Maryland forward Elijah Saunders plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3’s Joe Tipton has learned. Saunders played four years of college basketball at San Diego State, Virginia and this past year at Maryland.
In light of a court ruling and the new five-for-five rule in NCAA eligibility, Saunders plans to enter the portal to explore his options regarding a fifth year of college basketball. Since he was part of the Class of 2022 in high school, he played four years of college basketball without a redshirt, potentially giving him the option of one more year.
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Last year, Saunders played 33 games for Maryland, averaging nine points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, shot 44.1% from the floor and 41.1% from three-point range. Those are slightly above his career averages, but he did average 10.4 points per game in his lone season with Virginia (2024-25).
As a member of the Class of 2022, Saunders was a three-star recruit out of Phoenix (Ari.) Sunnyslope, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 12 overall prospect in the state, the No. 31 forward in the class and the No. 168 overall prospect in the class.
Elijah Saunders plans to enter NCAA transfer portal
Saunders wasn’t the only Big Ten basketball player that has plans to enter the transfer portal. Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler also plans to do so after an NBA Summer League run. Where he might go is anyone’s guess.
He spent the offseason playing with the Utah Jazz throughout the NBA Summer League, but has regained eligibility thanks to the five-for-five rule and a Colorado judge’s decision to grant a preliminary injunction to all members of the 2022 recruiting class.
Kohler spent all four seasons of his college career so far with Michigan State, arriving as a four-star prospect ranked No. 54 in the Rivals Consensus Rankings. He went on to play a key role under Tom Izzo, moving from a bench role as a freshman and sophomore to the starting lineup.
In the 2025-26 season, Kohler averaged 12.5 points and 8.9 rebounds. He also upped his three-point shooting, knocking down 38.9-percent behind the arc on 4.3 attempts per game.