NBA Draft deadline tracker 2026: Latest news on Koa Peat, Tyler Tanner, other notable college stars

In the NIL era, one of the biggest days on the college basketball calendar is the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline. 

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Potential first-round picks Labaron Philon, Alex Condon and Tahaad Pettiford were among the players to pull out of the NBA Draft and return to school ahead of last year’s deadline, with Philon making a last-minute reversal to stick with the Crimson Tide.

Some potential first-rounders bypassed the NBA Draft altogether this year, including UConn’s Braylon Mullins and Florida’s Thomas Haugh. Other college stars still have a decision to make ahead of the deadline, set for Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET.

The Sporting News is tracking which players are in, out or undecided on the NBA Draft. Follow along below with the latest news.

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Who’s still undecided?

Here are the notable players with decisions still to be made about the NBA Draft:

• Amari Allen, Alabama
• Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
• Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan
• Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State (in transfer portal)
• Ebuka Okorie, Stanford
• Koa Peat, Arizona
• Andrej Stojakovic, Illinois
• Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt 
• Meleek Thomas, Arkansas
• Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor

Some in this group are reportedly leaning toward staying in the draft, most notably Anderson, Okorie and Yessoufou, but last year’s deadline served as a reminder that nothing is official until it’s official with the type of money players can now make at the college level.

Bidunga is likely to return to school after transferring to Louisville, while Stojakovic and Fears seem more likely to return than stay in the draft based on their stock and the kind of impact they can make at the college level next season.

The two biggest decisions might be those of Peat and Tanner. Peat spent most of the season as a projected lottery pick but has seen his stock fall into the range that could convince him to play a second season at Arizona, while Tanner has insisted he is taking the draft process seriously but could be one of the nation’s best players if he returned to Vanderbilt.

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Notable NBA Draft withdrawals

Flory Bidunga, Louisville

After two seasons with the Kansas Jayhawks and transferring to Louisville this offseason, Flory Bidunga is heading back to collegiate hoops. The 6-foot-10 forward/center wanted to give it a run on his new squad. Through 35 games last season, Bidunga averaged 13.3 points, 9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks with the Jayhawks. After a Round of 32 appearance this season, the Cardinals will likely enjoy the big man’s presence in the paint.

Matt Able, North Carolina

Former NC State guard Matt Able told Jon Rothstein that he would be returning back to college hoops after one season, and heading 25 miles down the road to join the North Carolina Tar Heels. This season with the Wolfpack, Able averaged 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and just under an assist, while shooting 35.5% from beyond the arc. He will be looking for an influx of appearances on a more noteworthy program.

Malachi Moreno, Kentucky

Freshman center Malachi Moreno, a Kentucky native, was one of the bright spots for Mark Pope’s Wildcats in a challenging season and chose to pass on a potential first-round selection to continue his college career. Moreno averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game as a freshman, starting 30 of 36 games. With a quiet offseason for Kentucky and their two biggest additions coming in the backcourt, Moreno could have a major role in the frontcourt in his sophomore season.

Rueben Chinyelu, Florida 

Rueben Chinyelu announced his return for a third season at Florida and fourth at the college level, giving the Gators their entire starting frontcourt back for another season. A national champion in 2025, Chinyelu averaged 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds per game across 35 games last season. Chinyelu will play alongside Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon once again, likely setting up Florida as the preseason No. 1 team.

John Blackwell, Duke

Former Wisconsin guard John Blackwell was always likely to stay in school after transferring to Duke, and he made it official about a week before the deadline. Blackwell was one of the top scorers on the transfer market after averaging 19.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in his third and final season with the Badgers, shooting 38.9 percent from 3-point range.

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Acaden Lewis, Miami

Acaden Lewis opted for the portal after a solid freshman season at Villanova, and Miami was always a more likely destination than the NBA right now. Lewis averaged 12.2 points, 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game as the Wildcats’ point guard, shooting 45.6 percent from the floor despite struggles from beyond the arc.

Elliot Cadeau, Michigan

Elliot Cadeau opted to go through the draft process, but a return to Michigan felt like a formality and became official a week before the deadline. The national champion point guard isn’t without limitations, but he proved to be the right fit for Dusty May’s squad and averaged 10.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game on his way to a title.

Juke Harris, Tennessee

Former Wake Forest star Juke Harris pulled out of the NBA Draft after transferring to Tennessee. Harris averaged 21.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore, morphing from a role player into an ACC star, and he’s part of a loaded Volunteers transfer class for next season.

Alijah Arenas, USC

After a serious car accident and a meniscus injury, Alijah Arenas wasn’t sure he would even play at all in his freshman season at USC, but he showed enough after returning to put himself on the NBA radar again. A return to school was ultimately the path Arenas chose after averaging 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while battling efficiency issues on a depleted squad.

Notable players staying in NBA Draft

Here are the notable players who decided to stay in the draft; elite prospects such as AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer and more aren’t included because there was never any question about their decisions. 

Allen Graves, Santa Clara

Former Santa Clara forward Allen Graves told DraftExpress he will be staying in the NBA Draft. Graves was the Broncos’ third-leading scorer this season (11.8 PPG) and helped lead the team to its first NCAA Tournament in 30 years. Graves is widely touted as a projected top-20 pick and won ample recognitions for his 2026 campaign, such as WCC Freshman, Sixth Man, and Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Cameron Carr, Baylor

Cameron Carr was one of the breakout stars in college basketball last season, emerging as a Big 12 stud after failing to find a role at Tennessee. The guard averaged 18.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and capitalized on his success by declaring for the NBA Draft with reportedly no consideration of returning to school.

Isaiah Evans, Duke 

Duke has assembled another loaded, deep roster for next season, and it became clear as the Blue Devils made their moves that they knew Isaiah Evans would not be back next season. He later made it official. Evans averaged 15.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore and was a 38 percent 3-point shooter across two seasons at Duke.

Morez Johnson Jr. Michigan

Michigan won’t have any of its championship frontcourt back, as projected first-round pick Morez Johnson Jr. will stay in the NBA Draft after a stellar season with the Wolverines. Johnson averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game next to Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara, starting all 40 games for the champs.

Dailyn Swain, Texas 

Texas forward Dailyn Swain said at the NBA Draft Combine that he wasn’t giving any consideration to returning to school after one season with the Longhorns and three under Sean Miller. Swain, a projected late first-round pick, averaged 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last season, and he averaged 1.4 steals per game across three seasons.

Henri Veessar, North Carolina

North Carolina forward Henri Veesaar has been committed to staying in the draft throughout the process and reiterated at the combined that he «just felt like it was the right time to go to NBA.» Veesaar was a centerpiece for the Tar Heels last season, averaging 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game after transferring from Arizona, but North Carolina’s coaching change played a role in shaking up the roster. Veesaar is considered a borderline first-round prospect.

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