UConn's Dan Hurley Loses Former 4-Star Recruit to Transfer Portal
After a deep March Madness run that reinforced their status as a modern powerhouse in college basketball, Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies came up just short in the national championship game, falling 69-63 to Michigan.
Up to that point, the Huskies had never lost a national championship game, entering with a perfect 6–0 on that stage.
A win would have also added another title to a run that already included back-to-back championships under Hurley in 2023 and 2024.
Simply put, it was a gut-punch ending to a season that once again had UConn on the doorstep of history, and, as it turns out, it may have also marked the beginning of a full-on roster reset.
On Friday, April 17, it was reported that junior forward Jaylin Stewart is entering the NCAA transfer portal.
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A four-star prospect in the 2023 class, Stewart ranked as the No. 1 player in Washington and a top-60 recruit nationally, choosing UConn over major programs like USC, Alabama, and Washington.
At Garfield High School in Seattle, he stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 19.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game as a senior.
The 6-foot-7 wing then carved out a steady role over three seasons at UConn, evolving from a developmental freshman into a trusted rotation piece.
In 2025–26, Stewart appeared in 32 games (with 12 starts), averaging 4.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in just over 16 minutes per night.
That stat line doesn't jump off the page, but he was a connective piece, a versatile defender, and a player Hurley trusted to plug gaps across multiple lineups.
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Unfortunately, Stewart isn't alone. UConn has already seen multiple players hit the portal, including guards Uroš Paunović and Jacob Furphy, as the roster begins to churn following the season.
Star seniors Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban are also set to move on from the program, while standout freshman Braylon Mullins is a projected 2026 NBA Draft prospect.
At the same time, Hurley is aggressively reloading. The Huskies have already added transfer center Najai Hines, one of the more intriguing defensive bigs available.
Hurley was also recently spotted with five-star Duke transfer Nikolas Khamenia.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 6:54 PM.