Juwan Howard targeting former five-star Florida State forward in portal

The Wolverines’ final game of the 2022-23 season perfectly sums up how the season went for Michigan: a blown late-game lead that turned into a second-round NIT exit in year four of the Juwan Howard era of Michigan Wolverines hoops. Following the season, more bad news came the Wolverines’ way as several players entered the transfer portal; star big man Hunter Dickinson was among those to hit the portal. Still, to compensate for the lost talent, Juwan Howard used the transfer portal himself and currently has a top-2 transfer class nationally. On Wednesday, it was reported that Howard is not done in the portal just yet — he is targeting former five-star Florida State forward Matthew Cleveland.

Michigan coach Juwan Howard reportedly targeting former five-star Florida State forward

The Michigan Wolverines’ transfer portal class currently ranks No. 2 in the nation (behind West Virginia) with three commits thus far. The most notable of Michigan’s new additions is former five-star North Carolina guard Caleb Love, who is expected to earn a starting role right off the bat during his time in Ann Arbor.

Earlier today, Joe Tipton — a respected college basketball recruiting analyst with On3 — reported that Juwan Howard and the Michigan basketball team are targeting a significant transfer portal recruit: Matthew Cleveland.

Who is Michigan’s new transfer target?

Out of high school, Matthew Cleveland was a five-star recruit, according to 247 Sports and Rivals. The 247 rankings had him listed as the No. 27 player nationally, the No. 7 small forward in the class of 2021, and the No. 3 player in the state of Georgia. As a transfer, On3 lists him as a four-star portal prospect with two seasons of experience under his belt thus far.

Matthew Cleveland has a 6-foot-6, 190-pound frame and averaged 13.8 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game, 1.8 assists per game, and shot 44.5% from the floor during his most recent season with the Florida State Seminoles.

According to Tipton’s report, the Michigan Wolverines are just one of many schools that have a keen interest in recruiting Matthew Cleveland from the portal.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!