Michigan football: There is no reason to panic about the transfers

The addition of the transfer portal has forever changed the landscape of college football. While the Wolverines signed an incredibly talented 2023 transfer portal class — adding seven experienced players to the roster — yesterday, there was an opposite effect on the Michigan football transfer portal movement. Three members of Jim Harbaugh’s squad hit the transfer portal, leaving some fans in a panic about why so many players are looking to leave.

Michigan football transfer portal movement is going to happen; there is no reason to panic.

Yesterday, three notable Wolverines entered the transfer portal: linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green, defensive back RJ Moten, and wide receiver/kick returner AJ Henning. While these three names have gotten some solid playing time over the past few years in the Maize and Blue, none are crippling losses for Michigan.

Hill-Green and Moten were understandable; they’re both entering their senior years and were not going to see the field much on this fall’s incredibly loaded Michigan football roster. Sadly, that is just how things shake out sometimes. AJ Henning was likely also not going to earn a starting role, and although he was an All-Big Ten specialist, Henning likely wanted to see more playing time as a wideout before graduating.

Scholarship limit is a factor here

If you were to pin the transfers on playing time, you wouldn’t be all wrong. That being said, the Michigan football transfer portal movement can be explained by the scholarship limit as well. Even with the transfers out, the Wolverines are still over ten players over the scholarship limit; this means that notable players were going to have to leave and that the transfers out may not be done quite yet.

It is a hard part of college football, but a necessary one for the time being. Right now, Michigan football is about to head into summer practice and start getting ready for the fall opener in early September — roster movement like this was bound to happen for Jim Harbaugh & Co., and there is no reason for Michigan fans to panic.

The good news for the Wolverines is that the portal is still open in case any more notable players leave, and Michigan has some talented younger players that should be ready to step up this fall. The transfers are a hit to the team’s depth, though, as we have seen many times in the past, the Wolverines will embrace the “next man up” mentality and push forward regardless.

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