Which players from Michigan will be back for the upcoming season? According to a program spokeswoman, Youssef Khayat entered the transfer portal on Wednesday, making him the most recent Wolverine to do so.
The gateway opened on Monday, and Khayat, a sophomore forward, is now part of the team along with George Washington III, Tarris Reed Jr., and Dug McDaniel.
This season, the native of Lebanon played in just 17 games, averaging 5.4 minutes each. During his time at Michigan, he appeared in just nine games as a freshman and was never able to secure a spot in the starting lineup.
Juwan Howard, his head coach, was sacked on Friday, but according to insiders in Lebanon, Khayat was probably going to the portal anyhow weeks earlier.
After playing professionally in France and with the Lebanese national team, 6-foot-9 Khayat came to Michigan with a lot of potential. He joined the Wolverines in August of 2022 while they were on a 10-day vacation to Europe that included three exhibition games. He was a late addition to Michigan’s 2022 recruiting class.
Howard stated, “It was all in to recruit him when you see a guy that can be a huge, valuable part of this group and team.” Michigan would “need” Khayat’s talents, he continued. It didn’t ever solidify.
Khayat needed to gain strength because he was unable to play more as a freshman due to a number of ailments. Khayat started the final game of his rookie season, a second-round NIT loss at Vanderbilt, with Michigan depleted by injuries.
This season, he played primarily in the closing stages of crushing defeats. He scored four points this season, while his career high of six points came early in the previous campaign. Khayat did not participate in Michigan’s season-ending loss to Penn State on Wednesday in the Big Ten Tournament.
Since then, Michigan’s roster has become smaller. Redshirt sophomore Will Tschetter is the lone possible returner who hasn’t yet logged into the transfer portal, with the exception of a few players who would be using additional eligibility to extend their college careers.
