In unsurprising fashion, the Horizon League will be full of new faces in 2026-27. A handful of teams were able to retain six players from their 2025-26 rosters, but no more, meaning every team, at a minimum, had to build more than half of its roster through the transfer portal or with high school and international recruits.
The sad reality is that mid-major stars, and even role players, transferring up in competition at the first opportunity has become the norm in college basketball. Unfortunately,
last season’s award winners in the Horizon League followed the same trend. Before fully diving into each team’s 2026-27 roster in my Horizon League preview, I figured I would go through last season’s award winners, providing updates on where each player returning to college basketball will play this season.
All-League First Team
Orlando Lovejoy: As a senior for Detroit Mercy, Lovejoy averaged 15.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals, while nearly leading the Titans to the Big Dance in the Horizon League Tournament. As for the 2026-27 season, he recently announced he’ll be transferring to Green Bay. He is currently part of a Kentucky lawsuit in the fight for a fifth year, so his status is uncertain right now. If deemed eligible, he immediately becomes a top candidate for league player of the year honors.
Brody Robinson: Despite Oakland faltering down the stretch and bowing out the first round of the league tournament, Robinson put together an exceptional season for Greg Kampe. He was the league leader in assists at 6.7 per game and was fourth in scoring at 17.6 points per game. Robinson currently sits in a similar situation to Lovejoy. He has committed to Creighton for the upcoming season, but is part of a Tennessee lawsuit fighting for a fifth year of eligibility. It’s a wait-and-see game for now, but should he become eligible, he’ll be a fun piece for Alan Huss in his first year as the Blue Jays’ head coach.
Corey Hadnot II: The Purdue Fort Wayne guard was among the nation’s best at scoring the basketball last season. Hadnot averaged 20.4 points, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game, proving himself a game-changer on both ends of the floor. His spectacular season didn’t go unnoticed by the best coaches in the country as he transferred to Houston to play for Kelvin Sampson. He should have an opportunity right away to be an offensive spark for a defense-minded program, while being plenty good enough on that end as well.
TJ Burch: Burch was one of the most fun players to watch in the league last year. The feisty guard was one of the best perimeter defenders in the country, averaging 2.6 steals per game, ranking seventh nationally. His offensive production was streaky at times, but he finished the year averaging 12.4 points and 3.6 assists. After earning all-league honors, the Defensive Player of the Year award and the Newcomer of the Year award, Burch transferred to Utah.
DeSean Goode: For the second consecutive season, a Robert Morris power forward took home the Player of the Year award. After transferring from IU Indy, Goode exploded onto the scene for the Colonials, averaging 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds. He was a matchup nightmare for the league and led Robert Morris to seven consecutive wins to close the regular season. The athletic forward transferred to Miami (FL) this offseason.
All-League Second team
Ryan Prather Jr.: After playing a complimentary role in Robert Morris’ championship season in 2024-25, Prather became a leader and one of Andy Toole’s most productive players last season. The junior guard averaged 15.7 points, 3.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds while leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.4. He has transferred to Iowa State for his senior season.
Donovan Oday: Oday’s role for Northern Kentucky was simple. Get buckets. And he did. He did an exceptional job of running the floor and getting out in transition, and filled it up as a volume shooter, averaging 18.6 points per game to go along with 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He too is part of a Kentucky lawsuit for a fifth season, and has committed to Troy should that be granted.
Cris Carroll: Offense was hard to come by for the Penguins last year, but Carroll was the lone bright spot on that end for Ethan Faulker. In his second season at Youngstown State, after two years in JUCO ball, Carroll averaged 17.4 points and 5.2 rebounds. He is currently part of an Ohio lawsuit looking for an additional year, but has not committed to a school.
All-League Third Team
Dayan Nessah: The power forward showcased tons of versatility for Cleveland State. He was disruptive with his length, blocking shots and getting deflections, and he showcased his potential to be a total package on the offensive end, carrying the scoring load at times for the Vikings. He averaged 15.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a steal per game. He made a short move west, committing to Loyola Chicago for the upcoming season.
TJ Nadeau: Detroit Mercy had a real weapon in Nadeau, who was the best shooter in the league last season. The sophomore guard averaged 13.2 points per game, but shot a ridiculous 46.7% on 3-pointers. The Titans won some games with grit, but thanks to Nadeau, among others, they won in shootouts on occasion. He will be taking his sharpshooting prowess south and playing for Tulane this season.
CJ O’Hara: As part of the great story that was Green Bay’s resurgence last season, O’Hara had a big year on the wing, averaging 14.1 points and 4.4 rebounds. He committed a Horizon-on-Horizon crime this offseason, transferring the defending champion Wright State where he’ll be a big piece in its quest for a repeat title.
Kyler D’Augustino: IU Indy didn’t win a ton of games last season, but it was an incredibly fun team to watch. D’Augustino was the head of that snake. The star guard averaged 18.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists, anchoring the highest scoring offense in the league. He’s headed back to his home state this season to play for Ohio.
All-Freshman Team
Stevie Elam: With the injuries Milwaukee dealt with, Elam played more than most people would have anticipated in the preseason. He answered the call by averaging 10.5 points and 4.7 rebounds, providing much-needed consistency for a team that had anything but that. He transferred to Miami (OH) to help Travis Steele keep things rolling in Oxford after a magical season.
Michael Cooper: Cooper missed some time with an injury last season, but when he was healthy, he produced. For extended stretches, the league champions relied on the freshman guard to be a go-to scorer. He averaged 13.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He’s headed all the way west this season as he transferred to Cal.
All-Defensive Team
Nikolaos Chitikoudis: Next to Goode, Chitikoudis was a formidable interior presence for Robert Morris last season. He didn’t block shots like Amarion Dickerson did for the Colonials in 2024-25, but he was solid, averaging 0.7 steals and blocks to go along with 11.3 points and 7.7 rebounds. The big man is headed to the Big East for this season and will play for Xavier.
Imanuel Zorgvol: Youngstown State, despite its struggles last season, finished second in the league in scoring defense, and Zorgvol had a lot to do with that. He led the league with 1.9 blocks per game and will play for Hofstra this season.
Sixth Man of the Year
Chevalier Emery: After a year at Western Carolina headlined by streaky shooting, Emery found himself a home at Cleveland State. He averaged 12.7 points on a much-improved 46.2% from the field and 38.2% on 3-pointers. His status for 2026-27 remains to be determined, as he is also part of an Ohio lawsuit.
