News that East Tennessee State guard John Buggs III put his name on the transfer portal spread like wildfire through the NCAA basketball world on Thursday. Considering his relevant performance with the Buccaneers last season, it’s no wonder offers are already pouring in.
John Buggs III Has Plenty of Choices
That’s exactly what’s happening, according to League Ready analyst reporter Sam Kayser. The report claims that Buggs has received offers from at least seven NCAA Division I programs, which would be as follows:
- Kansas — Big 12
- BYU — Big 12
- Utah — Big 12
- SMU — ACC
- Wyoming — Mountain West
- FIU — Conference USA
- College of Charleston — CAA
Most of these programs will lose one or more tall players during the current transfer window. FIU’s case stands out, having four guards over six feet on the transfer list. They just cannot afford to lose an option like Buggs.
Also interesting is the case of SMU, which is not losing any players at the position at the moment and has eight guards over six feet on the roster for next season. Still, they aspire to be the program where Buggs ends his college basketball career.
John Buggs III has played four seasons of college basketball, although he only played four games for Massachusetts in his debut (2019-20). He returned in 2022-23 when he played the entire season for UTSA, a year later he was at North Texas, and he played the season that just ended for East Tennessee State.
In 2024-25 he played in 26 games for the Buccaneers, averaging 29.5 minutes per game. His season averages were 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, and he was outstanding from the perimeter, scoring 41% of his 3-point shots.
KEEP READING: 2025 Men’s College Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker
His two-point shooting percentage was also above average as he shot 42.1%. From the free throw line, he made 74.2% of his attempts, the worst season of his career in this statistic.
In four seasons of college basketball, Buggs has played in 91 games, averaging 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. His shooting percentages are 41% on both 2-point and 3-point shots and 80.6% on free throws.
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