Tennessee’s J.P. Estrella, a 6-foot-11 redshirt sophomore transfer, told ESPN he committed to Michigan, giving the Wolverines their first portal player since winning the national title Monday.
Estrella was one of the most coveted big men in the portal, as he had interest from nearly every school in the country. He’s a former top-70 recruit who was one of the most efficient players in the SEC this year, as he averaged 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in just over 18 minutes a game.
He continues the lineage of high-end transfer big men at Michigan under coach Dusty May, which began with 7-footers Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf two seasons ago. This year, Michigan rode the three-big line-up of 6-9 Yaxel Lendeborg, 7-3 Aday Mara and 6-9 Morez Johnson Jr. to the program’s first national title since 1989.
Estrella has two years of eligibility remaining. He’ll bring an elite skill to Michigan as an offensive rebounder, as he finished eighth nationally and second in the SEC with a 17.3% offensive rebounding rate. He finished among the country’s top 100 players in total offensive rebounds.