Purdue Transfer Nojel Eastern Decommits From Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines got some disappointing news on Wednesday as fans learned Nojel Eastern was decommitting from the program. He committed to Michigan after transferring from Purdue, but apparently couldn’t get through admissions. It was a tough blow for Juwan Howard and his staff in a key offseason.

During his three seasons with Purdue, Eastern played substantially. He averaged only 12.6 minutes per game in 2017-’18, but ended up well north of 25 during his final two years with the Boilermakers. Eastern was widely regarded for his defensive play last season, despite having inconsistent offensive production.

And while he was slated to have to sit out the 2020-’21 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Michigan fans were hopeful about his ability to fill a key need in the backcourt with Eli Brooks set to graduate next spring. Losing Eastern means Howard will likely have to look to add another guard in the program’s 2021 recruiting class.

Where Eastern will end up now remains to be seen. One has to wonder whether he’ll end up looking at some other Big Ten programs now. We’ll have to wait and see.