In the wake of Dusty Mays departure from the Michigan mens basketball team, newly appointed Wolverines coach Mike Boynton Jr.
almost managed to maintain his entire projected 2026-27 roster.
First reported by Joe Tipton of On3 Sports Monday night, Wolverines guard L.J Cason is entering the transfer portal for his junior year.
Cason becomes the first and only Michigan athlete to do so during the 15-day portal window granted upon Boyntons hiring.
Cason arrived in Ann Arbor following Mays departure from FAU, where Cason was previously committed to begin his collegiate career.
His debut came for Michigan in a clash against Cleveland State , a game in which he scored 14 points off the bench a performance very telling of his career to come.
Although he never started a game for the Wolverines, Cason grew comfortably into his role as a plugged-in offensive spark in all 58 of his appearances.
He aided Michigan to a Big Ten Tournament championship in his freshman season, setting himself up for a much-expanded role in the eventual 2026 national-championship campaign.
Casons on-court contributions to the banners now hanging in Crisler Center were cut short in a contest against Illinois in February, when he hit the deck hard near the end of the first half and tore his right ACL.
Prior to the injury, Cason was averaging 8.4 points and 2.4 assists per game.
Before going down against the Fighting Illini, Cason knocked in a 3-pointer, making it his ninth consecutive game with a field goal from downtown.
Perhaps Casons most memorable effort of the Wolverines historic season was his career-high 18-point night that spearheaded an unlikely second-half comeback against Northwestern in February.
Double-digit performances like the one in Evanston peppered Casons stat sheet in what was shaping to be a breakout season before it was cut short.
Its possible that Cason will use a medical redshirt for the upcoming 2026-27 season as he finishes recovery on his ACL, but what he was able to put on display before the injury will most likely be enough for a healthy amount of offers to come in regarding his future at the college level.
Cason quickly became a cornerstone of Michigans offense off the bench last season, and he still has plenty of time left to make waves in a starting role.
It just wont be as a Wolverine.
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