Michigan basketball lands Illinois big man Morez Johnson Jr. from transfer portal

James Hawkins, The Detroit News on Apr 1, 2025

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DETROIT — For the second time in as many days, Michigan basketball landed a player out of the transfer portal.

This time, the Wolverines added a big piece from the Big Ten in Illinois big man Morez Johnson Jr., who shared news of his commitment on his social media accounts Tuesday.

Johnson, a former top-40 recruit, was an impact player on both ends for the Fighting Illini as a freshman. He averaged 7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 17.6 minutes. He appeared in 30 games, with eight starts, and missed time late in the season with a fractured wrist.

Johnson isn’t a floor spacer — he didn’t attempt a single 3-pointer this past season — but he’s a menace around the rim. He set a freshman record at Illinois with a 64.2% field-goal percentage, and his 2.7 offensive rebounds per game ranked third in the Big Ten, trailing only Maryland’s Julian Reese and Indiana’s Oumar Ballo, who both averaged roughly 11 more minutes in playing time.

Johnson (6-foot-9, 255 pounds) scored in double figures eight times and tallied three double-doubles, highlighted by a 20-point, 11-rebound performance against Penn State. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

The Illinois native entered the transfer portal over the weekend and became an immediate priority for the Wolverines. With center Vlad Goldin exhausting his eligibility and big man Danny Wolf potentially leaving for the NBA draft, Michigan needed to replenish the talent in its frontcourt.

Johnson is the second portal pickup for Michigan and joins North Carolina point guard Elliot Cadeau, who announced his pledge on Monday.