The transfer portal era in college athletics seems like it’s been with us forever. Likewise, most fans can recall less turbulent times when transfers happened, they simply didn’t look like a stampede to the 1849 California Gold Rush.
We thought it was time to rank the best transfers Cal teams have attracted, most of them in recent seasons but also including a few OGs from yesteryear.
We limited our ranking to transfers from four-year colleges.
Here is the next athlete in our countdown:
29. Justin Pippen
Sport: Basketball
Arrival year at Cal: 2025-26
Previous school: Played at Michigan as a freshman in 2024-25 (1.6 points per game in 6.7 minutes)
Contributions at Cal:
— The 6-foot-3 sophomore won the starting point guard job and played alongside fellow transfer Dai Dai Ames, giving the Bears a potent backcourt.
— The son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen averaged 14.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, was eighth in the ACC in assists (4.6) and third in the ACC in steals (1.91).
— A year after he scored more than seven points just once for Michigan, Pippen reached double digits 26 times for the Bears, including three games of at least 20 points.
— Pippen handed out five assists or more 16 times, with a best of eight to go with 17 points in an 86-85 victory at Miami, where he had four points and two assists in the final 5 minutes of a back-and-forth game.
— Pippen’s stay at Cal lasted just one year as he announced he would make a return to the Big Ten Conference with a transfer to Ohio State.
Standout performance: Pippen delivered a cluch, gritty effort in Cal’s 73-69 win over SMU on Feb. 25, helping lift the Bears to their 20th victory of the season. He shot just 2 for 10 from 3-point range, but was 6 for 9 from inside the arc and made 6 of 7 free throws. He also had four rebounds, five assists and three steals as the Bears denied the Mustangs in their quest for a 20th win.
Impact on his team: Despite having played very little in his only previous college season while at Michigan, Pippen gave the Bears a generally consistent, steadying hand at point guard. He helped steer the team to a 22-13 record — the program’s highest win total since 2017 — and to a berth in the NIT, the team’s first post-season bid since 2016.
Previously on our list:
Follow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter, Facebook and Bluesky
Add us as a preferred source on Google
