Jalen Warley graduated high school in 2021 and was one of the most sought-after basketball prospects in the country. He held 15 offers from Division I college programs, including the Oregon Ducks, but committed to the Florida State Seminoles.
After three years for the Noles' Warley entered his name into the transfer portal and committed to the Virginia Cavaliers ahead of 2024. However, before the season could even tip-off, he once again entered his name in the portal.
BREAKING: Virginia guard Jalen Warley has entered his name into the transfer portal, he tells @On3sports.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 29, 2024
The 6-7 senior and former top-50 recruit transferred to UVA this offseason after spending the first three years of his career at Florida State. Averaged 7.5 PPG last… pic.twitter.com/dwcRFbQk3M
Warley was initially recruited to Oregon by head coach Dana Altman and assistant coach Tony Stubblefield before his three-year stint as DePaul's head coach. With Stubblefield's return to Eugene, should the Ducks once again enter their name as a possibility for Warley's future?
Altman already poached some of the top talent from the the most recent transfer portal. From T.J. Bamba to Brandon Angel, the Ducks were able to fill some glaring holes left behind by players who moved on to the next level.
Warley is a point guard which is a position Oregon has some decent depth at already. Sophomore Jackson Shelstad is expected to return as the Ducks' starting PG and will most likely be backed by players Keeshawn Barthalemey and Ra’Heim Moss
Even at the shooting guard position, Oregon is fairly stacked: Bamba, Mookie Cook, and Dez Lindsay round out the depth at that position. Not to mention, Warley has only averaged 6.0 points per game and doesn't necessarily excel with his shooting game.
On the positive, Warley has a lot of experience that some of the Ducks' depth chart lacks. As a fourth-year player, he is expected to redshirt this season to maintain the year of eligibility while he returns to the transfer process.
Warley has averaged 2.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game, playing in 96 games so far in his collegiate career.
While additional depth never hurts, Oregon doesn't necessarily need another guard. If Altman can, he should focus on adding height to his team. An additional center or power forward would do well for the Ducks instead of putting effort into Warley's recruiting again.