The advent of unlimited free transfers has allowed for the development of college basketball “journeymen.” Players can bounce around to a new school every season of their career without penalty, chasing a better situation or, in many cases, more money. These nomadic bag-seekers end up feeling like hired guns at each new stop.

As such, I am introducing the concept of the Mercenary Power Rankings. This group of players has a distinct flavor: attending at least three schools, seeking big offensive usage, seemingly on the hunt for the next paycheck over anything else.

As the article graphic might suggest, the patron saint for this archetype is AJ Storr. Storr filled the role of a bounty hunter perfectly, playing for four P5 schools in four years: St. John’s, Wisconsin, Kansas and Ole Miss. He also seemed to wear out his welcome at each stop, quickly entering the portal at season’s end in search of his next destination. Storr’s on-court game was a dream fit for the mercenary branding, as well: he was a scorer with a shoot-first mentality, with his impact in all other aspects of the game (passing, defense, etc.) being highly dubious.

However, an important note: a mercenary is not inherently bad/harmful to a team. Sometimes, the hired gun does fit into the team fabric, or the program culture overcomes the mercenary’s general me-first style, and the team is successful. Even Storr played huge minutes with a massive role for a top 20 KenPom team that earned a No. 5 seed, made the Big Ten tournament title game, etc. It can happen!

The names below concept the biggest mercenaries in the sport, by my elusive categorization. The rankings are not necessarily by “best player”; instead, I am trying to rank who is the “most mercenary.”

1. PJ Haggerty, G, Texas A&M

Even moreso than Storr, Haggerty is probably the king of this category. Including a redshirt campaign at TCU, Haggerty is now on his fifth school in five years, and he has been an instant 20ppg piece wherever he has gone. He has played for a winner (29-6 Memphis) and a loser that got its coach fired (12-20 Kansas State). When he entered the portal after that Memphis campaign, there were no secrets about why he transferred. Haggerty now arrives in College Station as the key to Bucky Ball’s second squad, and the instant offense will surely be a plus in McMillan’s up-tempo system. Will that lead to wins this time around?

2. Dior Johnson, G, UCF

Dior Johnson is elite at two things: scoring the basketball and changing schools. Yes, he is technically not going to a new school this year (returning to UCF after playing there in 2024-25), but he is now at his fifth college stop. Add that to his multiple college commitments as a high schooler plus his baffling nine different high school stops, and Johnson has a real argument for the top spot in these rankings. It helps that he finally became a major contributor last year at Tarleton State: he led the entire country in usage rate and tallied an efficient 24.0ppg, prompting Johnny Dawkins to hire him on a second contract.

3. Pop Isaacs, G, Oklahoma

Pop has had quite a college basketball journey. He spent two years at Texas Tech, playing for two different coaches and maybe/possibly hooking up with his teammate’s sister in the Bahamas. He then looked to be blossoming as a junior at Creighton before suffering an injury. A commitment to Kelvin Sampson and Houston followed, but Isaacs ended up at Texas A&M instead, settling into a sniper role for Bucky McMillan. Finally, for his fifth collegiate season, Pop is replacing Nijel Pack as the resident gunner in Porter Moser’s backcourt at OU. He is a shooter, and shooters shoot – no matter where they’re playing.

4. Joson Sanon, Wing, West Virginia

Even before arriving on a college campus, Sanon showed mercenary potential. He ran from his initial Arizona commitment when the Wildcats’ roster got too loaded, instead landing at their archrival, ASU. He took a bag to be a bad fit on a Rick Pitino roster, which unsurprisingly was a poor marriage all around. And now as a junior, Sanon is off to Morgantown, WV, likely seeking a huge offensive role. He’s been an inefficient volume shooter who doesn’t contribute much on defense, but if the latter continues, he may struggle to get minutes on a Ross Hodge team.

5. Terrence Brown, G, UNC

Brown could not get out of Fairleigh Dickinson fast enough after exploding into a 20ppg scorer in 2024-25. He sought production over winning potential, taking a gargantuan offensive role (top 15 usage rate nationally) for a Utah squad that went 2-16 in the Big 12. Somewhat impressively, Brown actually improved his own efficiency despite that burden in a better league. He now slingshots back across the country to Chapel Hill, where he will be a primary offensive weapon yet again, this time for first-year college coach Mike Malone. Will that equate to winning? Or simply more shots and points for Brown?

6. Jeremiah Wilkinson, G, Arkansas

Wilkinson’s path feels like a perfect mercenary arc for a giant-usage guard: from explosive scorer for a non-tourney team at Cal, to a volcanic dynamo and a first round NCAA Tournament blowout loss at Georgia, to a John Calipari backcourt in Fayetteville. He’s small and not a point guard at all, but he has infinite ways to score with the rock in his hands. He is especially great insurance if Meleek Thomas, another flamethrower, stays in the NBA Draft.

7. Rob Wright, G, BYU

Wright has only been at two schools, so he does not fit my true mercenary profile in the most literal sense. However, he abandoned a starting gig at Baylor for a bigger bag at a Big 12 rival, and he entered the portal this offseason to stir up a bidding war before ultimately returning to BYU. The rumor is that his camp (read: father) is more responsible for his “hired gun” reputation than Wright is, but Wright’s game as a smaller scoring guard with high usage also fits the mold.

8. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, G, Texas Tech

After two relatively ineffectual years at Illinois, Gibbs-Lawhorn found a great level for his game at UNLV, blossoming into a major volume scorer with lofty usage and a killer pull-up shooting game to pair with it. He quickly bounced right back up to the power conference level, landing at Texas Tech to complement Cruz Davis as a scorer/creator threat in the backcourt. DGL is not at all known for his defense, but if you give him the ball, buckets will come.

9. Jaylen Carey, F, Missouri

The lone true big man on this list, Carey nevertheless exemplifies the qualities of a true mercenary. He is on his fourth school in four seasons and his third SEC squad in three years, including both big Tennessee rivals (UT and Vandy). He’s fairly high-usage, though not a true unrepentant gunner like some on this list. And he also has a reputation for being mercurial/somewhat challenging to deal with at times – which could explain the wandering path of schools. Still, Carey is a brutish force on the glass who can erupt for big games in the paint at crucial times.

10. Denzel Aberdeen, G, Florida

Yes, with his return to Florida, Aberdeen has technically only been at two schools. But if you transfer away from a starting spot on the reigning national champions purely for a bag from a blueblood with an inferior roster, you’re a mercenary. That’s not even my rule – it’s a decree handed down from the heavens. Aberdeen still needs a waiver to be eligible for his second go-round in Gainesville, but his foray to Kentucky earns him a spot here with that situation pending.

Honorable Mention
Dai Dai Ames, G, Tennessee
Malik Mack, G, Providence
Jayden Reid, G, Memphis
De'Shayne Montgomery, G, Louisville
Kanye Clary, G, Oklahoma St.

Potential Future Mercenaries to Monitor (sophomores on their second school)
Shon Abaev, Wing, Florida St.
Jasper Johnson, G, Oregon
Kayden Mingo, G, Baylor
Stefan Vaaks, G, Illinois
Jaylen Petty, G, UCLA