Former Michigan forward Youssef Khayat announces transfer destination
Former Michigan Wolverines basketball forward Youssef Khayat entered the NCAA transfer portal March 19, before Dusty May was hired as the program’s next head coach to replace Juwan Howard. He now has his next destination, announcing on social media Tuesday that he’s committed to Bowling Green, with the caption “fresh start.”
A Beirut, Lebanon native, Khayat played two seasons for the Maize and Blue and has two years of eligibility remaining. He’s the No. 406 overall player and 65th-best small forward in the transfer portal, according to On3’s rankings.
Bowling Green had a 20-14 record last season, its first under head coach Todd Simon. The Falcons had a 10-8 mark in the MAC, finishing fifth in the conference. They fell in the second round of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, before losing in their opening game in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament to Purdue Fort Wayne, 77-75.
The 6-foot-9, 215-pound Khayat played in 26 career games with one start, averaging 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.9 minutes per appearance. He struggled to solidify himself in Michigan’s rotation each of his two years in college basketball.
“It’s hard when you’re not playing,” Khayat said on the ‘Defend The Block’ podcast in May 2023. “But even when I’m not playing, I’m not the type of guy to be down and not support the guys.”
In 2023-24, Khayat played in 17 games. His 97 minutes logged were just the 11th most on a team that finished with an 8-24 record and dead last in the Big Ten. Khayat totaled 24 points, 18 rebounds and 2 assists with 2 blocks and 2 steals.
Before the year, Khayat spent some of his time back in Lebanon working with trainer Jade Fattouh.
“We don’t want to forget any aspect, so different things in the morning, different things in the evening,” Fattouh told TheWolverine.com of what Khayat was working on. Mornings — tomorrow, for example — we have side pick-and-roll, attacking ice defense, if the defense is siding. Different concepts, we want to attack.”
Khayat totaled 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in nine games with one start — which came in an NIT loss to Vanderbilt — as a freshman in 2022-23.
Khayat joined the Michigan team during its overseas trip to France and Greece, finally Howard and Co. face to face. He left his family at the age of 16 to play basketball in France. An unranked recruit, Khayat chose the Maize and Blue over fellow finalists Xavier, Wake Forest and DePaul.
