Former North Carolina star guard Caleb Love is back in the transfer portal after decommiting from Michigan. Love spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career with the Tar Heels, but returning to them is not an option.
According to Adam Zagoria of the New York Times, the top destinations for Love is Missouri and Indiana. Both programs are on the rise under head coaches Dennis Gates and Mike Woodson, respectively.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Dave Matter explained that Love could prioritize Missouri because he's from St. Louis. Gates can convince him to join the Tigers and be close to home. It should also be noted that Missouri was one of the schools that recruited Love back in 2019 before he chose to commit to North Carolina.
Adam Wells of Bleacher Report noted that Indiana is not that far from St. Louis. The Hoosiers could also provide Caleb Love a chance to face Michigan at least once next season.
Another program to watch out for in the Love sweepstakes is Kansas. They have had a fairly decent recruiting class, including the acquisition of Michigan's Hunter Dickinson via the transfer portal. The Jayhawks are also among Love's choices when he was coming out of high school in 2019.
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Why did Caleb Love leave UNC?
Caleb Love has been a starter for UNC ever since he joined the program in 2020. Love averaged 14.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game in three seasons with the Tar Heels.
In his final year with North Carolina, Love posted career highs in points and rebounds. He averaged 16.7 ppg, 3.7 rbg, 2.8 apg and 1.1 spg in a very disappointing campaign for UNC. They were ranked No. 1 to start the season, but missed the NCAA tournament.
But why did Love left the Tar Heels and enter the transfer portal? The 21-year-old guard explained in a statement that he wants to grow as a player and can only see it happening elsewhere.
"I've taken some time with my family to re-evaluate what's best for me to continue to grow as a player and I've decided to enter the transfer portal to continue my journey," Love said.
Why did Caleb Love decommit from Michigan?
Caleb Love initially announced his commitment to Michigan last month. However, it only lasted for just five weeks as he had to re-enter the transfer portal after finding out that he did not have enough credits to transfer.
Matt Norlander of CBS Sports explained that Michigan has a high bar for transfers and admissions. It led to Love decomitting to the program and started looking for a new home.
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