Roster exodus begins as Terps enter transfer portal following coaching change

With the transfer portal already swirling and no sitting head coach in the fold, the roster exodus has started in College Park with players making their stay-or-go decisions with the offseason days old.

April 8, 4:30 PM: Last Willard holdover departs

Chance Stephens marked the final departure from Kevin Willard’s roster, putting the Terps back down to four set to join the program ahead of 2025-26. Stephens, showcasing himself as a three-point specialist prior to Maryland, played in just seven games and scored nine total points in 2024-25 after being sidelined in 2023-24 due to injury.

April 1, 9:45 PM: PG Jahari Long, G/F Malachi Palmer enter the transfer portal

Two more entered the transfer portal on Monday evening with Jahari Long the first to announce his intention. Long, a grad transfer, became a staple behind Jahmir Young in 2023-24 where he proved needed backup minutes to provide a veteran presence in the backcourt. But it was the final minute of the Big Ten Tournament win vs. Indiana when Long went down with what proved to be a season-ending injury, sidelining him for 2024-25 while he's close to 100%. All eyes now shift to Long reuniting with Willard at Villanova.

Palmer averaged 1.6 points per game in 22 appearances, draining six threes on the season along with three steals. The news comes one day after Christian Jeffrey, his former teammate at Mt. Zion Prep (Md.), requested a release from his letter of intent.

Chance Stephens is now the lone scholarship player to not yet enter the transfer portal.

April 1, 12:00 PM: 7-footer Braden Pierce departs

After two years with the program, one a redshirt and the next a medical redshirt, seven-footer Braden Pierce has elected to enter the transfer portal. Pierce played in five games in 2024-25.

"With the recent development of a new vacancy within the Maryland coaching staff, I want to takea moment to thank the Maryland Basksetball program for the last two years. I have learned and grown so much on and off the court. I'm especialy grateful to my teammates and the staff who have supported me along the way. With that being said, I will be entering the transfer portal as a redshirt freshman for the 2025-26 season with four years of eligibility remaining, with the possibility of returning to Maryland. Excited for the future!"

March 31, 7:45 PM: former four-star departs

After two seasons in College Park, former four-star signee DeShawn Harris-Smith will close out his career elsewhere after entering the transfer portal on Monday, joining the long list of others. Harris-Smith, who former head coach Kevin Willard called the "most gifted" freshman he's worked with, struggled to get comfortable and find his shot during his two seasons in College Park where he shifted from a starter to a rotational player just four games into the 2024-25 season.

Starting in 34 games and making 69 appearances over his two seasons, Harris-Smith averaged 4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 37.5% from the field. His 11 points in the opening round win vs. Grand Canyon tied a season high.

March 31, 2:35 PM: Gillespie departs

After one season in College Park, star point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie followed through on the expectation that he will close out his college career elsewhere. Gillespie, a transfer from Belmont, shined taking over an offense once led by Derik Queen ashe averaged nearly 15 points and five assists this season. His 87 made threes marked the fourth-most by a Terp in a single season, while his nine assists vs. Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament marked a program record. Gillespie is expected to become one of the most coveted guards in the portal as Tennessee has drawn buzz as a potential contender.

March 31, 2 PM: Rice departs

Reports broke on Monday afternoon that guard Rodney Rice will enter the transfer portal where he's expected to entertain his options with a chance of remaining at Maryland, but with the coaching uncertainty, he could find himself at his third school. Rice, a former four-star out of DeMatha, transferred into the program from Virginia Tech where he quickly materialized into a starter for Willard ahead of the fifth regular-season game. Rice averaged 13.9 points and made 80 threes in 2024-25, marking the sixth-most in a single season in program history.

March 31, 10:00 AM: Jay Young spends 7th year elsewhere

Tafara Gapare wasn’t far behind after Young, making himself available after just one season in the program. Gapare, who missed time after getting sick and losing nearly 20 pounds, averaged 3.4 points and .75 blocks per game while shooting 47% from the field and 37.1% from three. The former UMass and Georgia Tech forward became a bigger part of the Terps’ rotation in non-conference play before veteran Jordan Geronimo stepped up in the rotation to close out the conference slate. Unlike Young, a potential return to Maryland is on the table for Gapare as he keeps his options open for his final two seasons of eligibility.

“He's a great kid. He's a very smart young man. And it's just, for me, it's just giving him enough time to let him make a difference on the court,” former head coach and professional con artist Kevin Willard added. “He's just getting used to playing defense. It's the biggest thing that once he kind of gets what we're doing defensively, he's going to get better and better. He's going to see more time. It's just he's coming from a totally different defensive scheme than what we play and he gets lost a lot, especially early in the season he got lost a lot. He's not getting lost anymore and I think you're starting to see someone has a lot more confidence in this game.”

March 31, 9:30 AM: Gapare open to third school in three years

Jay Young was the first to do so where he'll look to spend his seventh year of eligibility elsewhere. Young spent one season in the program filling the backup point guard duties behind Ja'Kobi Gillespie, sharing duties as the secondary ball handler with DeShawn Harris-Smith to stabilize the backcourt with some veteran flavor. Young, who began his career at Grambling State following a redshirt season, previously spent one season at Memphis, UCF after making the jump from Baton Rouge CC. Young played in all 35 games during his lone season in College Park, averaging 1.8 points and 0.8 assists per game while shooting nearly 39% from both the field and three.

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