Miami kept building out its backcourt on July 21, landing another transfer guard with Michigan ties.
LJ Cason, a point guard from Lakeland, Florida, announced he is headed to the Hurricanes after spending the last two seasons with the Wolverines. He entered the transfer portal last week, coming less than a month after Dusty May left Michigan to take the Dallas Mavericks job.
Cason gave Michigan a useful spark off the bench in 2025-26, working as the team’s sixth man and putting up 8.4 points and 2.4 assists across 28 games. His sophomore season ended in late February when he tore his ACL against Illinois, and he is expected to miss most of the 2026-27 season. Before May departed for the NBA, he said Cason was progressing well and was on track to return to practice in November.
"He's doing very well. He's strong.
So that would give him a couple of months to practice," May said. "We'll bring him back slowly.
Whatever is best for him. If he can preserve the year, we would probably hold him out."
With the new 5-in-5 rule set to take effect, Cason has a path to either return late in the season or spend this year recovering and practicing for a bigger role in 2027-28. His college journey has already taken a few turns: he played at Victory Christian Academy, committed to Florida Atlantic, then flipped to Michigan after May left the Owls for Ann Arbor.
For Miami, the fit is obvious. The Hurricanes already added Acaden Lewis from Villanova and Nick Dorn from Indiana, and they return sophomore Dante Allen. That gives Jai Lucas a deeper guard group, and Cason brings another experienced piece into the mix.
There’s also a recent blueprint here. Last season, Lucas brought in Tre Donaldson from Michigan, and Donaldson turned into a major piece for a 26-win Miami team, averaging 16.4 points and 6.7 assists while helping the Hurricanes beat Missouri in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Donaldson later signed with the Miami Heat as an undrafted free agent and stood out in the Las Vegas Summer League.
Now Lucas is hoping Cason can follow the same path.
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