Danny Sprinkle has a big roster problem coming up, as the transfer portal hasn't yet yielded as many talented players as UW needs to compete. However, there's now some indication that Franck Kepnang may be considering taking his name out of the transfer portal. Kevin Cacabelos reports that Kepnang left the possibility open.
If Sprinkle can get Kepnang to pull his name from the transfer portal, that would be as big, if not bigger, than pulling a name out of the transfer portal. However, it does seem like Kepnang is getting plenty of suitors in the portal, so it will depend on fit and NIL money.
Franck Kepnang left open the possibility of coming back. I am sure UW would happily have him back. https://t.co/4t9ZyLTW8T
— Kevin Cacabelos (@SeaTownKev) May 3, 2026
Danny Sprinkle has to find a way to keep Franck Kepnang as a Husky
Related: ESPN's latest NBA mock draft has a Hannes Steinbach lower than expected
If there is an option to keep Kepnang in Montlake, Sprinkle has to find a way to do it. There's not a player on the roster who can replace him. Nor is there a player right now in the portal that has a similar profile. The Huskies have lost a ton of top-end talent and barely replaced it. If Sprinkle can't find a way to get some more players, next year could be even worse than the last two.
The Huskies have lost nine players to the transfer portal and/or graduation/NBA. Zoom Diallo, JJ Mandaquit, Desmond Claude, Courtland Muldrew, and Christian Nitu are all gone. Add in the fact that Hannes Steinbech and Bryson Tucker have decided to go all-in for the NBA Draft. Then Quimari Peterson and Jacob Ognacevic are gone after graduation.
Washington has only been able to bring in four players to replace all of those so far in the portal. Parker Friedrichsen, Steele Venters, Ryan Beasley, and LeJuan Watts. Only a couple of them should really be starters, so it's rough.
To make matters worse, Sprinkle doesn't have a single incoming freshman in the recruiting class. It's bad, and it may get worse if Sprinkle can't find some players. Not just any players, winners, cause the Huskies weren't great last year with one NBA player and two players that went to Arizona and Kentucky, respectively.
Retaining Kepnang would go a long way towards the goal of having a competent and even decently good roster next season.
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