NCAA Basketball: 25 underrated transfer pickups for 2022-23 season

Javon Franklin – Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

2021-22 stats (at South Alabama): 12.7 ppg and 7.8 rpg

The 6’7 transfer has gone from little playing time at Auburn to being a solid starter at the Sun Belt level with the Jaguars. Franklin shot 66% from the field and was effective on the boards but whether it’ll translate to the ACC level is the question. He’s the replacement for Jordan Usher, who also was undersized but effective frontcourt player. If Franklin isn’t a starter that plays at a high level, the Yellow Jackets won’t get any production inside.

Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu – Memphis Tigers

2021-22 stats (at UT-Arlington): 4.7 ppg and 2.6 bpg

The 6’8 forward is one of the most athletic players in all of NCAA Basketball. Akobundu-Ehiogu has incredible reach and bounce and is highly effective as an interior defender. He won’t give you much offensively outside of lobs or putbacks but Memphis could use another frontcourt athlete to defend whenever Deandre Williams isn’t on the court.

Ta’Lon Cooper – Minnesota Gophers

2021-22 stats (at Morehead State): 9.1 ppg and 5.9 apg

While Johni Broome got all of the attention at Morehead State, the starting point guard Cooper was a very effective perimeter player at the OVC level. He’s now set to start at Minnesota, as the Big Ten program lost about all of their perimeter players from last season. Cooper is a pass-first guard and while he’s not the kind of scorer that Payton Willis was but assuming that Jamison Battle and UNC transfer Dawson Garcia provide most of the scoring in the frontcourt, he’ll be a fine player for the Gophers.