Bryce Heard has three seasons of eligibility remaining
Bryce Heard, a 6-foot-5 guard who spent his freshman season at North Carolina State, announced on Friday that he will be joining the Dayton Flyers.
Heard is part of Dayton’s 2025 transfer class, which includes guards Adam Njie Jr. (Iona), Jordan Derkack (Rutgers), De’Shayne Montgomery (Georgia), and forward Malcolm Thomas (Villanova), all of whom committed in April. This marks the largest number of transfers Dayton has acquired in a single offseason.
Last season, Heard had limited playing time, appearing in 24 games and averaging 1.2 points over 6.3 minutes per game. He logged double-digit minutes in three of his first four games but spent the rest of the season with fewer than ten minutes on the court.
Heard entered the transfer portal on March 25, joining a group of 11 players from N.C. State after the firing of coach Kevin Keatts and the hiring of Will Wade from McNeese State.
Heard began his high school basketball career at Kenwood High School in Chicago, then played his sophomore year at Montverde Academy in Florida. He returned to Illinois for his junior year at Homewood-Flossmoor, where he averaged 16.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, helping lead the team to a state championship.
Heard will be the second player from Homewood-Flossmoor to play for Dayton; Kevin Dillard, a Flyer from 2011 to 2013, graduated from the same school in 2008 and was part of the coaching staff when Homewood-Flossmoor won the state title.
Heard was a four-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, ranked 143rd nationally by 247Sports.com, but he chose to graduate early and enrolled at N.C. State in 2024, bypassing his senior year of high school.
“It’s bittersweet,” Heard shared with the Chicago Tribune about his decision to switch to the 2024 class. “Especially since they just renovated the gym and we’re coming off a state championship; of course, anyone would want to repeat. While it’s bittersweet, I have a lot of faith in the staff here and believe they will have a strong team. I see this as a fantastic opportunity to make an immediate impact at N.C. State.”
Heard committed to N.C. State in July 2024, choosing it over offers from Xavier, Mississippi State, and Southern California.
“Bryce Heard is an athletic wing with a strong scorer’s mentality,” wrote Jamie Shaw from On3.com in 2024. “He is typically known for driving to the basket but has also improved on creating his own shots in half-court settings. Defensively, he shows promise as an off-ball player, able to intercept passes and move his feet well. I’d like to see him keep developing his game awareness and maintain a consistent work rate, but he has made great strides over the past 12 to 16 months. His performance indicates significant potential for growth.”
In the same On3.com article, Heard described himself as a “3-level scorer who enjoys playing tough defense and wants to push the pace.”
With five transfers joining this spring, Dayton’s roster for the 2025-26 season now includes 11 scholarship players and four walk-ons, assuming all return:
- Seniors: Bennett, Derkack, Jacob Conner, Atticus Schuler (walk-on).
- Juniors: Montgomery, Makai Grant (walk-on), Evan Dickey (walk-on), Will Maxwell (walk-on).
- Redshirt Sophomore: Jaiun Simon.
- Sophomores: Amaël L’Etang, Njie, Heard.
- Redshirt Freshman: Thomas.
- Freshmen: Damon Friery, Jaron McKie.
Thomas is the 21st Division I transfer to join the program since Anthony Grant became head coach in 2017. Here’s a list of the other transfers:
- Malcolm Thomas, Villanova: April 24, 2025
- Adam Njie, Iona: April 18, 2025
- Jordan Derkack, Rutgers: April 15, 2025
- De’Shayne Montgomery, Georgia: April 13, 2025
- Posh Alexander, Butler: May 3, 2024
- Jacob Conner, Marshall: April 27, 2024
- Zed Key, Ohio State: April 17, 2024
- Enoch Cheeks, Robert Morris: March 30, 2023
- Nate Santos, Pittsburgh: June 13, 2023
- Isaac Jack, Buffalo: April 24, 2023
- Javon Bennett, Merrimack: April 10, 2023
- Tyrone Baker, Georgia: April 26, 2022
- Kobe Elvis, DePaul: May 14, 2021
- Richard Amaefule, East Tennessee State: April 12, 2021
- Toumani Camara, Georgia: April 8, 2021
- Elijah Weaver, Southern California: May 25, 2020
- Chase Johnson, Florida: Jan. 6, 2019
- Jordy Tshimanga, Nebraska: Aug. 2, 2018
- Rodney Chatman, Chattanooga: May 7, 2018
- Ibi Watson, Michigan: April 25, 2018
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