Wolverine Digest

Michigan battling Kentucky for the top-rated player in the portal

This one is shaping up to be a heavyweight battle between the Wolverines and the Wildcats
Jerred Johnson|
Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May
Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

UAB transfer forward Yaxel Lendeborg is currently considered the gem of the transfer portal, with many top analysts rating him as the number one prospect in the portal. Lendeborg's size and stats back up those assertions. Standing at 6-9 and averaging 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game, he's the type of player that could make an instant impact for any program.

Michigan head coach Dusty May is currently on the lookout for big men, as he is faced with replacing two NBA caliber bigs in Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf. Bringing in a walking double double like Lendeborg would go a long way towards replacing that production.

It appears that Kentucky head coach Mark Pope is hot on Lendeborg's trail already. It has been reported that Pope flew to Chicago to meet with him and his team on Monday. While no other teams have made face-to-face meetings, most analysts believe this one will be a fight between Kentucky and Michigan with the potential for Auburn and Alabama to toss their hats in the ring as well.

With the production and ability to make an instant impact it feels like this one could be affected by NIL. We know Kentucky basketball has a powerful NIL base. But since Dusty May took over in Ann Arbor, Michigan is no slouch in the NIL department either. It looks like this one could come down to a battle between two blue blood programs.

Danny Wolf
Michigan center Danny Wolf (1) | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Jerred Johnson
JERRED JOHNSON

Jerred Johnson has served in the United States military for over 23 years. He has a Bachelors in Marketing, a Masters in Management and is in the final phases of completing his Doctorate in Business Administration.

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