Projecting Michigan Basketball's Rotation in 2026-27 After Signing Kenny Noland

With two open roster spots remaining, Michigan basketball made some noise on Wednesday by signing Columbia transfer Kenny Noland. After the 2022 class was granted an injunction, Noland received a fifth year of eligibility, and he lands with Michigan to finish his career.

Noland played all four years at Columbia. This past season, the 6'2" guard averaged 17.1 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. He shot nearly 38% from three and averaged 33 minutes per game.

With Mike Boynton Jr. hiring Mike Martin from Brown, Martin likely played a key role in getting Noland to Ann Arbor. Martin's team played against Noland all four years and clearly, it was a good fit.

With Noland in the fold, Michigan still has one open roster spot, but we are going to predict the Wolverines' rotation this season with the addition of Noland.

Starting five

Position	Player
Point guard	Elliot Cadeau
Shooting Guard	Trey McKenney
Wing	Brandon McCoy Jr.
Forward	J.P. Estrella
Center	Moustapha Thiam

Michigan guards Trey McKenney (1) and Elliot Cadeau (3) react to a play during the second half — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There is a scenario where Trey McKenney shifts to the '3' and Kenny Noland is added to the starting five, but as of now, he fits in as the backup point guard to Elliot Cadeau. Remember, the Wolverines lost L.J. Cason to the transfer portal, and Michigan was searching for its new backup.

The coaching staff continues to praise Brandon McCoy Jr. and you can't keep talent like that on the bench. I know, McKenney came off the bench last season, but the Wolverines were deeper a year ago than they appear to be this year.

Having McCoy Jr. playing alongside Cadeau and McKenney will be important. He will play strong defense and he can use his athletic ability to give the Wolverines extra ammo on the offensive end of the floor.

Both J.P. Estrella and Moustapha Thiam are locked into the starting big men and there is no debate there.

In the rotation

Position	Player
Guard	Kenny Noland
Wing	Ricky Liburd
Wing/Forward	Oscar Goodman
Forward/Center	Jalen Reed*
Forward/Center	Quinn Costello

Michigan Wolverines guard Ricky Liburd (0) shoots a layup — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I still think Michigan is going to opt to play nine players this season, but Jalen Reed likely won't start the season playing much, which could open up a role for freshman Quinn Costello.

The only difference from the last projection is inserting Kenny Noland and taking out Joseph Hartman. The good thing for Brown and the other freshmen is that with the new 5-for-5 rule, the Wolverines can play any player, anytime they want.

But going back to the rotation, there is a chance Michigan has a deeper rotation, however, teams like to tighten things up when they get closer to tournament time. Both Ricky Liburd and Oscar Goodman are going to play key roles this season. Noland is clearly going to be the backup ball-handler for when Elliot Cadeau needs a breather.

Things are really taking shape for Michigan, but with one roster spot open, the Wolverines could still make more noise.

Add us as a preferred source on Google