Of all the players in the transfer portal this offseason, there may not be a bigger fish in there than Arizona basketball's Kylan Boswell. It wasn't that long ago that Boswell was a five-star and top 25 recruit in an absolutely loaded high school class.
He was regarded as a better prospect than the likes of Jalen Hood-Schifino, Jett Howard, and Brice Sensabaugh. All of those guys were first-round picks in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Boswell has two college seasons under his belt, but he is still extremely young. Boswell is younger than incoming freshman Derik Queen. Queen is a top-ten prospect in this year's high school class and a future Maryland Terrapin. Boswell has a ton of upside to tap into and has a ton of experience already. He'd help out any program, especially ones like Illinois, Houston, and Arkansas.
Illinois Fighting Illini
If there was a favorite to land Boswell, it would be the Fighting Illini. It helps that they're his hometown school. Boswell is from Champaign, Illinois, where Illinois' campus is. He grew up there until moving to California and eventually Arizona to play his high school ball. That played a big part in the Wildcats keeping him in state.
But, he's now in the portal and his hometown team could really use him. Terrence Shannon Jr. has been the engine of Illinois' revamped offense under head coach Brad Underwood, but he is out of eligibility.
The same applies with Marcus Domask, another shot creator who Illinois pried from Southern Illinois University in the portal. Coleman Hawkins has another year of eligibility, but he may make way for the NBA as well.
Suddenly, a team that made the Elite 8 this year could become depleted very quickly. Reinforcements are coming, however. Illinois does have three four-star prospects coming this season in Morez Johnson, Jase Butler, and Jason Jakstys.
Johnson is ranked 28th in ESPN's top 100. They seem set to reload for next season, but could use more experience to bring these freshman along. Boswell can bring that. He and Illinois seem destined for a marriage.
Houston Cougars
If Kylan Boswell does not go back to his hometown school, maybe the Houston Cougars can snag him from the portal. They have a crew of perimeter creators already in LJ Cryer, Terrance Arceneaux, and Emmanuel Sharp.
It doesn't seem like they need Boswell, but they are going to need to find a replacement for Jamal Shead. Shead was a first-team All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. He carried a big burden for this program but is going to take his talents over to the NBA.
Cryer was Houston's leading scorer last season at 15.5 points per game, but they could use more of a scoring punch. The Cougars' offense fell apart in their tournament loss to the Duke Blue Devils. Boswell can bring that scoring punch that they will lose with Shead. He's someone worth going after for Kelvin Sampson.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Any time a talented player hits the portal or hasn't signed with a school coming out of high school, the Arkansas Razorbacks have to be in the conversation to land them. John Calipari is the best at getting players to the NBA and brings that pedigree to Fayetteville.
The problem for him at the moment is that Arkansas doesn't have anybody to send to the league. Literally no one. There are no scholarship players that are currently on their roster. Anybody who is on the team is in the portal.
He has a lot of work to do to build and cultivate an entirely new roster. Kylan Boswell could be a big part of that. It's still likely he goes to Illinois, but at least Arkansas can make him an offer he'd have to listen to.
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