Dan Hurley, UConn Land Big East Rival Forward in Transfer Portal Move

Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies were left with some major needs after their latest March Madness run, due to the departures of key starters, center Tarris Reed Jr., and forward Alex Karaban.

Adding to that, the team lost backup center Eric Reibe to the transfer portal earlier this week. With no recruits to fill those voids, it would mean Hurley and UConn would also look to the transfer portal to rebuild their roster for another run towards the NCAA Tournament.

While things had been mostly quiet regarding the Huskies adding any significant players this offseason, that changed on Wednesday with their first big get. Former Seton Hall big man Najai Hines revealed on his Instagram that he committed to UConn for his sophomore season.

Hines is a 6-foot-10, 265-pound frontcourt player who became the No. 1 player in New Jersey for the Class of 2025, according to 247 Sports. Last season, he averaged 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks as a freshman in 18 minutes per game.

Read more:UConn's Dan Hurley Opens Up on Tough Transfer Portal Decisions

He shared several updates on Instagram about his commitment to UConn, including an IG post from Storrs Central.

In another IG post, he shared a photoshopped image of himself wearing a Connecticut jersey as a member of the squad.

“Go time,” his future teammate, Solo Ball, wrote in the comments regarding the big announcement.

It appears key reserve Jayden Ross, who recently revealed he’s returning to UConn next season, approved of the decision, as he liked the IG post.

Another video he shared on Instagram had the caption “Next chapter: Storrs,” which showcased his college basketball journey and highlighted his decision to play for Hurley. Hines’ video included narration over childhood photos, high school video clips, and footage of UConn championship highlights.

It also included the former Seton Hall big man posing on the court with the UConn championships and alongside head coach Hurley.

It’s the first big move for Hurley in the post-Karaban era. The four-year player was part of two championship teams and three Final Four runs. Last season nearly saw Hurley capture UConn’s seventh championship, which would’ve been both his and Karaban’s third in four years.

That didn’t play out as they wanted, with a Michigan team full of transfer-portal talent using its size and power to dominate much of the championship game.

A major part of UConn’s success this postseason was also due to the emergence of big man Tarris Reed Jr., who had a dominant first-round double-double against Furman and continued to excel in other rounds.

With Hines part of the lineup, Hurley has landed one center, but will likely need a backup along with other key pieces for the roster. It also remains unclear if Braylon Mullins will surprise everyone and return to play his sophomore season or head to the NBA Draft, where he could get selected anywhere from the top 10 to below No. 17 in the order.

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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 7:16 PM.