Michigan State's Divine Ugochukwu enters transfer portal ahead of deadline
Ugochukwu, who is coming off a foot injury, is the only Spartan to enter the portal.
Michigan State guard Divine Ugochukwu has entered the transfer portal, Spartans Illustrated confirmed on Wednesday through a MSU men’s basketball program spokesperson.
Ugochukwu becomes the first Spartan from the 2025-2026 roster to enter the portal, as he entered just ahead of the deadline at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 21.
According to On3's Joe Tipton, Ugochukwu has entered the transfer portal with a "Do Not Contact" tag.
Ugochukwu played in 22 games, including 12 starts, for MSU this past season before a foot injury ended his sophomore campaign early. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Ugochukwu broke a bone in his foot and underwent surgery.
He averaged 5.1 points, 1.5 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game, while playing 16.1 minutes per game, during his lone season as a Spartan in the 2025-2026 campaign. Ugochukwu shot 50.6% from the field overall, 44.2% from 3-point range and 55.6% from the free throw line. He spent time at both the point guard and shooting guard positions.
In his first year of college basketball, Ugochukwu played for Miami (FL.) during the 2024-2025 season. He averaged 5.3 points, 2.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game for the Hurricanes. Ugochukwu entered the transfer portal after that and committed to Michigan State on May 18, 2025.
Prior to Ugochukwu's entry into the portal, MSU already had one roster spot open for a 15th and final player, and head coach Tom Izzo and company have been busy pursuing transfer centers to complete the 2026-2027 team. With Ugochukwu's impending departure — assuming he does not withdraw from the portal and return to East Lansing — the Spartans now have two open roster spots. However, that does necessarily guarantee the Spartans will fill both openings.
As of now, Michigan State's 2026-2027 roster is expected to include returners Jeremey Fears Jr. (Fears has declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, but the expectation is he will return to MSU after receiving feedback on his game), Coen Carr, Kur Teng, Cam Ward, Jordan Scott, Kaleb Glenn, Jesse McCulloch, Brennan Walton and Colin Walton. The Spartans also welcome incoming true freshmen Jasiah Jervis (five-star guard), Carlos Medlock Jr. (four-star point guard), Ethan Taylor (four-star center) and Julius Avent (four-star forward).
MSU will look to add at least one player from the transfer portal as well.
Update: Michigan State earned a commitment from Charlotte transfer center Anton Bonke later on Wednesday. Read more about Bonke here.
