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Michigan basketball shows early interest in five NCAA transfer portal targets

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•03/24/25•

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Jalen Jackson
Purdue Fort Wayne guard transfer Jalen Jackson played well against Penn State. Michigan and others have expressed interest. (Photo by Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)

Michigan Wolverines basketball has already been in on Iowa big man transfer Owen Freeman, who entered the portal following the firing of head coach Fran McCaffery just over a week ago. But the Wolverines are seeking more talent and have shown early interest in other prospects, including five that have been reported on Monday, the first day of the portal window that will last until April 22.

Michigan has reportedly shown interest in the following transfers:
• Purdue Fort Wayne guard Jalen Jackson
• North Dakota guard Treysen Eaglestaff
• Valparaiso forward Cooper Schwieger
• Delaware guard Izaiah Pasha
• Drexel guard Yame Butler

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Jalen Jackson, Purdue Fort Wayne

The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder played against Michigan this season, recording 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field with 2 turnovers in an 89-58 loss Dec. 22 at Crisler Center.

The first-team All-Horizon League selection averaged 19.2 points, 4.4 rebounds. and 3.1 assists per game in 2024-25. He shot 56.2 percent on twos and 26.2 percent on 103 three-point tries. A downhill driver, Jackson drew 6.6 fouls per 40 minutes (29th nationally) and made 75.9 percent of his free throws.

Jackson has heard from Michigan, Nebraska, Butler, TCU, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Tennessee and others after entering the portal March 13. He doesn’t have any visits set up at this point.

Jackson started his career at Illinois-Chicago in 2022-23 before spending the last two seasons at Purdue Fort Wayne. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

“I want to play in a free-flowing offense,” Jackson told On3. “And play for a coach that is going to develop me, and take care of me, not just be another player on the roster. I want to have a trusting relationship with the coach. I’m a point guard, so I’m kind of an extension of the coach on the floor, so I got to have that relationship. And play for a coach who trusts me.

Treysen Eaglestaff, North Dakota

Michigan has shown interest in Eaglestaff, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound point guard with one year of eligibility remaining.

The Bismarck, N.D., native averaged 18.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per outing in 2024-25. He shot 44.6 percent on twos and 36.7 percent on 221 three-point attempts. Eaglestaff was named second-team All-Summit League.

He’s also heard from Kentucky, St. John’s, Kansas, LSU, Alabama, Mississippi State and others.

North Dakota posted a 12-21 record this past season.

Cooper Schwieger, Valparaiso

Schwieger played center and power forward for the Beacons this past season, helping the team finish 15-19. The 2024 Missouri Valley Freshman of the Year has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

A second-team All-Missouri Valley performer, Schwieger averaged 15.8 points, 7.8 boards and 1.1 assists per contest as a sophomore this past season. He connected on 54.9 percent of his twos, 27.2 percent of his 92 threes and 85.2 percent of his attempts at the free throw line. Schwieger also brings it on the defensive end, totaling 68 blocks.

Schwieger scores at all three levels, shooting 43.2 percent on mid-range jumpers, 65.3 percent at the rim and 45.5 percent on other in-the-paint twos.

A hot commodity, Schwieger has already heard from Michigan, Kansas, Baylor, Wake Forest, Clemson, Northwestern, LSU, Stanford, Nebraska, Boston College and others.

Izaiah Pasha, Delaware

Pasha is in the transfer portal after his standout freshman season at Delaware, earning Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year honors.

The Harrisburg, Pa., native put up 11.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 55.8 percent from inside the arc and 33.3 percent from beyond it as the 16-20 team’s point guard. He scored in double figures 19 times, including a pair of 20-plus point performances. Pasha got to the rim to make 66.4 percent of his 3.7 attempts per game.

Pasha has received high-major interest from Michigan, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence and others.

Yame Butler, Drexel

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound shooting guard began his career at Fordham (2020-21), before transferring to State Fair Community College in Missouri (2021-22) and Drexel (2022-25). He has one season of eligibility remaining.

He averaged 13.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game this past season, making 54.8 percent of his shots from two-point range and 36.6 percent of his 112 three-point triggers. Butler is versatile on defense and scores at all three levels offensively.

Butler is reportedly set to visit Butler University, George Washington and Oklahoma State. It’s unclear how much high-major interest he will have, even if the Wolverines have reached out.

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