As the 2023-2024 season ended with a disappointing first-round exit in the NCAA tournament, so did the Dusty May era at Florida Atlantic.
About 24 hours later, after the final buzzer in the Owls game against Northwestern, reports said that May had accepted an offer to become Michigan’s next men’s basketball head coach.
However, FAU wouldn’t remain sitting on their hands. Three days later, the program found its next head coach in Baylor assistant coach John Jakus.
In his introductory press conference on March 29, Jakus told the crowd filled with fans, students, alumni and donors that he asked the players to give him until Monday before making a decision on where they’d continue their basketball careers.
Once Monday, April 1. hit, it was a bad April Fools’ joke for FAU hoops fans as the beginning of a mass exodus ensued. After three players announced their entry into the transfer portal on the first day of the month, the number would inflate to nine before the deadline to enter the portal on May 1.
Some players have left the door open to the possibility of returning to FAU, if they don’t find another place to call home, while others have begun their next chapter.
Here is a full list of FAU’s transferred players. The list will be updated as more information comes out.
Giancarlo Rosado – University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Rosado is a Palm Beach County native who’s spent the last four years at FAU. He played a pivotal role as the backup big man to Vlad Goldin in the last two seasons. He had arguably the best game of his career, missing not a single shot (6/6) in FAU’s first-round March Madness matchup against Memphis in 2023.
Rosado averaged 12.7 minutes this past season, the lowest of his career since the 2020-2021 season. He also missed nine straight games due to a knee sprain.
A week after announcing his decision to enter the portal via Instagram, Rosado posted his commitment to American Athletic Conference rival Charlotte. Charlotte finished third in the AAC standings this past season.
Nick Boyd – San Diego State University
The New York native, Boyd, spent the last four years at FAU. He played in 23 games with an average of 15 minutes his freshman year, Boyd redshirted the following season to keep a year of eligibility.
It wouldn’t be until the 2022-2023 season when Boyd would etch his name in FAU history with the game-winning layup against Memphis in the first round of the 2023 NCAA tournament.
Despite missing seven games last season due to a leg injury, Boyd averaged a career-high 9.3 points per game on 24 minutes a game.
Boyd was the first FAU player to announce his decision to transfer on April 1. Despite writing in his statement that he’d consider a return to FAU, Boyd ultimately found his next home. He announced his commitment to the San Diego State University Aztecs on April 20.
SDSU was the team that eliminated FAU in their Final Four matchup in 2023. Furthermore, Boyd was the defender on Lamont Butler, who hit the buzzer-beating game-winning shot for the Aztecs.
SDSU is coming off a Sweet 16 appearance in 2024 after losing to the reigning national champion University of Connecticut.
Alijah Martin – University of Florida
Martin, who earned second-team all-tournament in 2023 for his standout five-game stretch during FAU’s Final Four run, spent the last four years at FAU. Since the 2021-2022 season, the athletic 6-foot-2-inch guard averaged at least 13 points a game on an average of 29 minutes.
The day after officially announcing his decision to transfer on April 20 via Instagram, he declared his commitment to the Florida Gators. The Gators are coming off a sixth-place finish in the Southeastern Conference and a March Madness appearance. In the tournament, they lost 102-100 in the first round to Colorado.
Former FAU head coach Dusty May was an assistant coach at Florida from 2015-2018.
Johnell Davis – University of Arkansas
Davis made a name for himself after being the first player in NCAA tournament history to record 25+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ steals in a game (against FDU in 2023). After also being named to second-team all-tournament in 2023, Davis kept his name circulating in the college basketball world with his 2023-2024 campaign.
The 6-foot-4-inch guard from Gary, Indiana, averaged a career-high 18 points on an efficient 48% from the field and 41% from three.
After spending the last four seasons at FAU, Davis announced via Instagram on April 2 that he’d enter the portal while also entering the NBA draft.
One month later, on May 2, Davis announced via Instagram his commitment to the University of Arkansas. A report by college basketball insider Jeff Goodman stated that Davis was offered an NIL deal “north of one million dollars” to play for the Razorbacks, which may have influenced his decision to commit over pursuing the NBA. Davis had not received an invite to the NBA draft combine.
This off-season, Arkansas hired Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Calipari as their own, a move that shocked college basketball fans. Calipari has built himself a reputation for recruiting and producing NBA talent, coaching 58 NBA draft picks throughout his career.
Vladislav Goldin – University of Michigan
“Big Bad Vlad,” as FAU fans called him, started off his collegiate career at Texas Tech University, where he saw minimal playing time. Goldin transferred to FAU in 2021 and since then, he has become a fan-favorite for the program.
The 7-foot-1-inch center played in every game since the 2021-2022 season (107), starting in all except one. He averaged career highs in points (15 PPG), field goal percentage (67%) and blocks (1.6 BPG) last season.
Goldin was one of the first players to announce his decision to transfer. Despite writing in his statement that he’d be entering the NBA draft while considering a return to FAU, he ultimately decided to follow Dusty May and committed to Michigan on May 5 via Instagram.
Michigan finished last in the Big 10 standings last season with an 8-24 overall record and a 3-17 conference record. The hope for the Wolverines is that the two FAU acquisitions in May and Goldin will turn their program around.
Brenen Lorient – University of North Texas
The 6’ 9 forward spent his first two years at Florida Atlantic. Lorient saw a career high of eight minutes per game last season, serving as a small-ball big man who could guard any position on the court.
He announced his decision to enter his name into the transfer portal on Apr 10. via Instagram. In his statement, he wrote that he is considering a potential return to FAU but on May 9. he announced his commitment to UNT.
North Texas, fellow competitors in the AAC, finished last season with an overall record of 19-15 and ended seventh in the conference.
Leo Beath – Transfer Portal
According to a report by verbalcommits.com, Beath entered the transfer portal minutes before the May 1 deadline. No other source has confirmed this, and Beath has not publicly announced his transfer via social media.
The 6-foot-8-inch junior forward redshirted during the 2022-2023 season. He also only appeared in five games last season for an average of two minutes a game.
Isaiah Gaines – Transfer Portal
The 6-foot-8-inch senior forward announced on April 5 that he’d be entering the transfer portal while considering a return to Florida Atlantic.
Gaines spent his freshman year at Northwest Mississippi Community College before transferring to FAU for the 2022-2023 season. He’s appeared in 37 games over the last two seasons for an average of four minutes per game.
Alejandro Ralat – Transfer Portal
According to 247sports.com, a trusted college athletics news site, Ralat entered the transfer portal on Apr 23. Ralat has not confirmed anything on social media.
The redshirt senior first joined Florida Atlantic during the 2019-2020 season. He’s played in 43 games over the last five seasons for an average of five minutes per game. Last season, Ralat appeared in only one game.
JD Delcastillo is the Managing Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email him at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @jd.delcastillo or X (Twitter) @jd_delcastillo.
