Michigan’s 2026-27 roster is already taking shape, and two familiar names are now on it.
The Wolverines updated their roster page Tuesday to add Roddy Gayle Jr. and Kenny Noland, both listed as fifth-year players. Michigan noted that their final eligibility status “remains subject to further court action and NCAA-related legal proceedings,” but the move makes it clear the program is preparing as if both will be in the mix.
Gayle Jr. has the more complicated path. Last Thursday, a judge in Niagara Falls, N.Y., granted a preliminary injunction that gives him a route to a fifth year of college eligibility, which he plans to use at Michigan. He spoke publicly about the ruling and his place with the Wolverines in a recent interview with The Michigan Insider.
“The judge ruled very much in our favor,” Gayle Jr. said. “He was able to grant me the eligibility to be able to continue my career.
I think it's a good step for me, because it's really big in my development. Obviously, I want to play at the next level in the NBA.
I think, with an extra year here at Michigan playing under Coach Mike Boynton, I feel like it'll be great for me to showcase so much more than I was able to in the past.”
Gayle Jr. was a key part of Dusty May’s two teams in Ann Arbor, helping fuel Michigan’s rise from the bottom of the Big Ten to national prominence and eventually the most successful season in program history. After transferring from Ohio State ahead of 2024-25, he averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists as a senior during Michigan’s national championship run.
His biggest moments came when the lights were brightest. He broke out in the 2025 NCAA Tournament upset over Texas A&M, then delivered a 16-point performance against Alabama to send the Wolverines to the 2026 Elite Eight on the way to the title.
His toughness and energy on both ends mattered even more after L.J. Cason’s injury, and teammates and fans gave him the nickname “March Roddy.”
Noland arrives with a strong resume of his own. The Columbia transfer was an All-Ivy League Second Team and All-Met Division I Second Team selection in 2025-26 after four seasons with the Lions. At 6-foot-2, he averaged a team-high 17.1 points per game as a senior and also led Columbia in assists, made field goals, made 3-point field goals, made free throws and minutes per game.
He knocked down 72 three-pointers, the third-most in the Ivy League, and did it at a 37.5% clip. He also set a single-season program record by shooting 92.1% from the free-throw line.
Noland brings exactly what Michigan needed after losing Cason to the Transfer Portal: experience, ball-handling and a proven scoring touch. He has played in 111 games and made 57 starts.
Michigan said Noland is “eligible to participate in the 2026-27 season pursuant to a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued in ongoing eligibility litigation against the NCAA.”
“The TRO permits him to compete while the case continues and is not a final ruling on his long-term eligibility,” the program said.
The Wolverines’ first exhibition is set for Oct. 11 against Eastern Michigan, and the regular season opens Nov. 2 against Oakland.
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