After a phenomenal 2025 transfer class that featured 247Sports’ No. 1 rated player in Yaxel Lendeborg, No. 26 Morez Johnson Jr., No. 46 Aday Mara and No. 60 Elliot Cadeau, head coach Dusty May will once again need to hit the portal hard this offseason.
With Lendeborg, Will Tschetter, Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle Jr. all out of eligibility, as well as a couple guys in Johnson and Mara with NBA Draft decisions to make, the Wolverines will likely be eyeing the transfer portal to replenish the talent that is departing Ann Arbor.
The portal opened on Tuesday, just one day after Michigan won the national championship, and May and his staff are already hard at work building the roster for next year.
It didn’t take long for reports to start trickling out regarding some of the guys Michigan may be in on, and we sure would like a lot of the guys that are being mentioned. Here are some of the names we are putting on our transfer portal wishlist this offseason.
On3’s Jamie Shaw ($) said he expects the Wolverines to “get involved” with Kansas center Flory Bidunga, who is the top player in the portal according to 247Sports.
Bidunga is heavily believed to land with Texas Tech as of now, but it’s still very, very early in the process. He is coming off a stellar sophomore year, leading the Big 12 in field goal percentage (64.0) and blocks per game (2.6), all while contributing 13.3 points per game. He definitely has the physicality and toughness to thrive under May and would instantly slot into one of the starting spots should Mara and/or Johnson leave college.
Wisconsin G John Blackwell
Shaw also mentioned Michigan as a team to watch for Wisconsin guard John Blackwell. The senior-to-be is an outstanding player, but he may not be the best fit with both Cadeau and Trey McKenney returning to Ann Arbor next season, along with incoming five-star freshman guard Brandon McCoy Jr. However, May has been unconventional with his roster building — playing two centers together two seasons ago and three big men at the same time this past season — so it wouldn’t be that odd to see a guard-heavy roster next year if that’s the hand that May is dealt.
Blackwell is a certified bucket-getter, recording 19.1 and 15.8 points per game, respectively, over the last two seasons. His Big Ten familiarity would also make for a seamless transition.
Colorado G Isaiah Johnson
Shaw also mentioned Isaiah Johnson as a possibility for Michigan. He had an impressive freshman campaign which saw him average a shade under 17 points per game, along with 2.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. His size (6-foot-1) may be redundant with Cadeau, but with L.J. Cason redshirting due to his injury, that backup role is still vital to the team.
Providence C Oswin Erhunmwunse
Oswin Erhunmwunse would make a lot of sense as well. In May’s first year, the duo of Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin largely led them to the Sweet 16. With the entire starting front court possibly departing, May will certainly need to target some centers in the portal, and the Providence big man would be a fantastic get.
Erhunmwunse only averaged 6.8 points per game over his first two seasons at Providence, but he would be a monster defensively — he averaged 8.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game this past season and could definitely help if one of Mara and Johnson depart.
- 247Sports’ Travis Branham also linked Michigan to San Diego State small forward Miles Byrd. He’s the No. 5 player in the transfer portal as of now and would be a solid replacement for Lendeborg at 6-foot-6 and 190 pounds.
- Paulius Murauskas, a 6-foot-8 power forward from St. Mary’s who averaged 18.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and converted on 33.3 percent of his tries from downtown, would also be an awesome get.
- Finally, there’s Boise State center Drew Fielder, a 6-foot-11 stretch who scored 14.7 points per game and shot better than 40 percent from three for the Broncos.
Who are some other names Michigan should go after? Let us know down in the comments section below.
