Michigan’s transfer-portal window just got a little more interesting, and the name that stands out most is Missouri’s Mark Mitchell.
With the fifth year granted to members of the 2022 class, schools now have another opening to reshape their rosters, and the portal is set to bring a fresh wave of options as soon as Monday. That has put Michigan in position to think beyond the obvious move. Roddy Gayle is widely expected to fill the vacancy left by LJ Cason, but the Wolverines may want to see whether they can land a bigger swing first.
Mitchell is the kind of player who would fit that bill. Mike Boynton knows him well from his time at Oklahoma State, when Mitchell visited in 2021 and received a scholarship offer.
Mitchell chose Duke, later moved on to Missouri, and kept getting better every season there. Now he’s being viewed as one of the top prizes in a portal market that opened fast.
His résumé explains why. Mitchell had two 32-point games for Missouri, one against Kentucky and another against Arkansas. He also scored 31 against Alabama as a junior, and at Duke he came within a fingertip of reaching the Final Four as a sophomore.
For Michigan, he would bring exactly the kind of jolt that can push a roster over the top. He could allow someone like Brandon McCoy or JP Estrella to stay in a reserve role and come off the bench as a fresh sixth man. The concern is simple enough, though: there may not be enough shots to go around with Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney and Moustapha Thiam already expected to be the offensive focal points.
Still, Michigan should absolutely do its homework here. Mitchell is the kind of portal target worth checking on, and he could end up becoming next year’s version of Yaxel Lendeborg.
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