Miami Hurricanes land commitment from Arkansas State Red Wolves transfer Norchad Omier

Arkansas State transfer Norchad Omier committed to Miami on Tuesday, giving the Hurricanes men’s basketball program their second top-10 transfer in less than a week.

Jim Larranaga’s program added Kansas State transfer Nijel Pack over the weekend.

Omier, the Sun Belt Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, chose Miami over a final four that also included Texas Tech, Florida State and Georgetown. He was ranked No. 8 in ESPN’s transfer rankings.

“Our coaching staff is extremely excited to add Norchad to the Miami basketball program,” Larranaga said. “While his stats and accomplishments speak for themselves, what we love most about Norchad are his non-stop motor and competitive fire. In addition to being among the most dominant rebounders I’ve seen at the college level, Norchad is also an efficient scorer and a prolific defender who has proven himself as one of the best forwards in the country. We are eager to welcome Norchad and his family to The U.”

Omier, a 6-foot-7 power forward, was one of the most dominant mid-major big men this past season. He averaged 17.9 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, ranking fourth nationally in rebounding. He also ranked in the top 10 nationally in field goal percentage, making 63.2% of his attempts. From Nicaragua, he became just the third player in Sun Belt history to earn both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season.

It was the second straight first-team All-Sun Belt selection for Omier, who earned Freshman of the Year and all-conference honors during the 2020-21 season. He averaged 12.6 points and 12.3 rebounds as a freshman.

Omier represented Nicaragua at the FIBA World Cup Americas Pre-Qualifiers in 2021, averaging 15.4 points and 13.2 rebounds in five games.

Miami now has two of the top-10 transfers in the country, with Omier’s commitment following Pack’s on Saturday. The former Kansas State guard picked the Hurricanes over Ohio State and Purdue. Pack, a first-team All-Big 12 selection, averaged 17.4 points last season.

Omier and Pack will combine with returning starter Jordan Miller (10.0 PPG) to form the Hurricanes’ core this season, with Isaiah Wong (15.3 PPG) testing the NBA draft waters while also maintaining his college eligibility.