Washington talented star has revealed his plan to enter the transfer portal when it opens on March 24th, according to Travis Branham of 247 Sports. Butler, a true freshman this past season, averaged 1.9 points over 17 games for the Huskies.
The 6-foot-4 guard is the first Washington player to publicly announce his intention to transfer this offseason, though more departures are likely. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to retain more than a team’s core group from year to year—especially after a losing season like the one Washington just endured.
Jase Butler was the first high school player to commit to new head coach Danny Sprinkle at UW. He originally pledged to Illinois for most of his senior year but reopened his recruitment after his lead recruiter left for West Virginia. Sprinkle capitalized on the opportunity, landing Butler, who was ranked No. 107 in the 2024 recruiting class by the 247 Sports composite. Butler played his prep basketball in San Francisco, California.
Early on, there was optimism around Butler’s potential. He scored eight points off the bench during a road loss to Nevada in Washington’s second game of the season. Butler’s energy and three-point shooting helped UW mount a comeback, even though they ultimately lost after scoring just 53 points total. However, the only other games where Butler scored more than a single point were against lower-ranked opponents, specifically teams ranked 138th or worse by KenPom.
Advanced metrics indicated Butler was contributing in less obvious ways. He finished third on the team in EvanMiya’s BPR metric, narrowly edging out fellow freshman Zoom Diallo, despite Diallo logging over four times as many minutes. The BPR stat measures a player’s impact by looking at team performance while they’re on the floor and factoring in opponent strength.
But Butler’s season took a downturn in 2025. Over Washington’s final 18 games, he logged just 52 minutes, going scoreless on 0-for-9 shooting, with two rebounds and no assists. Most of those minutes came in garbage time during blowout losses, and his struggles to contribute offensively hurt his chances of carving out a role moving forward. Even after Luis Kortright was suspended late in the year, Butler’s playing time didn’t increase—an indication of where he stood in the coaching staff’s eyes.
As for Washington’s roster outlook next season, it remains highly uncertain. Four seniors—Great Osobor, Tyree Ihenacho, Luis Kortright, and DJ Davis—are out of eligibility. They’ll be replaced numerically by four newcomers: point guard JJ Mandaquit, shooting guard Courtland Muldrew, power forward Niko Bundalo, and junior college center Mady Traore.
New NCAA rules will raise the scholarship cap from 13 to 15 next season but eliminate the option to exceed that limit with walk-ons. Washington had 13 scholarship players this past year but also brought in French wing Dominique Diomande midseason as a walk-on. Based on Sprinkle’s comments after the season, Diomande is expected to take one of the available scholarships, while the rest of the walk-ons will likely move on. As of now, UW has two open spots to fill via the transfer portal.
There are still several unknowns. Wilhelm Breidenbach, out of eligibility, could apply for a medical hardship waiver after missing most of his freshman season at Nebraska. Franck Kepnang is also out of eligibility but is a strong candidate for an injury waiver after sitting out most of last year. Chris Conway has one remaining year but missed the entire season due to injury, and his future with the team is unclear. Other players could also enter the portal at any time.
Expect a busy offseason on Montlake as Coach Sprinkle looks to reshape the roster and rebound from a tough first season. Stay tuned for updates on Washington’s roster moves as they unfold.
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