Michigan basketball makes contact with Florida State transfer Matthew Cleveland
Michigan basketball has contacted Florida State transfer guard Matthew Cleveland (6-7, 200), first reported by On3’s Joe Tipton on Wednesday afternoon. Other schools in the mix include Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Miami, Missouri, NC State, Pitt, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, USF, Wake Forest and Wichita State.
Cleveland, who is On3’s 12th-best transfer portal prospect, started all 30 games for Florida State this season. He averaged 13.8 points per game, 7.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He shot 44.5% from the floor and 35% from three-point range on the season (21-of-60). The former No. 25 overall recruit in the 2021 class would have two years of eligibility remaining at his next step.
Florida State, Kansas, Michigan, NC State, and Stanford were Cleveland’s final five schools coming out of high school, so there is an existing relationship with the Wolverine staff and head coach Juwan Howard.
Michigan basketball has been busy in the transfer portal this offseason. Despite being full on scholarships on paper, the coaching staff continues to turn over every stone to ensure the Wolverines return to the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolverines have two scholarships open for next season after the departures of freshman wing Jett Howard (NBA Draft), sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin (NBA Draft), junior center Hunter Dickinson and sophomore guard Isaiah Barnes (transfer portal) and the additions of Nimari Burnett, Caleb Love and Tray Jackson. There is optimism with Llewellyn’s return for a sixth season, so we still have him included on our scholarship chart. Plenty of options are on the table for a group facing a complete and total roster overhaul heading into the fifth season on the job for head coach Juwan Howard.
Michigan in the transfer portal so far
The Wolverines have landed three players in the transfer portal thus far in Barnett, Love and Jackson.
Burnett, a former McDonald’s All-American, began his college career at Texas Tech before transferring after his freshman year. He averaged 5.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists this season for the Crimson Tide in less than 20 minutes per game, shooting 36.8 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from three.
He was the No. 29 overall player in the nation from the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
Love, a 6-foot-4, 200-pounder, averaged 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest in 2022-23, shooting 45.5 percent on twos and 29.9 percent on threes (244 attempts) and is a former five-star recruit.
The 6-10, 215-pound Jackson averaged 6.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game for the Pirates last year and shot 37.5 percent from three-point range. A Detroit native, Jackson started his career at Missouri before transferring to Seton Hall. He’s a former top 100 player who played his prep ball at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kansas.
