Former Tennessee center J.P. Estrella faced some serious early adversity after committing to Michigan out of the transfer portal earlier this offseason. Fresh off the 2026 national championship, Michigan coach Dusty May left his post atop the Wolverine program to become the new head coach for the Dallas Mavericks.
Michigan quickly promoted assistant coach and former Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton into the interim head coach role. Still, the transfer portal will open for Michigan players for one week later this summer opening up the possibility for Estrella and other Michigan players to leave.
Estrella, however, is staying put and will play his redshirt junior season at Michigan, ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported on Thursday.
It’s not a surprising development. Estrella received a hefty pay day at Michigan and most teams have used the vast majority of their finances already building rosters for next season.
There was speculation that Tennessee could look for a reunion with Estrella especially after head coach Rick Barnes said the Vols were not opposed to still adding to their roster for next season. However, that was never a realistic possibility. Tennessee will continue to examine its options as they look to add a front court body to its roster.
More From RTI: VFL Tobias Harris Joining Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs
Estrella ranked third on Tennessee’s roster by averaging 10 points per games last season while also averaging 5.4 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-11 forward played in 33 and started 13 games and was one of the Vols’ better offensive options.
The Maine native showed flashes of all-conference level play a season ago but never at the level of consistency that Tennessee would have liked. However, Estrella is still a relatively young player in terms of career minutes played and could be due for a breakout 2026-27 season.
Injuries have plagued Estrella throughout his career to date. The former four-star recruit missed nearly the entirety of the 2024-25 season with a foot injury and then missed time off-and-on a season ago with various leg injuries.
There’s a possibility for Tennessee to face off against Estrella and Michigan next season in the Players Era Festival. If both teams go 3-0 and make the championship game of the 16-team tournament then they’ll face off on Nov. 28 in Las Vegas.
