Jace Howard transfer portal: Top 5 landing spots for Juwan Howard's son ft. Missouri

After five seasons at Michigan, Jace Howard is transferring. For the first four years of his college career, the guard was under the direction of his father, Juwan Howard, who served as the Wolverines' head coach. Juwan joined the Brooklyn Nets coaching staff in 2024.

Howard underwent knee surgery last summer and appeared in just five games this season due to the injury. He will look to receive a medical redshirt to return to college next season.

In his shortened 2024-25 season, Howard averaged 4.0 minutes on the court. He recorded 0.8 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game and shot 25.0% from the field. The guard will look to end his college career elsewhere. Let's look at possible landing spots for Howard.

Top 5 landing spots for Jace Howard

#1. Missouri Tigers

Missouri is a guard-heavy team with whom Howard could enjoy his final season of eligibility. The No. 6 seeded Tigers were upset in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament this season but finished eighth in a competitive SEC. This is an admirable team that could be a good landing spot for Howard.

The Tigers' eight top scorers are all guards, and of the 16 players who saw game action this season, 14 are classified as guards by ESPN. Many of Missouri's top guards, including Caleb Grill and Tamar Bates, have exhausted their eligibility.

Howard's stats mean he won't be a star anywhere, but a guard-heavy team looking for more contributors after losing some of its top players could be where he best fits in.

#2. UCLA Bruins

If Howard wants to remain in the Big Ten, he could fit in nicely at UCLA. The Bruins were a No. 7 seed in March Madness this season and advanced to the Round of 32 before falling to No. 2 Tennessee. UCLA, like Missouri, is a guard-heavy squad. Four of its top five scorers are guards.

The Bruins had 12 players with stats reported by ESPN this season, and nine of them were guards. Many of UCLA's top guards will return next season, so the team isn't in desperate need of new guards, but Howard could still be a solid pickup for the Bruins.

Howard could provide UCLA with more guard depth, and playing for the Bruins could offer Howard the opportunity to play for another competitive squad that values its guards.

#3. Xavier Musketeers

Xavier is another team that could use Howard's skill set next season. The Musketeers made their second NCAA Tournament appearance in the past three years this season and rely on their guards.

This is a team on the rise that has four guards in its top five scorers. Three of Xavier's top guards, Marcus Foster, Dante Maddox Jr. and Dayvion McKnight, have exhausted their eligibility. If the Musketeers want to maintain a guard-heavy style of play, they will need to add more guard depth.

With five years of guard experience under his belt, Howard would be a welcome addition to this Xavier squad.

#4. Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas is another team on the rise. With the help of new coach John Calipari this season, the Razorbacks earned a No. 10 seed in March Madness and made a tournament run to the Sweet 16.

This is a squad pretty evenly split between guards and forwards, and the team will lose star guard Johnell Davis ahead of next season. Howard could give Arkansas more guard depth in Davis' absence, and playing for the Razorbacks could provide him the opportunity to develop his skill set under a seasoned head coach.

#5. UConn Huskies

Spending his final season of college eligibility at UConn would also offer Howard the opportunity to play under a successful veteran coach. Dan Hurley's Huskies fell in the second round this season after winning the NCAA Tournament title in each of the two years prior.

Hurley has expressed concerns about his players entering the transfer portal, and UConn has already lost guard Ahmad Nowell and center Youssouf Signare.

Nowell and Signare were players who contributed minimal minutes for the Huskies. Howard could take over Nowell's spot as a guard who can consistently play a few minutes for UConn.