The MAC Player of the Year from the Akron Zips has announced his entrance into the transfer portal. After producing in many different ways on the court, where could Nate Johnson land?
5 Landing Spots for MAC Player of the Year Nate Johnson
The Zips made the NCAA Tournament in 2025 in large part because of their star guard Nate Johnson, who averaged 14 points, grabbed 4.9 rebounds, and dished out 3.4 assists while shooting 43.9% from the field.
After a strong season, he’s now on the move and will be looking for another home through the transfer portal.
What programs could he end up with?
Baylor Bears
As a program that lost its entire roster to the transfer portal, yes, literally, the Bears should be eager to contact Johnson. Although head coach Scott Drew has secured the commitments of several guards, he’s been put in a position to reconstruct his entire roster through the portal.
Adding Johnson as either a starting guard or ultra-productive bench performer would be a huge get for the Baylor program. Johnson was tremendous in the MAC, but his transition to a power conference would likely be reflected in him filling a role. He does everything well, but the Bears need scoring, and he could certainly provide that.
Cincinnati Bears
If the former Zip and Liberty Township, Ohio, native is trying to stay close to home, joining Cincinnati makes perfect sense. The Bearcats lost bunches of talent in the portal after finishing the season 19–16.
Sophomore 6’3″ guard Jizzle James has yet to enter the portal, which could prove to be a perfect backcourt fit with the 6’3″ Johnson. Both play similar games in terms of stuffing the stat sheet, with the former Akron star playing with a more physical style that would complement the finesse of James.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame had a disappointing season in 2024–25, finishing with a 15–18 record despite a relatively weak ACC. They have talent, what they’re missing is a player to put it all together. Johnson could be the guy to do so, as his all-around play would benefit the team greatly.
The 5-11 guard Markus Burton averaged 21.3 points last season alongside 6-3 guard Braeden Shrewsberry, who contributed 14 points. However, they lacked any sort of defensive prowess, which Johnson could bring right away.
Head coach Micah Shrewsberry would be wise to contact Johnson to optimize his two starting guards and the Irish as a whole.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Another “Fighting” mascot that should be on Johnson’s radar is the Fighting Illini, who recently received word that their do-it-all freshman point guard, Kasparas Jakucionis, is declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft.
The departure of the talented freshman leaves a massive hole at a major playmaking position for Illinois. While Johnson likely isn’t the type of player to fill that role entirely, he could definitely help ease the transition as an able scorer. The Illini also had problems defensively last season, which Johnson could help solve.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Another team enduring the departure of a freshman point guard to the NBA Draft, the Scarlet Knights are seeing off Dylan Harper, leaving a void at that position. When Harper was on the court, he had massive amounts of responsibility that now will fall on someone else.
KEEP READING: What ‘Do Not Contact’ Really Means in the Transfer Portal
If Johnson is looking for more of a featured role, Rutgers could be the place. They failed to make the NCAA Tournament and finished the season under .500, making it a low-stakes landing spot for the former Zips star.
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