Michigan basketball picks up first transfer portal commit 3 days after winning national title

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan basketball picked up its first transfer portal commitment just three days after winning the national championship.

Tennessee big man J.P. Estrella entered the transfer portal this week after his team fell to Michigan, 95-62, in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament.

On Thursday, Estrella announced his commitment to the Wolverines, according to Joe Tipton, of On3.

Estrella is 6 feet, 11 inches tall and averaged 10 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Volunteers this season. He played in 33 of 37 games, starting 13.

The redshirt sophomore shot 59.4% from the floor and wasn’t a factor from the three-point line, attempting only 10 shots beyond the arc. He is currently ranked the No. 21 player in the transfer portal, per 247 Sports.

Michigan went 37-3 this season en route to a Big Ten title and national championship. Dusty May’s team ranked as one of the most dominant in recent college basketball history.

The title-winning roster was supplemented with four key transfers last offseason -- Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, Morez Johnson, and Elliot Cadeau.

Lendeborg became the Big Ten Player of the Year and a First-Team All American. Mara and Johnson are both expected to be first-round draft picks, and Cadeau was named the Most Outstanding Player after his performance in the Final Four and championship game.

Cadeau is expected to return next season, along with freshman star Trey McKenney. But Michigan will most likely have to replace Lendeborg, Mara, Johnson, Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle, and Will Tschetter. L.J. Cason will also miss the entire season due to injury.

May is bringing in a top-10 high school recruiting class, led by five-star Brandon McCoy, who committed to the Wolverines during the Fab Five telecast of their blowout win over Arizona in the Final Four. It also includes four-stars Quinn Costello and Joseph Hartman, and three-star Malachi Brown.

Four-star Lincoln Cosby is rehabbing from an ACL injury, and 7-foot-3 commit Marcus Moller has put his playing career on pause due to a cancer diagnosis.

With the Final Four returning to Detroit in 2027, Michigan is among the teams expected to be in contention for another championship next season, depending on the remaining NBA draft decisions and transfer portal additions.