The NBA Draft withdrawal deadline to return to college basketball has come and passed, and the Michigan men's basketball team is seen as one of the biggest winners of the deadline. Though the Wolverines will lose projected first-round draft pick Danny Wolf, they gained one through the transfer portal in Yaxel Lendeborg, who withdrew from the draft earlier this week.
Lendeborg's decision gives Michigan its closest realistic replacement to Wolf — they were the only two players in Division-I last season to average 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season at 6-foot-9 or taller — and makes the Wolverines a legitimate national title contender.
That sentiment is felt at publications around the country, and included CBS Sports in its latest Top 25 and 1 rankings. Reflecting the withdrawal decisions, CBS Sports had Michigan as the No. 8 team, trailing St. John's, Houston, BYU, Purdue, UConn, Florida and Texas Tech.
"This ranking is based on the Wolverines returning three of the top eight scorers -- specifically Roddy Gayle Jr., Nimari Burnett and L.J. Cason -- from a team that finished 27-10 and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament," CBS Sports wrote. "That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg, Illinois transfer Morez Johnson Jr., North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau, UCLA transfer Aday Mara and four-star freshmen Trey McKenney and Winters Grady."
Other Big Ten teams included in the rankings were No. 4 Purdue, No. 10 UCLA, No. 16 Michigan State, No. 17 Oregon, No. 24 Illinois, No. 25 Wisconsin and No. 26 Ohio State.
In a separate article, Michigan was cited as a winner of the draft withdrawal deadline due to Lendeborg's decision, and Michigan's patience being rewarded.
"Lendeborg choosing to play another season of college basketball was one of the biggest surprises of the withdrawal deadline," CBS Sports wrote. "It seemed like he had improved his stock enough to get selected at the end of the first round, but there is no such thing as a guarantee. Players who are projected as fringe first-round picks often rely on promises from NBA teams and their decision-makers to make a final call.
"Lendeborg received a NIL package believed to be in the neighborhood of $3 million to return to school, sources told CBS Sports. Michigan loved to play with its double-big lineup last season, and Lendeborg fills a clear need as a double-double machine. With another year for Lendeborg to improve his draft stock, all parties involved could be massive winners in a year from now."
As CBS Sports noted, Lendeborg was a projected first-round pick after averaging 17.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.8 blocks per game last season for Alabama-Birmingham. He led UAB in all five categories, and was rated as the No. 1 transfer portal prospect in the 2025 cycle, according to 247Sports.