Michigan basketball head coach Mike Boynton confirmed on Tuesday that there is still a chance that the Wolverines could add to their 2026-27 roster.
Since a judge issued an injunction, allowing players from the 2022 recruiting class another season to compete, at least, that's what was thought at the time, there has been talk of Michigan adding to the 2026-27 roster.
The most likely addition always felt like Roddy Gayle. He was on the team for the past two seasons and was an elite role player. He had some great moments in March and April, including the final toss of the ball into the air as the national title game ended.
Gayle could fill a key role on the Michigan basketball team next season. He could be a secondary playmaker, as well as another elite wing defender, which would give the Wolverines two, assuming Brandon McCoy is as good as advertised.
Gayle dropped some hints on social media when the news came out that 2022 recruits could get a fifth year, which made some believe he would want to come back. Mike Boynton, the Michigan basketball head coach, addressed that Tuesday, saying the Wolverines would welcome him if he wants to return and is able to.
“If there's an opportunity for Roddy (Gayle) to be back and he wants to be back, we certainly will have him back," Boynton said via Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press.
Another option if Michigan basketball wants to add to the roster
Gayle isn't the only player reportedly on the Wolverines' radar. There was a report from Field of 68 that Michigan has been in contact with former Nebraska guard Jamarques Lawrence. He is a party to the lawsuit, seeking a fifth season.
If Lawrence were granted an extra year, Field of 68 reports that he won't play again for Nebraska. It remains to be seen if players will be able to transfer and play for other programs, but Lawrence could fill a need on a one-year basis as a combo guard.
Michigan lost L.J. Cason to the transfer portal after Dusty May took to the Dallas Mavericks head coaching job.
Since it happened so late, there wasn't much the Wolverines could do to replace Cason, who suffered a season-ending injury last season against Illinois. He would not have been able to return right away for 2026-27, but would eventually be able to play.
Lawrence, a 6-foot-3 guard, is a quality defender who averaged 9.8 points and 3.8 assists for Nebraska last season, while shooting 35.5 percent from 3-point range.
A lot is up in the air. Yet, if the Wolverines can add someone to the 2026-27 roster, it feels like they will take the opportunity to do so.
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