Anderson, who coached Njie last season at Iona, found a job as an assistant coach at South Florida after being fired by Iona in March. Njie, who committed to Dayton on Friday, was the third player to join UD’s 2025-26 roster in a six-day stretch.
For Dayton coaches, the recruiting is far from over. While the deadline to enter the transfer portal passed on Tuesday, there is no deadline for exiting the portal. Players can take as long as they want to find new schools.
Dayton’s first three transfers — Njie, Jordan Derkack and De’Shayne Montgomery — give Dayton depth at guard. Those three will compete for playing time with Javon Bennett, who will be a senior next season, and incoming freshman Jaron McKie.
Dayton now needs to improve its depth in the front court. Adding a player with 3-point shooting credentials wouldn’t hurt.
The current 2025-26 roster includes nine scholarship players and four walk-ons, if they all return from last season. That leaves two open spots on the 15-man roster. Four times in coach Anthony Grant’s first eight seasons he used 12 scholarships, one short of the limit, which was 13 until this year. That history indicates Dayton will add three more players.
Here’s a look at some of the players in the portal Dayton has reached out to in recent weeks. The list does not include the names of players who have not talked to the various national recruiting writers about the schools recruiting them.
Malcolm Thomas, Villanova: A 6-foot-8 forward from Mitchellville, Md., Thomas was a three-star recruit in the 2024 class. He did not play as a freshman at Villanova, so he has four seasons of eligibility remaining. He’s the son of Etan Thomas, a Syracuse star who was a first-round pick in 2000. Dushawn London, of 247Sports.com, reported Dayton was one of the many schools to contact Thomas.
Jason Drake, Drexel: a 6-2 guard from Detroit, Drake averaged 11.1 points and 3.1 assists as a junior last season. He played his freshman season at Cleveland State and his sophomore season at Butler Community College. Dayton expressed interest in Drake, he told The Portal Report last week.
Braden Housley, Utah State: A 6-4 guard from Lehi, Utah, he averaged 10.8 points as a redshirt freshman at Southern Utah in the 2023-24 season. He was limited to three games last season at Utah State because of an injury. Dayton expressed interest in Housley, he told The Portal Report earlier this month.
Dominick Nelson, Utah Valley: A 6-5 guard from Miami, Fla., Nelson averaged 14.4 points and 5.2 rebounds as a junior last season. He was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Nelson played his first two seasons at Polk State College in Winterhaven, Fla. Dayton expressed interest in Nelson, according to The Portal Report.
Daniel Rouzan, Bethune Cookman: A 6-9 forward from Las Vegas, Nev., Rouzan averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds last season as a junior. He played his first two seasons at Weber State and Manhattan. Dayton expressed interest in Rouzan, according to The Portal Report.
Pjay Smith Jr., Furman: A 6-0 guard from Lavergne, Tenn., Smith averaged 17.6 points and 3.9 assists last season as a sophomore. Sam Kayser, of 247Sports.com, reported Dayton contacted Smith.
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