David Punch's Portal Exit Shows Why TCU's Elite Teams Can't Stay Together
When David Punch was a freshman at TCU, he was just another prospect filling out a roster. A 6-foot-7, 205-pound forward who didn't cost much coming out of high school as a sub-100 prospect in the Class of 2024, Punch averaged just 6.5 points for a Horned Frogs team that finished 16-16. Nobody was talking about him as a difference maker.
Now? That same player is 245 pounds, averaged 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks for a TCU team that advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. And that's the problem for the Horned Frogs. A guy like that can demand millions on the open market. So Thursday, Punch officially entered the transfer portal, and TCU's roster just took a hit.
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Does it sting for TCU? Absolutely. But this is where college basketball lives now. A role player becomes a star, his price tag jumps overnight, and suddenly a program can't afford to keep him. So TCU will take the money they were setting aside for Punch and chase someone else in the portal instead. It's a cycle that keeps spinning.
The fallout is immediate. TCU dropped to No. 24 in the latest CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 rankings for 2026-27. That's a significant tumble. For comparison, Texas fell just one spot, from No. 12 to No. 13, after losing 6-foot-8 forward Nic Codie to the portal. Codie averaged 26.5 minutes in the Longhorns' final two games of the season and scored 12 points with four rebounds in Texas's 74-68 win over Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan Stays on Top Despite the Chaos
While TCU and Texas are sliding, Michigan holds firm at No. 1. The Wolverines went 37-3 and won the national championship, and they're bringing back four of their top six scorers: Morez Johnson Jr., Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney and LJ Cason. They're also adding a recruiting class headlined by five-star Brandon McCoy Jr. and four-star prospects Lincoln Cosby, Quinn Costello and Joseph Hartman. Florida, Illinois, Michigan State and Duke round out the top five.
The portal is creating winners and losers early. Programs with depth and recruiting juice are staying put. Programs losing key contributors are watching their rankings slip before the 2026-27 season even tips off.
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