Michigan football: portal class down to No. 14, still grades among the best

So far, Jim Harbaugh has pulled an incredible 2023 transfer portal class for Michigan football. At one point — late in the 2022 season — the Wolverines’ class ranked No. 1 in the nation and included the portal’s top-ranked player. (Ernest Hausmann).

Since then, many of these rankings have changed; Hausmann is the No. 2 transfer portal player (per 247 Sports), and Michigan’s transfer class now ranks No. 14 in the country.

Despite moving down in the rankings, the Wolverines’ class is still among the best in the nation.

Michigan football pulls seven star players from transfer portal

Since the portal opened in late 2022, the Wolverines have been going to work and landed seven notable players that should be able to contribute from the get-go. Six of Michigan’s seven transfers have Power 5 experience; six of the seven are also 247 four-star transfer recruits.

The only non-four-star player that Michigan football landed is three-star center Drake Nugent. Nugent is coming from Stanford, where he served as the starting center and team captain for the Cardinal and earned other All-PAC-12 honors during his time in CA.

Three of Michigan’s seven transfers are offensive linemen. Additionally, the Wolverines landed a tight end, a quarterback, a defensive end, and a linebacker. Aside from former Indiana backup quarterback Jack Tuttle, all of these players should be regular contributors to Michigan’s offense and defense from day one in Ann Arbor.

Where does the Wolveirnes’ class rank?

As of Tuesday afternoon, Michigan’s class ranks No. 14 in the country — though it grades much higher on an individual level. Every team in front of Michigan in 247’s transfer rankings has more transfers than the Wolverines. In fact, all but two teams ahead of the Wolverines have double-digit transfer commits thus far.

Teams like Colorado (23), SMU (17), Indiana (16), Ole Miss (14), and Wisconsin (13) all needed the help as they attempt to rebuild — in Michigan’s case, Jim Harbaugh is simply reloading his team. Overall, the Wolverines’ class grades average 90.57, which is notably higher than many of Michigan’s competitors.

Today, it was announced that Michigan football missed a massive rising sophomore transfer target: Davison Igbinosun. Igbinosun committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes, which was an enormous blow to Michigan’s recent recruiting efforts. Still, the Wolverines have one of the best portal classes in the country and will use it to its full effect as Michigan pursues another Big Ten title and more this fall.

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