Examining an early transfer portal wishlist for Michigan Basketball

Oscar Goodman, Elliot Cadeau, and Trey McKinney have all confirmed that they will be back in Ann Arbor for another season. They will presumably be joined by L.J. Cason, Quinn Costello, Lincoln Cosby, and a few more fresh faces. Meanwhile, everyone is waiting on what Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. will do regarding their NBA decisions.

Right now, both are being mentioned as first-rounders by most mock drafts. That would leave a big hole in the frontcourt because Will Tschetter will be graduating, too. So assuming Michigan basketball adds Brandon McCoy to the 2026 class, they'll have to go all in on finding some bigs in the transfer portal who can contribute immediately.

The good thing for Dusty May is that he has shown how he can develop guys like Vlad Goldin, Danny Wolf, Yaxel Lendeborg, Mara, and Johnson Jr., which should make it easy for players to want to come to play for him. Here are some names that May and Michigan ought to target if they must search for more forwards or centers to help the program.

Somto Cyril-Georgia

A rim protector who collected 125 blocks in two seasons at Georgia. Cyril led the SEC in that category. An All-SEC defender, who shot 71% from the floor and doubled his point total in his second season in Athens. As a prospect, he's got some similarities to Mara that May can coach. Arkansas and John Calipari look to be the frontrunner for his services because he was once committed to him.

Ivan Juric-Penn State

Juric is not in the transfer portal, but it doesn't officially open until April 7th, and Penn State finished dead last in the Big Ten. The 7-footer gave Michigan a close look at what he can do when Michigan went to Happy Valley in January. He had 20 points and wrapped up his freshman campaign with five straight double-figure games. If he stays at Penn State or transfers, Juric has the potential to be one of the most underrated players returning in college next season.

Rueben Chinyelu-Florida

Another name who is not is the portal, but transferred from Washington State to Florida before, was in the top five in rebounding in 2025-26. Chinyelu had three games where he grabbed more than 20 rebounds a game and has over 800 boards in three years of college. He was also named as the SEC defensive player of the year. Because of Chinyelu, Florida paced the NCAA in rebounds with 45 or so. Chinyelu posted 19 double-doubles as a junior. Remember, the portal is how this Michigan superteam was built in the first place, and the time has come to replicate that process.