Michigan formally announced that Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam had signed with Michigan today.
Thiam comes to Michigan after a season at UCF and Cincinnati and will have two years of eligibility remaining. He averaged 12.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore for the Bearcats.
“Moustapha is someone we’re really excited about,” Dusty May said in a statement. “You don’t find many players of his size and ability to move the way he does. He protects the rim, rebounds, runs the floor, and changes the game defensively. He’s still improving, too, so we’re ready to get to work.”
Thiam is one of three signees in Michigan’s incoming portal class, joining LSU’s Jalen Reed and Tennessee’s JP Estrella.
Here’s the full University of Michigan release:
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — David and Meredith Kaplan University of Michigan basketball coach Dusty May announced today (Tuesday, April 28) the addition of Moustapha Thiam, who agreed to a Big Ten Scholarship Agreement to join the Wolverines for the 2026-27 season.
In addition to U-M’s six member Class of 2026, Thiam becomes the second transfer addition for the Maize and Blue this offseason, joining 6-11 forward JP Estrella from Tennessee.
“Moustapha is someone we’re really excited about,” said May. “You don’t find many players of his size and ability to move the way he does. He protects the rim, rebounds, runs the floor, and changes the game defensively. He’s still improving, too, so we’re ready to get to work.”
A 7-2 center from Senegal, Thiam comes to Ann Arbor after one season at Cincinnati and one at Central Florida (UCF). He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Thiam earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors last season after starting 31 games for the Bearcats. He ranked second on the team in both scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg) while leading Cincinnati with 50 blocks, marking his second straight season with 50-plus.
He had 21 double-figure scoring games, including four 20-point performances. Thiam scored a career-high 28 points with eight rebounds in a road upset at No. 8 Kansas, then followed with 21 points and 10 rebounds at No. 16 Texas Tech and 24 points with 15 rebounds against Oklahoma State. He added nine double-doubles during the season, including an 18-point, 16-rebound effort against former school UCF in the Big 12 Tournament. He shot 52.5 percent from the field and added 15 three-pointers.
As a freshman at UCF in 2024-25, Thiam started 34 games and averaged 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. He was the only Big 12 and Power Four freshman to average at least 10 points, five rebounds and 2.5 blocks.
Thiam led the Big 12 and ranked seventh nationally in blocks per game (2.59), finishing fourth nationally with 88 total blocks. His 88 blocks set a UCF freshman record and were the second-most in program history. He also recorded 20 double-figure scoring games and three double-doubles.
Michigan is coming off a historic 2025-26 season in which the Wolverines won the Big Ten regular-season title by four games, made a memorable postseason run, and finished it by capturing the national championship.
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