Following the surprising entry of Baylor forward Tounde Yessoufou into the NCAA transfer portal, the Bears have landed a forward to help soften the blow. UAB forward Evan Chatman has committed to Baylor, On3 has learned.
Chatman spent his first two years in college at McClennan CC, where he blossomed into a star in his sophomore season. He suited up for UAB as a transfer in 2025-26, jumping to a higher level of competition.
Evan Chatman fared reasonably well with the Blazers, too. He averaged 8.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, showing a consistent presence on the boards on both ends of the floor.
Interestingly enough, at 6 foot 8, 220 pounds, Chatman can also stretch the floor a bit. He is still working on developing his outside shot, but he made 22 shots from 3-point range in 2025-26.
A 27.5% clip from downtown will need improvement, but it’s an area of his game that shows definite room for growth. Evan Chatman was a 68.6% free-throw shooter this season.
During his lone campaign at UAB, Chatman recorded four double-doubles. He was in double figures scoring 12 times, while reaching double figures rebounding 11 times.
His highlight performance came in a stat-stuffing win over Memphis in late February. Evan Chatman recorded 22 points in the contest, while also notching eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals.
If that’s what Baylor can come to expect on a semi-routine basis, the Bears will be in good shape. And Chatman isn’t the only recent addition.
The Baylor Bears and head coach Scott Drew have made a massive addition to the 2026-2027 roster. Former Yale Bulldogs forward Isaac Celiscar committed to Baylor on Wednesday, On3 has learned. Celiscar will be making a massive jump from the Ivy League to the Big 12 in Waco. However, the Bears and their fans should be excited about this one.
Celiscar was rated a four-star prospect by the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings. He came in as the No. 117 overall player. Narrowing the list down to just small forwards, Celiscar is No. 17 at the position.
Multiple other programs from the power conference level were interested in Celiscar. Among them, two came from the SEC: the Kentucky Wildcats and the Texas A&M Aggies. A little further north in the Big Ten saw the Minnesota Golden Gophers getting in the mix. Ultimately, Baylor won the recruitment.
On3’s Griffin McVeigh also contributed to this report.