One of the best overall players in the 2026 college basketball recruiting class is Miikka Muurinen, a consensus five-star prospect who 247Sports has ranked in the top 10 overall. He’s a 6’10 power forward who is very skilled, capable of stretching the floor, and can operate with the ball.
Muurinen is viewed as one of the best offensive players in the class and projects to be an immediate impact player wherever he goes. But where will his destination be?
NEWS: 5⭐️ Miikka Muurinen is down to 7 schools, his agent Teddy Archer of @taa_sports tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 11, 2025
The 6-10 forward is a top-10 recruit in the 2026 class. https://t.co/rPNgLoX4K2 pic.twitter.com/yakrXtSboF
There are reportedly seven teams in the mix to land Muurinen. Here’s a closer look at how he’d fit with each of them.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Coach John Calipari has a pair of 5-star freshmen guards on the roster (Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr.), along with senior forwards. Trevon Brazile and transfers Malique Ewin and Nick Pringle will all be gone after next year, so there’s a clear path for Muurinen to become the next 5-star pickup in Coach Cal’s career.
Duke Blue Devils
The Blue Devils have a rich history at the power forward position, including the most recent No. 1 NBA Draft pick, Paolo Banchero. He’s gone, but in his place is another top incoming forward prospect, Cameron Boozer. The team does have another five-star forward on the roster in Nikolas Khamenia, a combo forward who can play both positions. Muurinen could very well be the next starting four-man once Boozer moves pro, but he may not be guaranteed to have the largest role compared to the other options.
Indiana Hoosiers
New Coach Darian DeVries has had success in previous stops with both transfers and under-the-radar talents. We’ve yet to see how he’ll work with star prospects out of high schools, but with so many seniors on the roster, including forwards Tucker DeVries and Sam Alexis, there’s a clear need for an impact four-man in the 2026 class such as Muurinen.
Kentucky Wildcats
Coach Mark Pope has had one of the top offenses, dating back to his days at BYU. Kentucky’s current roster features Alabama transfer Mouhamed Dioubate at the four-spot, but he’ll be gone after next year. It’s arguably the biggest position of need in the 2026 class so they could make a big push to land Muurinen.
Michigan Wolverines
Few coaches have gotten as much of a boost in terms of frontcourt development as Michigan HC Dusty May, whose duo of Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf led them to the Sweet 16 last season. They now have former AAC POY forward Yaxel Lendeborg to lead them this upcoming season. Muurinen would be a nice replacement for him a year from now in what looks to be a forward-friendly offensive system.
NC State Wolfpack
New Coach Will Wade has a pair of senior transfers to lead his frontcourt in Ven-Allen Lubin and Darrion Williams. With them leaving after next year, that opens up room for Murrinen to be the focal point of the team a year from now. Depending on who NC State builds its 2026-27 roster, it could become even more appealing for this five-star prospect to consider.
UNC Tar Heels
Similar to rival Duke, UNC is set to start a five-star freshman at the four-spot next season in Caleb Wilson. Assuming he’s a one-and-done, the Heels could use someone like Muurinen to come in and replace him. Of course, this assumes that Coach Hubert Davis isn’t on the hot seat a year from now. Among the seven options, this is the one where the coaching situation warrants close monitoring.