Given the timing of Kyle Whittingham’s hiring to replace the fired Sherrone Moore as Michigan’s head football coach, it hasn’t been a surprise to see more than a dozen players enter the NCAA transfer portal.
Some entrants have already found new homes, while others, like starting offensive lineman Jake Guarnera, have since withdrawn their name from the portal and are staying in Ann Arbor.
On the latest episode of “Wolverine Confidential” podcast, MLive’s Ryan Zuke, Aaron McMann and Andrew Kahn discuss the latest turnover on Michigan’s roster.
“It’s been a wild offseason here,” McMann said. “Obviously, the transfer portal’s getting bigger and bigger. More and more players are going in on a regular basis, and it’s becoming, quite frankly, exhausting.”
Some notables who were key players last season won’t be back, namely standout linebacker Cole Sullivan, who has committed to Oklahoma, but the podcast crew shared optimism over Whittingham’s ability to retain important pieces from last year’s roster. Starters like Bryce Underwood, Zeke Berry and Blake Frazier have announced they will be back in 2026.
With no spring portal window this year, Michigan could be in good shape if it can get through the current two-week transfer period without a mass exodus of talent.
“Kyle Whittingham actually spoke on this in one of his interviews on Tuesday – if there is still that spring portal window, a lot of these guys can stay, get to know the coaching staff a little bit better, go through spring practice with them, and then if they decide, all right, I’m still buried on the depth chart, then you can put your name in the portal and find a new home,” Zuke said. “They don’t have that option now.”
The most pressing need for Michigan is at receiver. Standout freshman Andrew Marsh is reportedly returning, but the Wolverines need more playmakers around Underwood. Given Underwood’s underwhelming freshman season, is there still the same allure to play with the former No. 1 overall recruit?
“You wonder if a receiver would want to come here given what we saw in year one under Underwood,” McMann said. “Not only running the football, but there’s just a lack of reliability through the air. I think the one thing helping Michigan at this point is the new staff. You’ve got a new head coach, you got a new coordinator and quarterbacks coach. They’re going to do things a little bit differently and there’s a track record there.”
Nevertheless, McMann said the Wolverines might have to “overpay” to bring in a quality receiver through the portal.
Also on the podcast, the crew breaks down more new hires on Whittingham’s staff and discusses Michigan basketball’s close call against Penn State on Tuesday to remain undefeated.
