Arizona State’s roster makeover has plenty of moving parts, but the transfer who matters most for 2026-27 is the one who already knows exactly what Randy Bennett wants.
Paulius Murauskas is the name that stands out in Tempe. The 6-8 forward from Lithuania is back with Bennett after spending the last two seasons at Saint Mary’s, and that familiarity is a big reason he looks like the centerpiece of this new Sun Devils group. Arizona State is entering a new era under Bennett, who arrived after 25 years building Saint Mary’s into a mid-major force, and the roster around him has been almost completely reshaped.
That kind of turnover was expected. Anthony Johnson and Moe Odum were out of eligibility, and Arizona State also lost several transfers, including Massamba Diop to Gonzaga. Bennett and his staff responded by going portal-heavy, while also bringing back rising senior guard Bryce Ford.
There’s size in the mix, too. The Sun Devils added a pair of 7-footers in Ben Defty from Boston University and Nathanial Garcia from Cal Baptist. Marcus Vaughns comes in from LSU with plenty of upside, Emmanuel Innocenti arrives from Gonzaga as a veteran piece, and Joel Foxwell and Dillan Shaw could both push for starting guard roles after strong freshman seasons at Portland and Saint Mary’s.
Still, Murauskas is the transfer who changes the ceiling.
He actually started his college career at Arizona before moving on and spending two years with Bennett and the Gaels, where he developed into one of the WCC’s best frontcourt players. As a junior, he averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and helped Saint Mary’s go 27-6. Those are the kind of numbers that put a player squarely in the conversation as one of the top available names in the portal.
Now he’s expected to carry that production into the Big 12 under the same coach and in the same system. The league will be a tougher daily grind, no question.
But Arizona State didn’t just land a familiar face. It landed the player most likely to set the tone for everything that follows.
There’s still plenty that needs to sort itself out with this roster, and the fit of the younger backcourt pieces will matter. But the clearest path for Arizona State starts with Murauskas.
If he delivers as the top scorer and leader, the Sun Devils have a chance to move closer to where they want to be in the Big 12. If he doesn’t, the whole thing gets a lot harder.