North Texas transfer guard Rubin Jones commits to Michigan

North Texas transfer guard Rubin Jones has committed to Michigan, he announced via social media. He entered the transfer portal earlier this month after becoming the Mean Green’s all-time winningest player.

Jones steadily got better throughout his career at North Texas, and the 2023-24 season was the first year he averaged double-digit scoring. That came after he earned Conference USA All-Defensive Team honors in 2022-23.

Jones set a new career-high with 12.1 points per game to go with 3.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists to lead UNT to a 19-15 overall record. He ranked second on the team in scoring only to Jason Edwards, who averaged 19.1 points and also planned on entering the portal.

Michigan is wrapping up the first full month of the Dusty May era after announcing him as Juwan Howard’s replacement on March 23. The Wolverines initially lost five players to the portal this cycle, but guard George Washington III withdrew and will stay in Ann Arbor. Rubin Jones is May’s first portal commitment as Michigan head coach, and the two crossed paths in the American Athletic Conference this past season. Jones’ Mean Green beat May’s Florida Atlantic Owls twice.

Jones is also Michigan’s second overall commitment of the day after landing Justin Pippen, son of Scottie Pippen, from the high school recruiting trail.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

Dusty May: Michigan will be ‘very thorough’ with transfer evaluations

Of course, there are also challenges when it comes to transfer recruiting at Michigan with the admissions policies – and they’ve come up in the last couple years, as Howard noted during a press conference this year.

As for how he’ll navigate those circumstances, May is planning to draw from his time on staff at Florida. He said the admissions philosophy is similar in Gainesville, and it’s an important part of the conversation when it comes to transfer recruitments.

“I was an assistant coach at the University of Florida and it was very similar,” May said during his introductory press conference. “There’s an academic mission of the university that’s never going to change. And our job, as coaches, is to find student athletes that match and value that mission, as well.

“Sometimes, it’s just like the Louisville thing. Social media takes off, and it becomes a narrative. And it’s impossible to respond to or even counter. So, to answer your question, we will be very thorough. We’ll do the homework as much as possible and try to find the best guys for us.”