Roster openings · 2025–26
Which college basketball programs are losing the most seniors? Roster openings by program
On the 2025–26 rosters of 1,038 NCAA men's basketball programs, 4,173 players are listed as seniors or graduate students — the spots the calendar opens for 2026–27 before anyone transfers. Eureka lists the most, 13 of 29 players (45%). The median roster is 29% final-year in Division I, 23% in Division II and 20% in Division III; 48 programs list no senior or graduate at all.
Computed from 17,009 player-seasons · 2025–26 · updated Sep 18, 2026
Eureka lists 13 players in their final year; 25 programs list six or more.
The table below ranks every program by how many seniors and graduate students its 2025–26 roster lists. A program near the top is one whose 2026–27 roster the calendar rebuilds — the largest single source of openings, before the portal adds any. In Division I the most is Texas Southern (12 of 16); in Division II Clark Atlanta (11 of 15); in Division III Eureka (13 of 29).
The typical roster is 29% final-year in D1, 23% in D2, 20% in D3.
Across 359 D1 programs, 1,630 of 5,540 listed players are in their final year; D2 1,016 of 4,375 across 276; D3 1,527 of 7,094 across 403. A program well above its division's median is opening more spots than its peers; one at zero is opening none by graduation.
48 programs list no senior or graduate student at all.
12 in Division I, 15 in Division II and 21 in Division III. For a recruit, those are the rosters where nothing opens by graduation next spring — whatever opens there opens through the portal or a cut, which is a harder thing to plan around.
Share of a roster in its final year, by division
Median program
1,038 programs at roster strength
A program is counted when its roster lists at least 8 players.
The 25 programs listing the most seniors and graduate students · 2025–26 rosters
All divisions| # | Program | State | Div | Conference | Listed | Final year | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eureka | Illinois | D3 | St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 29 | 13 | 45% |
| 2 | Texas Southern | Texas | D1 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | 16 | 12 | 75% |
| 3 | Clark Atlanta | Georgia | D2 | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 15 | 11 | 73% |
| 4 | NYU | New York | D3 | University Athletic Association | 18 | 11 | 61% |
| 5 | Endicott | Massachusetts | D3 | Conference of New England | 19 | 11 | 58% |
| 6 | Grambling | Louisiana | D1 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | 14 | 10 | 71% |
| 7 | Winthrop | South Carolina | D1 | Big South Conference | 15 | 10 | 67% |
| 8 | Cairn | Pennsylvania | D3 | United East Conference | 19 | 10 | 53% |
| 9 | Saint Elizabeth | New Jersey | D3 | Atlantic East Conference | 19 | 10 | 53% |
| 10 | Carthage | Wisconsin | D3 | College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin | 25 | 10 | 40% |
| 11 | Marist | New York | D1 | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 28 | 10 | 36% |
| 12 | Newman | Kansas | D2 | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 32 | 10 | 31% |
| 13 | Chaminade | Hawaii | D2 | Pacific West Conference | 13 | 9 | 69% |
| 14 | NC Central | North Carolina | D1 | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 13 | 9 | 69% |
| 15 | Eastern Washington | Washington | D1 | Big Sky Conference | 14 | 9 | 64% |
| 16 | Houston Christian | Texas | D1 | Southland Conference | 15 | 9 | 60% |
| 17 | Bethune-Cookman | Florida | D1 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | 16 | 9 | 56% |
| 18 | FIU | Florida | D1 | Conference USA | 16 | 9 | 56% |
| 19 | Omaha | Nebraska | D1 | Summit League | 16 | 9 | 56% |
| 20 | WKU | Kentucky | D1 | Conference USA | 16 | 9 | 56% |
| 21 | Chicago State | Illinois | D1 | NEC | 17 | 9 | 53% |
| 22 | Southern | Louisiana | D1 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | 17 | 9 | 53% |
| 23 | Utica | New York | D3 | Empire 8 | 26 | 9 | 35% |
| 24 | Valdosta State | Georgia | D2 | Gulf South Conference | 12 | 8 | 67% |
| 25 | Nicholls | Louisiana | D1 | Southland Conference | 13 | 8 | 62% |
The 10 D1 programs listing the most players in their final year · 2025–26
Division 1| # | Program | State | Div | Conference | Listed | Final year | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas Southern | Texas | D1 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | 16 | 12 | 75% |
| 2 | Grambling | Louisiana | D1 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | 14 | 10 | 71% |
| 3 | Winthrop | South Carolina | D1 | Big South Conference | 15 | 10 | 67% |
| 4 | Marist | New York | D1 | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 28 | 10 | 36% |
| 5 | NC Central | North Carolina | D1 | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 13 | 9 | 69% |
| 6 | Eastern Washington | Washington | D1 | Big Sky Conference | 14 | 9 | 64% |
| 7 | Houston Christian | Texas | D1 | Southland Conference | 15 | 9 | 60% |
| 8 | Bethune-Cookman | Florida | D1 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | 16 | 9 | 56% |
| 9 | FIU | Florida | D1 | Conference USA | 16 | 9 | 56% |
| 10 | Omaha | Nebraska | D1 | Summit League | 16 | 9 | 56% |
The 10 D2 programs listing the most players in their final year · 2025–26
Division 2| # | Program | State | Div | Conference | Listed | Final year | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clark Atlanta | Georgia | D2 | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 15 | 11 | 73% |
| 2 | Newman | Kansas | D2 | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 32 | 10 | 31% |
| 3 | Chaminade | Hawaii | D2 | Pacific West Conference | 13 | 9 | 69% |
| 4 | Valdosta State | Georgia | D2 | Gulf South Conference | 12 | 8 | 67% |
| 5 | Fayetteville State | North Carolina | D2 | Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 16 | 8 | 50% |
| 6 | Florida Southern | Florida | D2 | Sunshine State Conference | 16 | 8 | 50% |
| 7 | Cal State East Bay | California | D2 | California Collegiate Athletic Association | 17 | 8 | 47% |
| 8 | Bluefield State | West Virginia | D2 | Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 18 | 8 | 44% |
| 9 | Newberry | South Carolina | D2 | South Atlantic Conference | 19 | 8 | 42% |
| 10 | Post | Connecticut | D2 | Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference | 26 | 8 | 31% |
The 10 D3 programs listing the most players in their final year · 2025–26
Division 3| # | Program | State | Div | Conference | Listed | Final year | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eureka | Illinois | D3 | St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 29 | 13 | 45% |
| 2 | NYU | New York | D3 | University Athletic Association | 18 | 11 | 61% |
| 3 | Endicott | Massachusetts | D3 | Conference of New England | 19 | 11 | 58% |
| 4 | Cairn | Pennsylvania | D3 | United East Conference | 19 | 10 | 53% |
| 5 | Saint Elizabeth | New Jersey | D3 | Atlantic East Conference | 19 | 10 | 53% |
| 6 | Carthage | Wisconsin | D3 | College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin | 25 | 10 | 40% |
| 7 | Utica | New York | D3 | Empire 8 | 26 | 9 | 35% |
| 8 | Brandeis | Massachusetts | D3 | University Athletic Association | 14 | 8 | 57% |
| 9 | Whitworth | Washington | D3 | Northwest Conference | 14 | 8 | 57% |
| 10 | Eastern Connecticut | Connecticut | D3 | Little East Conference | 16 | 8 | 50% |
Final-year players across every program at roster strength · 2025–26
By division| Division | Programs | Listed players | Final year | Median share | Programs with none |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | 359 | 5,540 | 1,630 | 29% | 12 |
| D2 | 276 | 4,375 | 1,016 | 23% | 15 |
| D3 | 403 | 7,094 | 1,527 | 20% | 21 |
How to read the table
"Final year" counts players the 2025–26 roster lists as seniors or graduate students, under the same class-label rule the roster class-breakdown page uses (46 spellings folded to five classes; a label that cannot be read is counted as unknown and never guessed — 207 across the ranked programs). "Share" is that count over every player the roster lists.
A program appears only when its roster lists at least 8 players (8 left out for a shorter listing); a partial listing would rank a program by what we failed to collect, not by its roster. The order is by the count, then by the share, then by name. Programs are named; players never are.
Which season this is, and when it changes
These are the 2025–26 rosters — the newest season Depth Chart holds complete enough to count. When the 2026–27 rosters are complete, this page is redrafted from them the same night, and the openings it points at move a year forward.
What this means for a recruit
How to read itGraduation is the biggest, most predictable source of openings.
The portal gets the headlines; the calendar opens 4,173 spots a year on these rosters before a single transfer. A program near the top of this list is rebuilding next year whether or not anyone leaves early.
A graduate student may not be leaving.
A fifth- or sixth-year player has, in some cases, eligibility left. The count here is who the roster lists as a senior or graduate, not a promise of departure — read a specific program's page before you plan around it.
Zero is information too.
48 programs list no final-year player. A coach there is not recruiting to replace anyone next spring; a recruit is competing for a spot that has to be created.
See where you fit — free
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Methodology
Source · sample · scope17,009 player-seasons · 1,060 programs · 2025–26
Definitions and scope
- Source
- Official 2025–26 rosters published by the athletics sites of NCAA D1, D2 and D3 men's basketball programs, collected by Depth Chart.
- Final year
- A player the roster lists as a senior or a graduate student (fifth- and sixth-year labels count as graduate). A redshirt counts under the class the roster names.
- Programs
- Every program whose roster lists at least 8 players; 1,038 qualify. Names follow the school pages' display rule; two programs sharing a short name are told apart by state.
- Median share
- The middle program's share of its roster in its final year, by division; a cell under 30 programs is not shown.
- Sample
- 17,009 player-seasons at the ranked programs.
- Computed
- Sep 18, 2026 · methodology 2026-08-28.1
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