Michigan guard L.J. Cason tears ACL, transfers to Miami, out for season
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The gist
Guard L.J. Cason tore his right ACL at Michigan, transferred home to Miami and is out for the season.
Miami opens against No. 1 Florida without him and fellow ACL casualty Marcus Allen.
Background
L.J. Cason is a guard from Lakeland, Florida who played his sophomore season at Michigan, where he came off the bench in every game and posted career bests in points (8.4), rebounds (1.9), assists (2.4) and steals (1.0). His season ended in February 2026 when he tore his right ACL at Illinois, and Michigan announced he would miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season. He then planned to enter the transfer portal in August 2026 and announced a destination described as headed home to Florida. He is now listed on Miami's roster, which opens the season against No. 1 Florida in Tampa.
How it unfolded
- Feb 27, 2026Cason tore his right ACL during Michigan's game at Illinois.
- Feb 28, 2026Michigan announced Cason would miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
- Aug 9, 2026Cason announced on social media that he planned to enter the transfer portal, a notable loss for Michigan basketball.
- Aug 9, 2026Reports said Cason, a Lakeland, Florida native, had announced his transfer destination and was headed home.
- Nov 2, 2026Miami listed Cason as ruled out for the season with a torn ACL, along with forward Marcus Allen, ahead of its opener against No. 1 Florida.
Key terms
- ACL
- A knee ligament that can be stretched or torn, often along with other knee structures.
- transfer portal
- An NCAA database that lets student-athletes publicly signal their desire to transfer between member schools.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Michigan head coach Dusty May announced that Cason tore his right ACL at Illinois and would miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
- Analysts
- Coverage framed Cason's portal entry as a notable loss for Michigan basketball and began projecting how the rotation would look without him.
Still unverified
Cason's season-long absence at Miami is described in one report as "reportedly expected" while he recovers from the ACL injury, rather than as a formally confirmed designation.