Pair of top-100 additions highlight early portal haul for Buzz Williams, Maryland men's basketball

Ahmed Ghafir
Apr 7, 2025
2 min read

Much has been made about the outgoing Terps so far this offseason with Chance Stephens the lone player who has yet to enter either the transfer portal or NBA Draft so far this offseason, while the lone former 2025 signee opted to follow the former head coach to the Big East. New head coach Buzz Williams has already landed his first trio of transfer portal commitments in efforts of restocking the roster with two debuting as top-100 signees.

Former Texas A&M forward Pharrel Payne debuted as the 45th-best player in the country with Indiana point guard Myles Rice ranked 85th in On3’s player rankings. Both were also ranked the 13th-best prospects among players currently in the portal at their position, while former Aggie Solomon Washington debuted at 115th and the nation’s 25th-best small forward.

The commitment of 6-foot-9 forward Pharrel Payne also marks a return to the Big Ten for the Minnesota native who began his career with the Gophers before transferring to Texas A&M ahead of the 2024-25 season. Payne proved to be an integral piece in the Aggies' frontcourt, averaging 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds including 25.5 points and 7.5 rebounds during the Aggies' first weekend in the NCAA Tournament. Now he’ll relocate with at least Solomon Washington in College Park, a 6-foot-7 junior who averaged 4.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for Texas A&M in 2024-25. Washington, who played all three seasons under Buzz Williams, gives Maryland an early candidate as a veteran defensive presence with the frontcourt still in rebuild mode.

Rice, meanwhile, will get a chance to fill the shoes left vacant by Ja’Kobi Gillespie at point guard after announcing his transfer destination on Sunday morning.

Rice began his career at Washington State where he redshirted in 2022-23 after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and receiving his last treatment on March 9, 2023. Rice then became the only freshman over the last four seasons to be named first-team All-Pac-12, along with being named Freshman of the Year after averaging 14.8 points, 3.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game. In his lone season at Indiana, Rice averaged 10.1 points, 2.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game, starting in 25 games and appearing in seven more in 2024-25.

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