Michigan State has found its needed backup point guard, as the Spartans added Miami (FL.) transfer Divine Ugochukwu through the transfer portal on Sunday, according to Joe Tipton of On3.
This past season for the Hurricanes, Ugochukwu — who stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 190 pounds — averaged 5.3 points per game along with 1.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals. The Sugar Land, Texas native shot 48.3% from the field, but only shot 17.6% (6-for-34 total) from 3-point range. Ugochukwu also shot 63.0% from the free-throw line and started 16 times.
As his stats suggest, he is most well-known for his defense, length and ability to finish at the rim — Ugochuckwu shot 61.0% from inside the arc last season.
He will have plenty of time to develop his shot and improve those holes within his game, though. Additionally, Ugochukwu’s eligibility lines up with both Kur Teng and starting point guard Jeremy Fears Jr.'s. All three of them have three seasons of college basketball left to play.
In addition to minutes as the point guard position, it is possible Ugochuckwu could play minutes as a two-guard as well. On top of the rising Teng, Ugochuckwu could also end up competing with incoming freshman guard/forward Jordan Scott for minutes in the Spartans’ rotation. Scott, listed as a four-star shooting guard, is rated by Rivals as MSU’s top incoming recruit and the 58th-best prospect in the entire class of 2025.
MSU’s latest addition also received some real attention from other big-time programs. Ugochukwu told League Ready on May 3 that besides Michigan State, Texas Tech and USC were the two schools recruiting him the hardest. League Ready also reported that Ugochukwu had heard from Kentucky, Baylor, Iowa, Texas and several other power conference teams.
Spartans Illustrated earlier confirmed that Ugochukwu had a Zoom call with Michigan State on the evening of May 4, which sources said "went well," eventually leading to his commitment to MSU. He also officially visited East Lansing on May 12 and May 13, according to a report by Joe Tipton.
Overall, this is the third transfer portal commitment head coach Tom Izzo has landed since the 2024-2025 season concluded, with the others being Kaleb Glenn (Florida Atlantic) and Trey Fort (Samford). Additionally, Scott and fellow incoming four-star freshman Cam Ward join the team as newcomers in 2025-2026.
- QB
- TE
- EDGE
- DE
- OT
- OT
- CB
- LB
- DE
- S
