Former Purdue guard, prospective Michigan transfer Nojel Eastern commits to Howard

Former Purdue Boilermaker guard Nojel Eastern was once set to be a Michigan Wolverine. Once that fell through after weeks off silence and some questions about his status, that ultimately fell through.

However, Eastern has a new home.

The wing announced on Thursday that he would be transferring to Howard University to play for head coach Kenny Blakeney. This is the second high-profile player to join the member of Historic Black College and Universities this offseason with five-star prospect Makur Maker picking them over the likes of Kentucky and UCLA.

The 6-foot-7, 225-pound guard averaged 4.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists last year for the Boilermakers. He was a two-year starter at Purdue, starting 27-of-31 games last season. He’s a strong defensive player but is a limited shooter, making just three triples in his college career, all during his freshman season.

Eastern’s transfer to Michigan did not go through due to an academic issue with his camp stating that because of his chosen major, many of his credits would not transfer to Ann Arbor. Hence, the process was reopened for him.

Unless a transfer waiver is obtained, Eastern likely will have to sit out next season and be ready to go for 2021-22.

Howard went 4-29 last season, but has been the beneficiary of a movement of players considering the move to a HBCU school. It will be interesting to see who follows suit in the years to come.