The transfer portal officially closes today, meaning that no new entries will be allowed. Players already in the portal are free to commit and sign where they please, but coaches no longer need to worry about player retention for this cycle.
With that in mind, the dust is in the process of settling. How would you grade Kyle Whittingham and the new Michigan staff’s performance during this portal window?
Michigan certainly brought in their fair share of talent. 247Sports, which ranks schools by only their incoming transfers, has the Wolverines fourth in the Big Ten and 18th overall. The portal class is highlighted by several Utah stars such as edge rusher John Henry Daley, cornerback Smith Snowden and wide receiver JJ Buchanan. If healthy, all three figure to be immediate starters this fall.
Michigan also entirely redid its quarterback room with Jadyn Davis (uncommitted), Davis Warren (Stanford), Mikey Keene (Arizona State) and Jake Garcia (uncommitted) departing. Colin Hurley (LSU) and Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (Colorado State) have committed to the Wolverines to fill out the room. Hurley has a real shot at starting once Underwood goes to the NFL in a couple years, while Fowler-Nicolosi provides a solid floor for 2026 should the injury bug bite.
Whittingham and the rest of the coaching staff also restocked the wide receiver room with the aforementioned Buchanan and Jaime Ffrench (Texas). Combined with the retention of Andrew Marsh, this position group should be much improved in 2026.
As for the negative, Michigan did lose quite a bit of talent as well. On3, which ranks programs based on portal in’s and out’s, has the Wolverines at dead last in the Big Ten. The departures of running back Justice Haynes (Georgia Tech), offensive lineman Ty Haywood (Alabama), linebacker Cole Sullivan (Oklahoma) and most of the 2025 secondary likely played a big part in that.
Haynes, Sullivan, and defensive backs Brandyn Hillman and TJ Metcalf all figured to be starters in 2026. While they left for various reasons, financially or otherwise, those losses will be felt.
We would be remiss not to mention the retention efforts when grading Michigan’s portal haul this cycle. Several players entered the portal only to withdraw later, including offensive linemen Andrew Sprague and Jake Guarnera, cornerback Zeke Berry and safety Jordan Young. Offensive line is by far the hardest position to acquire via the transfer portal, so the retention of Sprague and Guarnera cannot be forgotten.
For me, it’s hard not to be satisfied with the results during this transfer portal window. While it wasn’t perfect, I believe the staff knocked it out of the park given the time constraints due to when Whittingham was hired.
How would you grade Michigan’s performance? Are you happy with the incoming transfers? Do you wish the staff would have done better retaining some of the guys that left? Are there any position groups you’re worried about heading into 2026? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.