The Michigan Wolverines and the rest of the college football world saw the re-opening of the transfer portal on Tuesday in a window that lasts from April 16-30. U-M still has a few days left of spring ball, but could look to add at any position they feel fortifies their chances of competing for a Big Ten title and spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
With the dust settling on the first day, here are a few pertinent takeaways and things that may affect the Wolverines.
1. No surprise departures from Michigan
Michigan has been pretty fortunate in the transition from Jim Harbaugh to Sherrone Moore to not have a ton of roster turnover. Defensive tackle Reece Atteberry, safety Keon Sabb and wide receiver Karmello English have been the most notable defections out. English officially appeared in the portal on Tuesday after announcing that he would be departing the program back on March 23.
Anyone, especially some of the loons on message boards and other fanbases, expecting Michigan’s stars to jump in when the portal opened were either trolling or hoping for it. Now, it is still too early for victory laps given there are still two weeks left and U-M plays a spring game on Saturday. Some eagle-eyed fans might show up to the Big House with binoculars, but should rest easy for now.
Everything that has been said and discussed in Ann Arbor points to the core of this roster sticking together. As of day one, nobody pulled any surprises or fasts ones. But folks will be holding on for dear life until the window closes.
2. Lack of blockbuster options…especially at quarterback
This spring window was billed as the start of another round of chaos that shook the college football world to its core, but there were a lack of stars nationwide jumping in. Overall, that’s great news for the sport, even as full-blown free agency without contracts takes place. Again, there will certainly be more movement in the coming days and weeks, so it is too early to come to sweeping conclusions.
But a lot of people were looking to see if any notable quarterbacks might jump into the portal, and that has not happened. Now, there could always be conversations and courtships behind the scenes, but if Michigan was involved in that, it seems like it would happen after the spring game anyway. The guys on the roster have earned the opportunity to compete through the week and into Saturday’s exhibition.
If the right guy emerges, by all means, make the call. We think Michigan is comfortable with throwing any one of Alex Orji, Davis Warren, Jack Tuttle and Jayden Denegal if need be with Orji as the frontrunner. Jadyn Davis, the true freshman, is still probably a year away.
3. Plenty of wide receivers of intrigue
It was a good day for those who think Michigan may need to add a wide receiver to the roster. As of April 16, U-M only had five scholarship wideouts – Peyton O’Leary, Tyler Morris, Fredrick Moore, Semaj Morgan and Kendrick Bell – on the roster. Two freshmen arrive in the summer in Channing Goodwin and I’Marion Stewart. Neither project to early playing time.
Even if its just a depth-type – think Daylen Baldwin in 2021 – Michigan could really use a bigger-bodied without with production and game experience on the roster. Penn State’s Keandre Lambert-Smith was the biggest name, but we would expect him to land somewhere in a pass-happy system and get an NIL bag.
As we wrote in our live blog, guys who could fit the billing are Ohio’s Jacoby Jones, Charlotte’s Jack Hestera, Colorado State’s Justus Ross-Simmons and Boston College’s Joseph Griffin Jr. were among the veterans to throw their hats in the portal Tuesday. We are not aware of any contact from Michigan in the early stages of the window, but it should be something to keep an eye on. Perhaps the most of any position on the roster.
4. U-M will add pieces if they can help
In defensive line coach Lou Esposito’s first press conference at Michigan, he pretty much laid out the approach in the transfer portal when it is time to evaluate options:
I think it just goes into recruiting. It just opened up today, and it’s like anything else. We have really good players here, so we’re fortunate in that way, but you’re always looking to upgrade the roster. In recruiting in any level — whether it’s a high school kid or a transfer kid — if you feel like he’s going to help you win and there’s room for him, you want to upgrade your roster as much as we can.
Michigan is not going to be a school that fires the money cannons at prospects looking for the highest bidder, but it also is not going to sit on its hands if it has a chance to get better anywhere from quarterback to long snapper.
With a general manager in place in Sean Magee, Moore and his staff can mostly focus on wrapping up spring practices before rolling their sleeves up. This is a program that added 9 transfers en route to a national title last year. They won’t be stubborn and double down on themselves if they think they can get better.
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