastructure and emergency operations. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor urged voters to carefully consider the services they might lose before casting their ballots. “They see ‘tax cut,’ of course; everybody wants that,” Mayor Castor said. “But think about the services that you’re going to lose if you do vote.”
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor addresses reporters at a local infrastructure site, warning voters that a massive reduction in property tax revenues could trigger steep cuts to vital city services.
Budget adjustments and spending
What they’re saying:
“There are a lot of people here and maybe not in this little area, but right outside of this area that need that help,” James said. He suggested that local governments could protect emergency services by cutting superfluous spending instead of cutting public safety. “Move money around the right way and not make sure it doesn’t reduce police, fire department, everything else,” James said.
Future ballot measures
What we don’t know:
Officials have not yet detailed how local municipalities will balance their budgets if the tax revenues disappear. Because the changes require a special amendment to the state constitution, it remains unknown whether voters will approve the measure when it hits the ballot this November.
The Source: Information in this story comes from interviews done by FOX 13’s Danielle Zulkosky, a press conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis and a Fox 13 interview with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
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