L.J. Cason could be back on the Michigan basketball roster for the 2026-27 season if his ACL rehab and an expected NCAA rule change line up. The guard had originally been expected to miss the entire 2026-27 season and redshirt, but that outlook has changed as the rule move inches closer.
That change comes after Cason tore his ACL in February during Michigan’s Big Ten regular-season championship-sealing victory at Illinois. He said, “Yeah, we’ve definitely thought about that.”
Cason’s rehab timeline
Cason said his rehab has had “its fair share of ups and downs,” but he is back to working out and shooting basketballs. He added, “No side-to-side movement yet, but I’m doing ball handling and stuff like that.”
He also said, “I’m just taking it day by day. If I’m healthy by that time and able to play, then I am. If I’m not, I’m not.” Those words point to a clear split in his timeline: enough progress to start planning, not enough yet to lock in a return.
NCAA rule change watch
The NCAA’s five-year eligibility rule is projected to pass and could be voted on as soon as next week. Under that plan, athletes would get five years to compete from the time they turn 19 years old or graduate from high school, whichever happens first.
Cason said the expected change has already moved the conversation forward. “Since that has been (reported to pass when voted on), me and the staff have talked. I’m sure by the time February comes, we’ll have a plan.”
Michigan’s backup minutes
Michigan enters the new season with question marks at the backup point guard spot because of Cason’s injury. Trey McKenney could log some minutes at point guard, but Cason’s return would give Michigan another option after a season in which he averaged 18.6 minutes per game, 8.4 points, 2.4 assists and 1.9 rebounds while shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from three.
As a freshman, he averaged 11.8 minutes per game, and that rise in workload before the injury made the setback more severe for the roster. Jon Rothstein called him the best backup point guard in the country before the injury, which is why the possibility of getting him back in the 2026-27 season now hangs on both rehab and the NCAA vote.
By February, Cason expects to have a plan. If the rule passes and his knee keeps moving forward, Michigan could get back a guard it once expected to lose for a full redshirt year.
