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LSU forward Mike Nwoko plans to enter Transfer Portal

Danby: Daniel Hager04/07/26DanielHagerOn3

LSU junior forward Mike Nwoko plans to enter the Transfer Portal. On3’s Joe Tipton reported the news. Nwoko entered with a ‘Do Not Contact’ tag.

Nwoko will be looking to join his fourth program in as many years. The Toronto native has previously made stops at Miami (2023-24) and Mississippi State (2024-25).

His career began in Coral Gables, where he played in 29 games and averaged 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds. He then entered the Portal for the first time and ended up in Starkville. In his lone season playing under head coach Chris Jans, Nwoko averaged 6.1 points and 4.6 rebounds for a Bulldog team that was knocked out of the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.

The 6’10”, 261-pound forward spent this past season at LSU. He averaged career highs in points (13.4) and rebounds (5.9), but that did not quite result in success for the program. The Tigers, under head coach Matt McMahon, posted a 15-17 record and missed the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season.

Nwoko instantly becomes one of the most productive forwards to enter the Portal. In two of the greatest seasons of SEC basketball in the conference’s history, Nwoko recorded 10-plus points on 30 different occasions. This includes a career-high 29 points in a 107-81 win over Alcorn State on Nov. 18, 2025, and an SEC-high 21 points in a 92-87 OT win over South Carolina on Jan. 31, 2026.

Michael Nwoko is the latest LSU player to announce transfer decision

Michael Nwoko will not be sticking around to play for new head coach Will Wade, who was hired to replace Matt McMahon after spending one season as the head coach at NC State.

Wade took the Wolfpack to the First Four of the 2026 NCAA Tournament in his lone season in Raleigh. His arrival came after two seasons at McNeese State, where he went 50-9 during that time and took the Cowboys to their second-ever Round of 32 appearance during his debut season in 2024-25.

Wade was previously the head coach at LSU from 2017-22 and took the Tigers to three NCAA Tournaments. However, in March 2022, LSU fired him after receiving a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA related to alleged recruiting violations. Wade received a two-year show cause as a result of the investigation and served a 10-game suspension upon his hiring at McNeese.

Rumors swirled about whether Wade could return to LSU even though McMahon, who replaced him in 2022, was still in the role. McMahon’s future came into question during the 2025-26 season as the Tigers went 15-17 overall, including 3-15 in SEC play, to miss the NCAA Tournament again in his fourth year at the helm.

The former coach, indeed, did return to Baton Rouge and looks to lead LSU back to relevance in the college basketball landscape as soon as this season.