The No. 7 Michigan women’s basketball team will have more roster space than expected after graduating three players at the conclusion of the record-setting 2025-26 season. Following the team’s Elite Eight run, freshman guard McKenzie Mathurin declared her entry to the transfer portal.
“Thankful for my time at the University of Michigan and everyone who was part of the journey,” Mathurin shared Monday in a social media post. “Trusting myself and stepping into what’s next as I’ll be entering the transfer
portal.”
In her freshman year, Mathurin appeared in 25 games off the bench, scoring in double figures three times. She averaged 3.5 points and 0.7 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game. Mathurin was a solid three-point shooter, hitting 14 threes on a team-leading 38.9 percent clip.
With junior guard Macy Brown tearing her ACL on March 21 and senior guard Brooke Quarles Daniels graduating, Mathurin was a leading contender to become the team’s primary guard off the bench and earn more minutes in the 2026-27 season. Mathurin had the second-most minutes of bench guards, and the most minutes of any freshman, and was expected to take a larger role.
“I wanted to be coached up,” Mathurin said March 27 following the Wolverines’ Sweet 16 practice. “… I didn’t want to go somewhere I can really cruise by. I wanted to get better …
“When I came into practice, I just saw how we was pushing everyone, and I wanted to be in that environment. And I also saw how the players were pushing themselves too, like if, if someone was slacking, like it was your teammate, that was like telling you, come on, let’s go. Let’s go into your team. You didn’t just have to rely on the cash. So I knew that’s something I wanted to be a part of. I just want more people to help me, push me to be my best everyday.
Mathurin scored her season-high 15 points in an efficient 16 minutes on Jan. 8 against Penn State on 5-for-8 shooting, including an assist and a steal.
Mathurin was the No. 39 recruit in her class, ranked by ESPN, a four-star recruit from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma as the state’s first product to play for the Wolverines. She was a McDonald’s All-American nominee and also had international experience, playing for Team Great Britain in the 2025 EuroBasket training camp.
Following Mathurin’s departure, along with the three graduates, Michigan will have two open roster positions to fill via the transfer portal. The Wolverines are bringing in two incoming freshman signees, 6-foot-5 center Fope Ayo, ranked No. 45 by ESPN, along with 5-foot-10 guard No. 56 recruit (ESPN) Devin Cosgriff. This leaves room for Michigan to pursue top players in the portal to fill gaps at the guard and center positions, particularly considering Brown’s ACL tear. The Wolverines retain four starters and their top five leading scorers.
