Indiana lands former SMU big man Samet Yigitoglu out of NCAA Transfer Portal

Former SMU center Samet Yigitoglu has committed to transfer to Indiana, according to DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony.

The 7-footer spent the past two seasons with the Mustangs and was one of the ACC’s most improved players this year for Andy Enfield and Co. He averaged 10.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 blocks per game in 28 minutes per game, shooting 63% from the field.

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As a freshman last year, Yigitoglu started 32 of team’s 35 games, averaging 10 points, 6.2 rebounds and one block per game while shooting 53% from the field. That mark was among the best ever for an SMU first-year player.

However, he opted to enter the portal last week and quickly emerged as one of the top centers available in a class that is sparse with impact big men. South Carolina, Texas Tech, Washington, Louisville, and Gonzaga were among the other schools in early contact with Yigitoglu.

Indiana prioritized the 7’1 Turkey native and have now closed the deal to add to one of the country’s best portal hauls so far. Yigitoglu currently ranks as the No. 37 overall transfer and No. 7 center to hit the portal this cycle.

Hoosiers loading up in Year 2 under Darian DeVries

IU now has the No. 1 class in On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings with four commitments, including three ranked as four-star prospects.

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The group is headlined by Notre Dame transfer Markus Burton, one of the country’s premier scoring lead guards over the past three years. After winning the ACC’s Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 2023-24, he missed seven games with a knee injury as a sophomore and 21 games with his ankle injury as a junior.

Despite all of that, he averaged better than 21 points per game as a sophomore and nearly 19 a contest as a junior before the injury cost him most of his season. He is joined by Georgia Tech transfer guard Jaeden Mustaf and Duke transfer Darren Harris, who played primarily a reserve role over the past two seasons.

Harris appeared in 36 games this past season, averaging 3.3 points and 9.7 minutes per game in 2025-26. Mustaf, meanwhile, averaged 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds last season while shooting 39% from behind the arc this season for the Yellow Jackets.