Caleb Love has decommitted from Michigan and is back in the transfer portal, so where could the former UNC Tar Heels star land now?
The one thing that we know is that Caleb Love isn't going to play another minute for UNC basketball. The former 5-star guard who was instrumental in leading the Tar Heels to the Final Four and National Championship Game in 2022 transferred out of Chapel Hill after a disastrous junior season individually and for the Heels as a whole.
Where he plays next, however, is heavily in question.
After putting his name in the transfer portal, Love initially committed to play for Juwan Howard at Michigan. But on Wednesday, multiple reports confirmed that the guard has now decommitted and is back in the transfer portal due to the fact that he did not have the credits to be admitted into Michigan.
At this stage of the offseason, the transfer portal is far barer than it was previously, making Caleb Love one of the most coveted commodities available. But where will he land? We have five great destinations that could surely use the former North Carolina star on the roster for the 2023-24 season.
Caleb Love transfer destination No. 5: Saint Louis Billikens
Saint Louis has been in good hands under head coach Travis Ford, but the Billikens face a tough task in the 2023-24 season as they will be replacing the bulk of their offense from a year ago, not the least of which includes replacing Yuri Collins, one of the nation's best point guards who has declared for the NBA Draft.
Caleb Love is a St. Louis native and, though his initial decision to commit to Michigan didn't take him necessarily close to home, there's a chance that a second time in the portal could lead him to that point.
The Billikens have the chance to still make noise with the Atlantic 10 still not looking particularly deep, but Love would be a superstar in the league and make a huge impact for Saint Louis. This is definitely a homer play for Love in the portal, but it's one that would benefit the player, his draft stock, and the program alike.
Caleb Love transfer destination No. 4: Missouri Tigers
It was a remarkable first season for head coach Dennis Gates at Missouri, taking the Tigers from a pretty tough spot as a program and, largely through the portal and JUCO ranks, making them an NCAA Tournament team who even advanced out of the First Round.
Mizzou has already worked well in the transfer portal again this offseason, most notably landing Caleb Grill from Iowa State and Tamar Bates from Indiana. There are also high hopes for Colorado State transfer John Tonje. But again playing on the St. Louis connection for Caleb Love, they could use a point guard to help take them over the top.
Love would pair well with this group of quality scorers in Columbia. More importantly, it might be a great fit with Gates and other good scorers for Love to develop as a playmaker for teammates to help boost his draft stock while keeping Missouri in the March Madness mix once again.
Caleb Love transfer destination No. 3: Louisville Cardinals
Louisville, to put it plainly, was an outright disaster in Kenny Payne's first season with the Cardinals, not that anyone expected anything different. The 4-28 mark the team posted is the worst in modern history for the program, but he was put in a horrible situation and there's nowhere to go but up.
And up they've been going this offseason. Payne and his staff have worked the transfer portal hard already this offseason, the two biggest additions being former Illinois guard Skyy Clark and former USC forward Tre White. This is a roster that could use any high-level talent it could get, though, and Love could fit the bill.
The former UNC star is obviously quite familiar with the ACC but pairing him with Clark, while there will need to be work on how the ball-dominance is worked out, could give Louisville an elitely talented backcourt. That would be a huge step forward and could be a piece to get the Cardinals back on the right track.
Caleb Love transfer destination No. 2: Kansas State Wildcats
Jerome Tang became one of the best stories in college basketball this season with the heights he took Kansas State to, most notably getting the Wildcats to the Elite Eight. But now he has a tough task after losing Keyontae Johnson, Desi Sills and, most importantly in this conversation, Markquis Nowell.
Make no mistake, Caleb Love is a far different player than Nowell, taking the floor with substantially more size and length along with substantially less facilitating prowess, at least from what we saw with the Tar Heels.
Having said that, putting Love in the mix on the perimeter with Cam Carter and North Texas transfer Tylor Perry could quickly replenish the backcourt for Tang as he hopes to ensure that Kansas State's deep tourney run wasn't just a flash in the pan. Moreover, it's another fit for Love that is relatively close to home.
Caleb Love transfer destination No. 1: Indiana Hoosiers
Wouldn't it be a twist of the knife for Michigan if Caleb Love ultimately ended up in the Big Ten still? That's what Mike Woodson and the Indiana Hoosiers could pull off, and it would also make a ton of sense given the state of the roster.
Indiana had a ton of holes to fill this offseason with the departures of top-tier players like Trayce Jackson Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino. The latter is critical, though, as his presence in the Hoosiers backcourt was huge for the step forward the team took this past season. Now that he's entered the draft, though, Woodson doesn't have an obvious replacement.
The Hoosiers have already landed arguably the best transfer in the portal with Kel'el Ware, but adding Love to the roster too could be massive in making sure that Indiana basketball doesn't see a major drop-off with the losses from last year's team.
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