Michigan, Sherrone Moore must pound the transfer portal during the spring window

Fresh off its best season in program history, Michigan seems primed for a regression season. 

Without head coach Jim Harbaugh, repeating as national champions, particularly in the new 12-team College Football Playoff format, looks almost impossible for the 2024 Wolverines. This isn’t breaking news, but as we inch closer to the start of spring practice, it jarring to see just how much turnover first-year head coach Sherrone Moore must overcome for Michigan to even remain competitive for the Big Ten title next season. 

Earlier this week, Moore completed his inaugural staff. He made a bold and audacious hire in venerable NFL defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, and the promotion of Kirk Campbell to offensive coordinator looks smart, too. 

Still, Michigan will enter next season with a first-time head coach, new coordinators on offense, defense and special teams, as well as a new voice leading the strength and conditioning program. 

That’s a ton of change … and then you look at the Wolverines’ roster — or what’s left of it. 

The reigning national champs are sending an impressive 18 players to the NFL Combine!

Next season, the Wolverines must replace starting quarterback JJ McCarthy, their leading rusher Blake Corum, their No. 1 wideout Roman Wilson and all five starting offensive linemen.

Star tight end Colston Loveland is the lone returning starter still on the roster.  

They do bring back some nice pieces defensively (linebacker Ernest Hausmann, edge rusher Josaiah Stewart, defensive linemen Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, corner Will Johnson), but their depth has been hammered and they lost plenty of star talent, too. 

Gone is their entire starting linebacking corps (and top two tacklers) in Junior Colson and Michael Barrett. Same for the team’s No. 1 sack artist Jaylen Harrell and the heartbeat of the secondary in safety/nickel Mike Sainristill. Mammoth defensive tackle Kris Jenkins is out of eligibility as well. 

Add it all up and Michigan has the second-lowest returning production among all Power Conference teams (good for 128th nationally). 

With a Big Ten schedule that now includes games against Oregon, USC and Ohio State, plus a non-conference date against a Top 5 Texas team, that’s super dicey. Then when you realize the talent left in Ann Arbor isn’t nearly the quality of what’s gone either, it becomes that much more problematic. 

While Wolverines avoided the type of transfer attrition that happened at Alabama and Washington, who also had head coaching changes after the initial portal window closed, junior safety Keon Sabb did recently leave the program. 

Sabb isn’t a major loss, but he’s a promising player and another Top-100 recruit no longer on the roster. And unlike Alabama, which also rates very low in returning production in 2024, the Wolverines don’t have a bunch of highly-ranked 4- and 5-stars waiting in the wings. 

Michigan’s program has been on a remarkable run with three straight Big Ten titles and a national championship. Yet during that time, the Wolverines signed one Top-10 class (2022). 

They haven’t capitalized at all on the recruiting trail the last two seasons, finishing 18th and 15th nationally. In those two cycles, they failed to sign a single Top-100 prospect. 

Comparatively, Ohio State landed 12. Oregon inked nine. Even Penn State signed seven. 

So now Michigan — and Moore — must pay the piper for those results, and Moore’s only saving grace for 2024 is to prove his recruiting chops immediately and pound the transfer portal during the spring window. 

The Wolverines clearly have needs almost everywhere — headlined by one more mysterious quarterback battles of any CFP hopeful. Is Michigan really going to go into Moore’s first season with Alex Orji, Jayden Denegal and freshman Jadyn Davis competing for the starting job?

Whether it’s adding a veteran QB, or re-loading the OL and receiver rooms, the Wolverines should be among the most attractive destinations for transfers during post-spring window. They can pitch immediate playing time on a team looking to compete for another Big Ten championship — a particularly attractive option for potential SEC transfers who can’t change teams within the conference now. 

The spring portal opens in less than two months, and when it does, the Wolverines must be prepared to pounce — immediately. If they don’t, they have no shot at remaining the kings of the Big Ten in 2024 — and likely beyond.