Dusty May and the Michigan Wolverines didn’t take long to get their first commitment through the transfer portal this offseason, as former Tennessee big man J.P. Estrella has committed to the Maize and Blue. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Thursday afternoon.
The 6-foot-11, 240-pounder was a redshirt sophomore this past year for Tennessee and averaged 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in 33 games played (13 starts). He shot 59.6 percent from the field and 40.0 percent (4-of-10 overall) from beyond the arc, playing 18.3 minutes per game for the Volunteers.
Michigan got an up close look at Estrella not too long ago, as the Wolverines faced off against the Volunteers in the Elite Eight. Estrella didn’t have his best game — to be fair, no Tennessee player did — but he did put together a seven-point, seven-rebound performance against his future team.
Tennessee was the best rebounding team in the country this season, and Estrella was a huge part of that. Additionally, Estrella was one of the best offensive rebounders in the country, as he compiled 92 offensive boards (2.79 per game, top-50 in the country) in 2025-26.
Considering neither of Michigan’s big men — Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. — have announced their plans for next season, this commitment from Estrella all but guarantees that at least one of them will be moving on. We will bring you that news when/if that happens, but don’t be surprised to see at least one of the move on.
Estrella is the first player to commit to Michigan via the portal this offseason. He is ranked as the No. 36 overall player in the portal, per On3, and No. 21 overall on 247Sports.
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