Tag: Michigan Football

Michigan football set to get a commitment from high-potential Alabama running back

This is BIG TIME! #GoBlue

Football teams often have to deal with sudden change, but going from Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum to Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards to Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards to (question mark) means that there’s little known production at the running back position for Michigan football entering 2025.

Though Ben Hall and Jordan Marshall are anticipated to be among those who tote the rock this upcoming season, the Wolverines sought some outside help. And they got it — ironically from the team that it plays next — Alabama.

On Friday, Dec. 13, Alabama running back Justice Haynes, coming out of his second season, entered the transfer portal, to the horror of fans in Tuscaloosa. Though Georgia and Ohio State thought to be involved, Michigan ended up battling South Carolina, it ended up being Haynes’ relationship with running backs coach Tony Alford that played a role, as he is set to commit instead to the Wolverines, per 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

Here is how Haynes ranked as a recruit coming out of Buford (Ga.) in 2023:

* Ovr Pos St
247Sports Composite 5 24 2 2
On3 Industry Ranking 4 33 2 2
247Sports 4 34 3 3
On3 4 39 3 2
ESPN 4 24 2 2
Rivals 4 33 1 2

In 2024, Haynes had 79 carries for 449 yards and seven touchdowns while also adding 17 receptions for 99 yards. He didn’t see much time in 2023, but did get four carries for 31 yards against Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

Michigan football RB to stay in-state with transfer decision

Best of luck to him.

When it came to the 2021 class, the headline grabber in terms of skill position players was running back Donovan Edwards — a five-star according to 247Sports who decided in early signing day. But the Wolverines had another running back pledge in the fold, though he didn’t materialize as a playmaker for the maize and blue.

A three-star recruit from the state of Texas, Tavierre Dunlap was the first of the two 2021 running back commits to join the class. However, he didn’t get his first score until his final home game in Ann Arbor — against Northwestern in Week 13 in 2024. Dunlap opted to transfer for a change of scenery and it turns out, he won’t be heading that far — in fact, just seven miles down the road. He announced in Christmas Eve that he’s transferring to Eastern Michigan in neighboring Ypsilanti.

Over four years, Dunlap amassed 22 carries for 138 yards and one touchdown. He will have one year of eligibility remaining with the Eagles.

Michigan OT Andrew Gentry makes transfer decision

Best of luck to him.

In 2023, as Michigan football was gearing up for what ended up being a national championship season, then-head coach Jim Harbaugh mused at what the starting offensive line would look like. Noting the two transfers who had come in to be offensive tackles (LaDarius Henderson and Myles Hinton), along with the incumbent linemen and fellow transfer, center Drake Nugent, Harbaugh couldn’t help but wonder: how can we get Andrew Gentry on the field? After all, as Harbaugh said, he was too talented to ride the bench.

Gentry didn’t get that opportunity outside of special teams in 2023. Poised for a potential starting role at right tackle in 2024, sophomore Evan Link surprisingly beat him out. However, when Link went down with injury, Gentry got his chance.

But it was cut short after he sustained a season-ending leg injury. After the season, he decided a change of scenery would do him best, and he entered the transfer portal.

According to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Gentry is expected to transfer to BYU to finish his college career.

Gentry would have been part of the 2020 class, and he originally had committed to Virginia to be coached by Bronco Mendenhall. However, as a Mormon, he went on a two-year mission trip before enrolling in college, and thus didn’t get to school until 2022. With Mendenhall gone, Gentry opted to sign with Michigan football instead.

Now signing with BYU, a Church of Latter Day Saints college, Gentry will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Michigan football expected to land a top transfer portal player

Now THIS is big time! #GoBlue

Not many expected the Wolverines to have a slow go in the transfer portal after the Bryce Underwood recruitment. But, simultaneously, not many expected Michigan football to land some of the top talent in the country, either.

The maize and blue have a solid haul thus far with seven commitments from the portal (Indiana WR Donaven McCulley, Arkansas DBs TJ and Tevis Metcalf, Alabama DT Damon Payne, Cal Poly OT Brady Norton, Georgia LB Troy Bowles, and Fresno State QB Mikey Keene) but are looking to add a few more big-time players.

Atop the Wolverines’ list is Alabama running back Justice Haynes. Haynes is originally from powerhouse Buford (Ga.) and was thought by national analysts to be lock for either a top SEC school or perhaps Ohio State. However, he’s now deciding between Michigan and South Carolina and Michigan appears to have the edge with a new 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction as well as On3 predictions from Steve Wiltfong and Pete Nakos coming in favoring the Wolverines

Here is how he ranks in the transfer portal:

* Ovr Pos
247Sports 4 26 1
On3 4 21 1

Haynes was originally a five-star recruit according to the 247Sports Composite, ranked No. 29 overall and the third-best running back in the 2023 class. Regardless of where he ends up, he’ll have two years of eligibility remaining.

Haynes wasn’t utilized much in his freshman campaign but did have four carries in the Rose Bowl against Michigan last year for 31 yards. This season, he had 79 carries for 448 yards and seven touchdowns, to go along with 17 catches for 99 yards.

Michigan football gets its transfer portal QB

Looks like #Michigan got its portal quarterback! #GoBlue

Ever since Barstool Sports president Dave Portnoy vowed to spend up to $3 million on a transfer portal quarterback, Michigan football fans have expected greatness to come to Ann Arbor as something of a stopgap. But a transcendent quarterback never quite emerged. on the transfer market, and Michigan managed to secure No. 1 player in the country, five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood — thus perhaps changing the strategy.

Early in the transfer portal, it appeared as if Michigan was targeting former USC QB Miller Moss, but he ended up committing to Louisville. Then Maryland’s Billy Edwards Jr. appeared to be Ann Arbor-bound, but he opted instead for Wisconsin. Then it came down to Baylor QB Dequan Finn, a Detroit native who started at Toledo, and Fresno State signal-caller Mikey Keene.

Though fans appeared to favor Finn, it appears that the Wolverines favored Keene, with the former UCF and Fresno State quarterback committing to the maize and blue.

Hailing from Chandler (Ariz.) and coming out of the 2021 class, Keene originally committed to UCF, where he was under the tutelage of Chip Lindsey, who was then the Knights’ offensive coordinator and is the new hire for the Wolverines at the same position.

Keene spent two years in Orlando before transferring to Fresno State, where he was a two-year starter. He’s an accurate QB, having completed 67.8% of his passes over a four-year period, and had his best season two years ago, when he passed for just shy of 3,000 yards with 24 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.

With Keene as Michigan’s choice, it could indicate a willingness to let Underwood take over sooner than later. While he is a very good quarterback — despite overall fan dissension — he’s not a transcendent figure. Perhaps it will be more of a Cade McNamara-J.J. McCarthy type of rotation, but given Underwood’s talent, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take over the starting role by midseason with Keene as the choice.

Here is how Keene ranks in the transfer portal rankings:

* Ovr Pos
247Sports 3 398 46
On3 3 117 17

It should be noted that against Michigan in Week 1, Keene went 22-for-36 for 235 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions — the final interception being a pick-six in the red zone by Will Johnson that sealed the game for the Wolverines.

Update: this article has been updated to reflect Keene as committed.

Michigan EDGE Josaiah Stewart declared for NFL draft

Thanks for everything, Josaiah! #GoBlue

He was in Ann Arbor for a good time, not a long time.

Michigan football scoured the transfer portal two years ago and quietly found a gem. Former Coastal Carolina edge rusher Josaiah Stewart had a stellar freshman campaign for the Chanticleers, but wasn’t quite as productive his sophomore year. He transferred to the maize and blue and was a stellar reserve in 2023 — helping the Wolverines win a national championship — before he really turned things up as a starter in 2024.

On Monday, Stewart announced that his Michigan career is officially over and that he is declaring for the NFL draft.

Given that he was out of eligibility, why does it matter? His declaration presumably means that he will not get one last hurrah in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama in Dec. 31. With Stewart out, Michigan will likely rely on Derrick Moore and TJ Guy. The move may also hasten utilizing linebacker Jaishawn Barham at the EDGE position.

Michigan football OL selects transfer destination

Best of luck to him.

Big things were expected for an in-state product that never quite materialized.

A four-star offensive lineman for Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech, Raheem Anderson II was expected to be either the center of the future or a productive offensive guard. However, the Wolverines kept taking centers in the transfer portal and the battle this offseason was between fellow 2021 classmates Greg Crippen and converted defensive lineman Dominick Giudice.

Anderson was one of four Michigan offensive linemen who decided to depart via the transfer portal (Giudice ended up at Missouri, while Andrew Gentry and Tristan Bounds are still weighing their options). He’s the second to make a decision as he’s committed to Western Michigan.

The Wolverines are seeking a few options in the portal to fill the void. They’ve already gotten a commitment from Cal Poly OL Brady Norton, have hosted Northwestern guard Josh Thompson and are expected to host Washington State tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe on Sunday.

Michigan football gets a transfer from former 4-star LB from Georgia

#Michigan just bolstered its LB room in a big way! #GoBlue

Michigan football is raiding the SEC via the transfer portal. The Wolverines got two transfers from Arkansas in TJ and Tevis Metcalf and former Belleville (Mich.) five-star defensive tackle Damon Payne, who played for four years at Alabama.

The SEC flair is continuing with the latest pledge to the maize and blue out of the transfer portal.

Earlier in the week, the Wolverines quietly hosted outgoing Georgia linebacker Troy Bowles, a former four-star rated No. 63 overall according to the 247Sports proprietary rankings coming out of the 2023 recruiting class. On Saturday, Bowles shut his recruitment down as he committed to the maize and blue.

Bowles is the son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles. Here is how he ranks according to the recruiting services in the transfer portal:

* Ovr Pos
247Sports 3 258 15
On3 3 213 –

Bowles did not play in 2024 but appeared in three games in his freshman season, 2023. He notched five tackles in his short tenure with the Bulldogs. He is the sixth transfer portal commitment of the postseason, joining the aforementioned trio as well as former Indiana wideout Donaven McCulley and Cal Poly offensive lineman Brady Norton.

Michigan is targeting a quarterback still — notably Baylor QB Dequan Finn and Fresno State QB Mikey Keene — Alabama running back Justice Haynes, Arizona CB Emmanuel Karnley, Washington State DT David Gusta and OT Fa’alili Fa’amoe, Purdue TE Max Klare, and more.

Michigan football starter chooses transfer destination

Get ready to learn the rigors of the SEC schedule, buddy! #GoBlue

There are multiple Michigan football players who have entered the transfer portal upon the completion of the 2024 college football regular season, but the majority of those departing are not starters.

A few were.

Most notable is wide receiver Tyler Morris, who doesn’t seem to have visited anywhere. Another is late-season starter Andrew Gentry, an offensive lineman with a great deal of promise. But Dominick Giudice surprisingly started at center to begin the season before losing his job due to injury.

Giudice, a former three-star edge rusher, is on the move. He’ll still wear the block M, it will just be at his new school, Missouri.

Giudice, a New Jersey native, played in nine games, but struggled with injuries during the season. He was out of action in Week 6 at Washington and ended up losing his role to Greg Crippen. He played guard in Week 11, notching 59 snaps against Oregon.

He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Michigan football loses another edge to transfer portal

Best of luck to him.

In the spring game, you get a bit of a look at who might be the next crop of solid players. One such player for Michigan football was edge rusher Breeon Ishmail.

A 2023 commit from Ohio who pledged the day before the Wolverines played rival Ohio State, Ishmail appeared in eight games in 2024 but only saw time on defense twice this season. He played 89 snaps, all but 16 on special teams.

Ishmail posted to X (formerly Twitter) that he had entered the transfer portal. He will have three years of intercollegiate eligibility remaining at his school of choice.

Ishmail was a linebacker and wide receiver in high school but bulked up to play edge rusher after arriving in Ann Arbor. He was one of several underscouted Ohioans who joined the roster, including 2022 signee Cam Calhoun (who has since transferred to Utah and Alabama), Jason Hewlett and DJ Waller (who has since transferred to Kentucky).