Former Tennessee forward J.P. Estrella is reportedly joining the team that knocked the Vols out of the NCAA Tournament. According to a post from ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Thursday afternoon, Estrella is transferring to the University of Michigan. The Wolverines defeated the Volunteers in the Elite Eight last month on their way to winning the National Championship over UConn this past Monday.
“Tennessee big-man J.P. Estrella has committed to Michigan, he tells ESPN, delivering the Wolverines one of the most coveted big-men in the portal,” Thamel posted to X. “He continues the lineage of high-end transfer big men at Michigan, as they played an outsized line-up to win the national title.”
Michigan defeated Tennessee by a score of 95-62 during the NCAA Tournament on March 29. Estrella was one of the Vols’ five starting players in the game, racking up seven points and seven rebounds while playing 25 minutes.
Estrella announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Monday, just one day before it opened.
“After a lot of thought and conversation with my family, I have made the difficult decision to enter the transfer portal,” Estrella posted to social media. “My time as a Vol over the past three years has meant more to me than I can put into words, and I will always cherish the memories and relationships I’ve built here.
“Thank you to my coaches, teammates and Vol nation for the constant love, support, and belief in me. While this decision wasn’t easy, I’m excited and hopeful for what the next chapter holds.”
Estrella was Tennessee’s third-leading scorer last season at 10.0 points per game. He also averaged 5.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists while playing in 33 games for the Volunteers. Estrella started 13 of the 33 games that he played in.
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While Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament had the bulk of scoring from the perimeter, Estrella was often Tennessee’s go-to scorer on the inside. While was injured for the vast majority of the 2024-2025 season, he worked on his inside hook shot and put it into action during his return this past season. Estrella shot 59.6% from the floor this past year, while knocking down four of his 10 three-point attempts.
The Maine native scored a double-digit point total in 19 games last season, including three games where he hit 20-plus points. He racked up 23 points in a November game against North Florida, and then had back-to-back showings with 22 against South Carolina and 20 against Vanderbilt in the final two games of the regular season.
The 6-foot-11 forward has spent the last three years with Tennessee. He played in 25 games during his first season, but then only played in three games his second year after undergoing season-ending foot surgery. He came back strong for his redshirt-sophomore season this past year, but still missed some time as he battled both a knee and ankle injury during the year.
Michigan is a program that should be able to capitalize on Estrella’s skillset. He’s a proven offensive player, and his defense steadily improved throughout the year. If he can stay healthy, he could be due for a breakout year with the Wolverines after the season that he had with the Volunteers.
Estrella was the 36th-ranked player in the transfer portal in ESPN’s portal rankings from Jeff Borzello on Wednesday.
JP Estrella is the first of Tennessee’s outgoing transfers to announce his portal destination. Other Volunteers in the portal include Bishop Boswell, Amari Evans, Clarence Massamba, Jaylen Carey, and Cade Phillips.
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