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Former Baylor star Matthew Mayer announces transfer to Illinois

20200517_134556by: Justin Rudolph05/27/22
On3 image
College Basketball: NCAA Playoffs: Baylor Matthew Mayer (24) in action, dunking vs Norfolk State at Dickies Arena. Fort Worth, TX 3/17/2022 CREDIT: Greg Nelson (Photo by Greg Nelson /Sports Illustrated/ Getty Images) (Set Number: X162576 TK1 )

Former Baylor star Matthew Mayer is out of the transfer portal and has found a new home. Mayer announced from his Instagram account Friday he will play for the Illinois Fighting Illini next season. The former Bear announced his decision with a photo showing him in an Illinois uniform.

Mayer announced early Friday afternoon that he was close to making a decision on where he would commit to for the 2022 season. The former Baylor star suggested that it would take about a weeks time for him to make his choice. However, Mayer didn’t need the full 168 hours or even 12 for that matter. Mayer ended up making his decision on the same day.

Since entering the transfer portal, Mayer became the No. 15 ranked transfer on the open market this offseason, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings. He played a major role in Baylor’s success the past few years, including the 2020-21 season when the Bears won their first national championship in program history. For his career, he’s averaged 6.9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game.

Matthew Mayer withdraws from NBA Draft, to transfer from Baylor

Former Baylor wing Matthew Mayer withdrew his name from the 2022 NBA Draft on May 21 and intends to transfer to a new school for the 2022-23 season, he recently told college basketball insider Adam Zagoria. A four-year player for the Bears, he has been among the most coveted players in the transfer portal.

A former four-star prospect, Mayer ranked as the No. 102 overall player and No. 31 small forward in the 2018 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. He opted to attend Baylor over offers from Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Texas and others.

By declaring for the NBA Draft, Matthew Mayer was able to participate in the NBA Combine from May 16-22. He then had until June 1 to remove his name from the draft in order to remain eligible for the next college basketball season. The 2022 NBA Draft is not set to take place until June 23.