D1 · Big Ten Conference

Rutgers Men’s Basketball Recruiting: Roster & Openings

KenPom #117 · 14–20 · 2025–26 · Division 1 · Big Ten Conference · New Brunswick, NJ

Rutgers finished 14–20 (Big Ten 17th, KenPom #117) in 2025–26. 16 players hold the 2026–27 roster; 9 are new this season.

Roster data through 2026–27

Roster16 players
New this season9
Transfer additions5
Clearest projected openingGuards · 2028
Most common home stateNY (3)

Where the door opens

our roster projection · your arrival year

Guards: open from 2028 — 6 ahead.

Forwards: blocked until 2030.

2027
Gcrowded10 ahead
Fcrowded3 ahead · multi-yr
Cbalanced3 ahead
2028
Gopening6 ahead
Fbalanced3 ahead
Cbalanced2 ahead · multi-yr
2029
Gopening4 ahead
Fbalanced2 ahead · multi-yr
Copen2 ahead
2030
Gopen2 ahead
Fopen2 ahead
Copen0 ahead

Projections for 2029, 2030 are low-confidence reads.

Guards in that room (10)
Darren Buchanan Jr.6′7″RS-Sr
Tariq Francis6′1″Sr
Jamichael Davis6′2″Sr
Darin Smith, Jr.6′7″Jr
Max Fradkin5′11″Jr
Kaden Powers6′4″So
Rasheed Jones6′6″RS-Sr
Lino Mark6′2″So
Imahri Wooten6′5″Fr
Diego Garavaglia6′7″Fr
Forwards in that room (3)
Will Sydnor6′8″Jr
Martin Tonejc6′9″Fr
Mervedi Miteo6′10″Fr
Centers in that room (3)
Gevonte Ware6′9″So
Christian Gurdak6′10″So
Dorin Buca7′2″Sr
Those openings are for the roster in general. See whether your position, size and profile fit them →

If you want to play at Rutgers

How to get recruited here

For 2027 arrivals the roster projection reads: G crowded (10 ahead), F crowded (3 ahead · multi-yr), C balanced (3 ahead).

Of the latest cycle's 9 arrivals, 4 came straight from high school and 5 from the transfer portal.

Most arrivals come from NY, CA, CT.

8 of 16 recent arrivals held a national ranking — 8 of 16 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

61% of last season's scoring returns.

The roster, as a depth chart

2026–27 · 16 players

Guards 10 of 16

Darren Buchanan Jr.6′7″RS-Sr · final yr8.1 PPG
Darin Smith, Jr.6′7″Jr
Diego Garavaglia6′7″Fr
Rasheed Jones6′6″RS-Sr · final yr
Imahri Wooten6′5″Fr
Kaden Powers6′4″So6.1 PPG
Jamichael Davis6′2″Sr · final yr7.5 PPG
Lino Mark6′2″So5.9 PPG
Tariq Francis6′1″Sr · final yr17.0 PPG
Max Fradkin5′11″Jr

Frontcourt 6 of 16 · forwards + centers

Dorin Buca7′2″Sr · C · final yr
Christian Gurdak6′10″So · C
Mervedi Miteo6′10″Fr · F
Gevonte Ware6′9″So · C0.3 PPG
Martin Tonejc6′9″Fr · F
Will Sydnor6′8″Jr · F
freshman final year — spot opens returning

Returning production

61%of recorded scoring returns
3 of 5top scorers returning
Top returning scorers
Tariq Francis17.0 PPG in 2025–26 · returning
Darren Buchanan Jr.8.1 PPG in 2025–26 · returning
Jamichael Davis7.5 PPG in 2025–26 · returning

Computed from 13 of 15 players on the 2025–26 roster with recorded stats; "returning" means listed on the 2026–27 roster.

Who actually gets onto this roster?

How players arrive

4from high school5via the portal

11 of 16 roster spots were filled out of high school or held over.

Rankings

8 of 16

8 of 16 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

Best-ranked: Darren Buchanan Jr. #186.

Where from

NY 3 · CA 1 · CT 1 · DC 1 · IN 1 · MA 1

10 international: Perugia; Kinshasa; Aune-Adoka; Jesenice, Slovenia and 6 more

High schools: McEachern High School; Brimmer and May School; The Taft School and 2 more

Transfer flow

named arrivals and departures

2025–26 → 2026–27 · in

→Darin Smith, Jr.
→Will Sydnor
→Rasheed Jones
→Christian Gurdak
→Dorin Buca

2025–26 → 2026–27 · out

←Baye Fall
←Denis Badalau
←Bryce Dortch
←Harun Zrno
←Dylan Grant
←Dorian Jones
←Chris Nwuli

How this roster compares

Big Ten Conference (18 programs, 2025–26 medians)
MeasureRutgersConference
Average guard height6′4″6′4″
Average frontcourt height6′10″6′9″+1″
Roster size1615+1
Freshman share25%29%−4pp

The five-year arc

kenpom rank · wins · conference finish
#752021–22#392022–23#1052023–24#662024–25#1172025–26
18–14 · Big Ten 9th19–15 · Big Ten 7th15–17 · Big Ten 13th15–17 · Big Ten 16th14–20 · Big Ten 17th

Coaching staff

Steve PikiellHead coach
Brandin KnightAssociate head coach
Marlon WilliamsonAssistant coach
Jay YoungAssistant coach
Steve HaynAssistant coach / chief of staff
Staff changes4 on-court staff changes in 4 offseasons — 2 before 2023–24, 1 before 2024–25, 1 before 2025–26.

Academics

published admissions data
Acceptance rate58%
SAT midpoint1355
ACT midpoint30

How this page is made: Rosters: official Rutgers rosters, 2025–26 and 2026–27, read from the athletic department's own site · Season: Rutgers's 2026–27 roster is posted, so this page reads it; the conference comparison uses 2025–26, the newest season every program has on file. · Stats: 2025–26, the last season played — the 2026–27 season has no games yet. · New this season: players not listed on the 2025–26 roster; a newcomer who is not a freshman counts as a transfer addition · Ratings: KenPom, five seasons; conference finish computed among same-conference teams by rating · Openings: Depth Chart's roster projection from listed class years; confidence stated per year · Sample: among players who made a college roster — the data cannot see who didn't. Among players who made a college roster. Model judgments describe positions and cohorts, never a named player's future. Refreshed automatically when the rosters change. Corrections: research@mydepthchart.com.

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