Michigan RB CJ Stokes enters NCAA transfer portal
Michigan Wolverines football was one of the few teams in the FBS without a player to enter the NCAA transfer portal, until sophomore running back CJ Stokes did so Monday morning, as reported by On3. The 5-foot-10, 205-pounder has three years of eligibility remaining. Since it’ll be his first time transferring, he will be immediately eligible at his next school.
Stokes played in two games this season, wins over East Carolina and UNLV, after appearing in 11 contests as a freshman in 2022. This fall, he had 4 rushes for 8 yards with a 7-yard long.
The former three-star recruit out of Columbia (S.C.) Hammond School showed promise in his first year at the collegiate level, with 55 rushes for 273 yards and 1 touchdown, averaging 5 yards per carry.
Stokes’ 2022 season was highlighted by an 8-carry, 61-yard and 1-touchdown performance in a win over Hawai’i. He went quiet for the middle of the season, without much opportunity, until injuries stressed the running back rotation late in the season. He carried 8 times for a career-high 68 yards in a win over Nebraska, before accumulating 36 yards on 11 rushes in a 19-17 victory over Illinois. He rushed twice for 5 yards in a triumph over Ohio State to conclude the regular season, marking his last appearance in a Big Ten game.
Michigan was deeper at the running back position this season, and Stokes fell behind not only senior Blake Corum and junior Donovan Edwards, but also senior Kalel Mullings and freshman Benjamin Hall on the depth chart. The Maize and Blue are also set to bring in four-star running back Jordan Marshall in the 2024 recruiting class and also possess a freshman in Cole Cabana who was highly touted out of high school.
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Early on this season, it appeared that Stokes was in the mix for Michigan’s No. 3 running back spot behind Corum and Edwards. However, Mullings emerged and has been featured in that role.
“I think we have four No. 3 backs, to be honest with you,” position coach and Michigan run game coordinator Mike Hart said in September. “I’m not really worried about it. If you asked me that question last year, it would’ve been a little bit more of a concern with the unknown — ‘who’s the fourth back? Is CJ going to be ready to go? He’s a true freshman.’
“We’re deep. I feel really good about the backfield position. I’m comfortable with CJ going in the game, Ben going in the game, Kalel going in the game, [junior] Tavi Dunlap, when he gets back. He had a great fall camp. All those guys can play. Cole Cabana, he can play. It’s just being smart and using them in the right situations, but I’m not really worried about who the third back is, because I trust them all to do what they need to do based on the game situations.”
Michigan returns to practice this week in preparation for the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl against Alabama Jan. 1.
