Former Tennessee center JP Estrella reportedly makes transfer commitment
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Former Tennessee center JP Estrella has gotten to the precipice of the Final Four the past 3 seasons in Knoxville, with the Volunteers getting to the Elite Eight each time.
Now, after getting so close to the Final Four during his entire college career, the 6-foot-11, 240-pounder who came all the way from his native Maine to play in the SEC is now headed to the Big Ten. And, according to Thursday afternoon’s report by ESPN insider Pete Thamel, he’s transferring to Michigan, the program that not only got to the Final Four this year but won the whole thing on Monday night against UConn.
Three days after announcing his plans to hit the transfer portal and leave Tennessee, Estrella told ESPN on Thursday that he’s committed to Michigan for the 2026-27 season. The Wolverines will be getting “one of the most coveted big men in the portal,” according to Thamel’s report.
“He continues the lineage of high-end transfer big men at Michigan, as they played an outsized lineup to win the national title,” wrote Thamel in Thursday’s report.
Estrella spent the first 3 seasons of his collegiate career at Tennessee and took on a much bigger role this past season for Rick Barnes’ program, averaging a career-best 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
He also shot a hair under 60% from the field and played in 33 games, helping the Volunteers get all the way to the Elite Eight yet again, where they were sent packing by Michigan, the newly crowned national champion that Estrella is reportedly transferring to.
Tennessee has advanced to the doorstep of the Final Four the past 3 seasons without getting there, so the Volunteers will take another crack at it in 2026-27. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the top teams in the mix to get to the Final Four and win the whole thing next season, like Michigan just did earlier this week:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
