The transfer portal has been open for 10 days now and closes on Tuesday. As is the norm nowadays, portal commitments have been running rampant during this time period. Many teams around the country have begun to finalize their 2026-27 rosters. Meanwhile, in Ann Arbor, things have been almost shockingly quiet.
Are you concerned about that?
It’s important to keep everything in perspective. Dusty May and the Michigan Wolverines won the National Championship roughly an hour or so before the portal officially
opened. Any concerns fans may have about next year’s roster pale in comparison to the euphoria we just experienced watching this program win a title.
It’s almost cruel May and the coaching staff can’t relish the championship longer and are immediately forced to dive into portal season. In the immediate aftermath of the National Championship, assistant coach Akeem Miskdeen posted an Instagram story from the locker room of the coaches evaluating guys that had planned on entering the transfer portal.
The college basketball calendar never stops. So far, Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney and Oscar Goodman have confirmed they will be returning. The Wolverines also have the No. 2 ranked recruiting class in the nation with five-star guard Brandon McCoy Jr, four-star guard Joseph Hartman, four-star wings Lincoln Cosby and Quinn Costello, three-star wing Malachi Brown and unranked international center Marcus Moller. Michigan also picked up a portal commitment from former Tennessee forward J.P. Estrella, the 22nd ranked player per 247Sports.
With all that said, there are still a ton of unknowns when it comes to Michigan’s 2026-27 roster. Should Aday Mara go pro, what will be Michigan’s answer at center? Would May rely on Morez Johnson Jr. (if he returns), or could Estrella suffice for a rim protector? Will Johnson even return? If both Johnson and Mara go pro, what are the depth options in the front court?
Additionally, will L.J. Cason be able to play at all this next season? After coming off a redshirt, will Ricky Liburd be a part of the rotation? Michigan also has two players in the portal in Winters Grady and Malick Kordel — will either withdraw and return?
Thus far, news has been scant. We know Juke Harris visited during Michigan’s national championship parade, but outside of that, there have been no publicly announced visitors. Is May content to let the NBA Draft decisions play out and risk not finding replacements in the portal? If so, does that imply an extreme confidence in his impressive high school recruiting class?
If we’ve learned anything over the past two years, it’s that fans should have complete and total trust in May. He turned an 8-24 program around almost instantly. He has also worked in the dark predominantly, as several of Michigan’s bigger transfers in recent years were announced seemingly out of nowhere, including Estrella.
I’m by no means worried about the trajectory of Michigan basketball. I simply find it odd that while other teams are getting close to set with their rosters, we still have no idea what the defending national champs will look like.
How concerned are you, if at all? Do you completely trust May no matter what happens? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
