Roddy Gayle Jr. is swapping sides in Ohio State's biggest rivalry.
On Monday, the former Buckeye shooting guard committed to Michigan from the transfer portal, heading to Ann Arbor for his third season of collegiate basketball.
Gayle finished third on Ohio State in scoring with 13.5 points per game in 2023-24, also finishing as the team's second-leading passer (3.1 assists per game) and third-leading rebounder (4.6 rebounds per game). He shot 44.9% from the field but just 28.4% from 3-point range.
Gayle entered the transfer portal on April 3 following the return of Meechie Johnson Jr. to Ohio State from South Carolina for his final collegiate season.
Adding extra intrigue to an already head-turning rivalry line swap is the fact that Michigan's new head coach, Dusty May, was thought to be the other finalist alongside Jake Diebler for Ohio State's head coaching job. As if enough comparisons weren't going to be drawn between them going forward, May has now plucked one of the Buckeyes’ top players from last season from their roster.
Gayle enjoyed a breakout run at the 2023 Big Ten Tournament as a freshman, scoring nine, 15 and 20 points in Ohio State's final three games during a trip to the semifinals. He parlayed that success into the Buckeyes' starting shooting guard role in 2023-24.
Gayle gathered a career-high 32 points against West Virginia on Dec. 30, leading Ohio State to an overtime win over the Mountaineers. He posted four 20-point games in total across his sophomore campaign.
A four-star prospect in the class of 2022, Gayle was considered the No. 49 overall prospect and No. 2 shooting guard in the 247Sports composite rankings. He'll join the Wolverines with two years of eligibility remaining.
