Michigan Basketball has had incredible success in the transfer portal since its inception. Here’s how we rank each of the Wolverines’ 19 incoming transfers during the portal era:
The transfer portal as a database was launched in Oct. 2018. Despite a slow start, the portal now rules the college world when it comes to roster management. Since its inception, Michigan has taken in 19 transfers.
Today we’re going to take a stab at ranking each of them.
19. Brandon Wade (Duquesne)
Wade was just the second player to transfer to Michigan via the transfer portal and was simply a part of the bench mob.
18. Jaron Faulds (Columbia)
Faulds, also a part of the bench mob for a few years, was a Michigan native who opted for a Michigan degree rather than an Ivy League degree. His impact on the court was minimal.
17. Tray Jackson (Seton Hall)
The first transfer on our list who came to Ann Arbor with a legitimate shot at playing time, Jackson was a bit of a disappointment in his one year at Michigan. He appeared in 28 games but scored just five points per game.
16. Sam Walters (Alabama)
Fans had high hopes for Walters as a lethal sharpshooter, but injuries prevented him from playing much in his one year at Michigan.
15. Jaelin Llewellyn (Princeton)
Like Walters, Michigan was hoping to rely on him before an injury shut him down for the year. In Llewellyn’s case, it was an ACL tear. However, even prior to the injury, he had been slightly disappointing as an up-transfer from the Ivy League.
14. Aday Mara (UCLA)
Here’s where the list starts to get complicated. Mara has yet to suit up for the Wolverines, but the 7-foot-3 big man should play a big part in the rotation next year. Mara could be much higher on this list by season’s end.
13. DeVante’ Jones (Coastal Carolina)
Jones got off to a rough start in a disappointing 2021-22 season. However, he picked up steam as the season went on, including a memorable performance against Ohio State. He was certainly a serviceable Big Ten point guard.
12. Rubin Jones (North Texas)
Jones played just one year in Ann Arbor. While not a stat stuffer by any means, he was a defensive pest who made key plays at key times. I’ll always remember him for his put-back slam at home in the upset win over Purdue.
11. Morez Johnson (Illinois)
Like Mara, it’s tough to project what this year’s incoming transfers will look like without seeing them in action just yet. However, Johnson is expected to be the starting center this year and should play a crucial role moving forward.
10. Roddy Gayle Jr. (Ohio State)
Year 1 at Michigan was full of ups and downs. His three-point shooting wasn’t stellar, but his superb free-throw shooting came up clutch. Gayle should be a major contributor to the 2025-26 team.
9. Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina)
Cadeau is an excellent playmaker and distributor who needs to get better at not turning the ball over. With Michigan projected to be a top-five team in the country this year, it’s hard not to include their presumed starting point guard in the top-10 incoming transfer rankings.
8. Olivier Nkamhoua (Tennessee)
Nkamhoua tends to get overlooked because of how poorly his lone season in Ann Arbor went for the team. However, the team’s failure was hardly his fault. He played 33.4 minutes per game and had 14.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He also battled a few nagging injuries. I firmly believe had the team around him been better, Nkamhoua would be remembered much more fondly.
7. Nimari Burnett (Alabama)
Burnett never quite lived up to his five-star recruiting profile, but that doesn’t make him a bad player by any means. He has been an excellent three-and-D defender at Michigan, and he will be one of the leaders of the team once again this season.
6. Mike Smith (Columbia)
The 2020 transfer portal haul of Mike Smith and Chaundee Brown was the first true taste of the portal for Michigan fans. Despite being undersized, Smith was lightning-quick in the backcourt. In his lone season at Michigan, he averaged nine points, 5.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. While not the most talented player to ever transfer in, his impact was unparalleled, as he led Michigan to a Big Ten championship and an Elite Eight appearance.
5. Chaundee Brown (Wake Forest)
Like Smith, Brown may not have been the most talented transfer portal addition for the Wolverines, but his skillset was exactly what they needed. Brown averaged eight points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game off the bench. He was a wing who was not ball-dominant, which helped space the floor when the Wolverines desperately needed it.
4. Tre Donaldson (Auburn)
Admittedly, Donaldson was the player I had the toughest time placing on this list. He had an up and down season, but it ended emphatically on an up. He poured in 11.3 points, 4.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game last season, and was the catalyst to a Michigan offense that lacked playmaking at times. His game-winner against Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament will likely live in Michigan lore for some time.
3. Vlad Goldin (Florida Atlantic)
Goldin came to Michigan as a fairly polished big man. His back-to-the-basket game and touch around the basket were exquisite. At Michigan, he dominated throughout most of a grueling Big Ten schedule and helped the Wolverines make the Sweet Sixteen. He averaged 16.6 points, seven rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 assists per game.
2. Danny Wolf (Yale)
Goldin’s counterpart in Area 50-1 slots in just higher than him. In his one season in Ann Arbor, Wolf tallied 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. His ball-handling ability at 7-foot was second to none in college basketball. He will likely be drafted as high as the late lottery in the upcoming NBA Draft .
1. Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB)
Lendeborg has to be No. 1 on this list, as he was the top rated player in the portal this offseason. Having fended off the NBA for his services, Michigan will likely rely heavily on his talent across the board. He averaged a double-double at UAB last year with 17.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. He is also the type of player who should have no trouble up-transferring due to his physical brand of basketball.