With the off-season officially under way that means one thing and one thing only: the Transfer Portal is officially open. We know the age old saying, the Transfer Portal giveth, and the Portal will certainly taketh.

Like most mid major programs, it has been a rough few days for Florida Atlantic Men’s Basketball with six Owls currently in the portal, and possibly more to follow suit. But on Wednesday afternoon, some very good news was announced: Kanaan Carlyle is staying in Paradise.

Florida Atlantic’s announcement of Carlyle’s intention to return for his senior year was published via the Owls’ official team social media pages on Instagram and X.

The former Stanford and Indiana transfer was the Owls’ second-leading scorer this past season, putting up a career-best 14.3 points on 41% shooting, along with 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He played in 28 of FAU’s 33 games this past season, starting all but one of them.

In this new era of college basketball, it has become exceptionally difficult for mid-major programs like FAU to retain top talent on a year-to-year basis. Retaining a player of Carlyle’s stature is not only a massive win for Florida Atlantic, but serves as a light of salvation for other mid-major programs as well who have felt FAU’s struggles of losing top players to Power programs.

With the 6’3″ Carlyle now firmly in the Owls’ frame for the 2026-27 season, it will now be a matter of what the rest of the roster will look like as head coach John Jakus once again navigates filling holes left by players that ultimately depart.

Cover Photo Credits: Christian Proscia, NewEraPrep