For just three hours on April 27, USC men’s basketball star freshman guard Alijah Arenas was an early entry candidate for the 2026 NBA draft, per RecruitsNews.
Then, he withdrew to return for his sophomore campaign, according to RecruitsNews.
Despite missing the beginning of the 2025-26 season due to a torn meniscus suffered in a car crash in June 2025, Arenas made his Trojan debut in January. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game through 14 games in his freshman season. Arenas was also tabbed to one weekly Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor after a career-high 29-point performance at Indiana and a 24-point showing at Penn State.
Arenas was listed as the No. 39 overall-ranked player in CBS Sports’ NBA Draft Prospect Rankings. If he decided to stay in the draft, analysts projected him to be a Day 2 pick.
Arenas wasn’t the only Trojan to enter his name for early candidacy. Sophomore forward Jacob Cofie entered his name, despite re-signing with USC on April 21. Junior center Gabe Dynes also put in his name after entering the transfer portal on April 17.
Early entry allows underclassmen and international players to add their name into the draft if they have not yet used all their college eligibility. In order to declare for the draft, a player must be at least 19 years old and must wait for one full NBA season to pass after they have graduated high school.
The NBA announced on April 27 that 71 candidates entered their name for early entry, a drop from last year’s 106.
With his withdrawal, Arenas will retain his full college eligibility. Cofie and Dynes must decide whether to withdraw their entry and return to their programs by May 27 to maintain their respective college eligibility.