FAU guard Johnell Davis was one of the top college basketball transfers on the market this offseason after opting to leave Boca Raton following a four-year stint. The senior selected his next destination on Wednesday, though it wasn’t always the expected landing spot.
Davis was a mainstay in the Owls’ rotation last year, starting all 34 of the team’s games while leading them to a second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. At season’s end, head coach Dusty May bolted for Michigan where he replaced Juwan Howard.
Many anticipated the guard, who averaged 18.2 points per night, to follow his fearless leader to Ann Arbor after hearing that announcement. That appeared to be the case up until the Michigan admissions department got in the way.
As has been the case with a number of other college athletes, Davis was denied entry after reportedly failing to meet the university’s strict standards. That denial is said to have something to do with the fact that he’d yet to graduate from Florida Atlantic.
Although he has been in college for four years, he has not yet graduated from FAU. Very hard for non-grad transfers to get into Michigan unless they are from the Ivy League (EX: Wolf)
— zyavier (@ZyavierR)
After being spurned by the Wolverines, he set sights on another program.
Johnell Davis committed to John Calipari and Arkansas instead.
He’ll now head to the SEC, becoming a headliner in Calipari’s star-studded transfer class. That cycle currently ranks No. 1 in the nation, with Davis joining DJ Wagner, Adou Thiero, Jonas Aidoo, and Zvonimir Ivisic.
The decision to join the Razorbacks has suddenly become very spicy!
College basketball insider Jon Rothstein announced on Thursday that the Arkansas and Michigan will face off next season as part of the Jimmy V Classic in New York City.
Davis will now play against the program that spurned him!
Added motivation? Likely so! The guard will surely want to show the university what it missed out on – though the Wolverines’ new coach is already familiar with his game.
Michigan has had these admissions snags come back to bite in the past, most recently watching Illinois star Terrance Shannon Jr. go for 31 points in a blowout head-to-head loss.
History might repeat itself again in 2024!
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