Michigan football staying or leaving tracker: Decisions still pending for key names

The Michigan Wolverines are still in the process of building the roster for the 2025 season with a handful of key decisions still set to be finalized over the next few weeks.

Head coach Sherrone Moore and his staff have put together what On3 currently rates as the No. 5 transfer portal class in the country to go along with the 9th-best recruiting class in the nation. But the bones of next season’s roster will be made up of guys who have been through battles in Ann Arbor before.

Here is a look at who is staying, who Michigan is still waiting on and the NFL Draft/transfer portal departures this offseason.

Staying (6)

QB Davis Warren
The Michigan quarterback tore his ACL in the ReliaQuest Bowl win and was already trending toward a return to Ann Arbor. He will work his way back while providing a veteran voice in the room.

FB/TE Max Bredeson
Bredeson is running it back for a fifth and final season at Michigan and will likely be a captain when the 2025 season opens up. His return is huge for the team culture and the run game.

WR Peyton O’Leary
Warren’s roommate announced his return earlier this week, giving the team one of its taller targets (6-3, 203) back for the 2025 campaign.

IOL Greg Crippen
The starting center will return and is the leader for the job heading into the 2025 offseason. He held down the job for the majority of the 2024 campaign.

EDGE Derrick Moore
While nothing has materialized in the form of an official social media announcement and celebration, Moore has been transparent about his intention to return to Ann Arbor and getting the program back into national title contention.

K Dominic Zvada
Zvada, wo considered the NFL Draft, was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media, finished the regular season 17-of-18 on field goal attempts and 7-for-7 on attempts from 50-plus yards, including a long-distance make in the 13-10 upset win over the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Zvada also made 25 of his 26 extra point attempts on the year after transferring in from Arkansas State.

Pending (10)

IOL Giovanni El-Hadi
Michigan’s starting right guard from this season has one season of eligibility remaining and has not made an official announcement on his return, but it would be logical to expect him back.

EDGEs Tyler McLaurin, TJ Guy, Kechaun Bennett
Guy is on the record saying he wants to return to Michigan, but nothing has come via an official proclation. He is expected back, while McLaurin and Bennett also have fifth year decisions to make.

DT Rayshaun Benny
Michigan wants Benny to return, but his last public comments prior to the ReliaQuest Bowl seemed to indicate he had not made a final decision. “This season was my fourth year,” Benny said on Dec. 19. “This is my senior year. [So] I don’t know.”

LB Jaydon Hood
Hood has one season of eligibility remaining if he wanted to return to Michigan. He has appeared in 25 career games in Ann Arbor as a special teamer and reserve.

CBs Ja’Den McBurrows and Ricky Johnson III
McBurrows suffered a season-ending injury halfway through the season but does have one year left in Ann Arbor. Johnson transferred in from UNLV last year and played in two contests.

S Rod Moore
Perhaps the biggest fish left on the board, Michigan has been working on a return for Moore for quite some time after he tore his ACL during spring practices last year. Plugging him back into the secondary would give the Wolverines an All-American-type of player and another on-field captain.

LS Greg Tarr
The special teamer has one season of eligibility remaining and would be a logical replacement from William Wagner.

NFL Draft early entrants (4)

TE Colston Loveland
Loveland set the program record for receptions by a tight end in Michigan history this season with 56 grabs for 582 yards and 5 touchdowns in 10 games played. The third-year pass catcher missed the USC and Ohio State games – both Michigan victories – due to injuries. He led the team in receiving in every game he played this season.

DT Mason Graham
Graham has appeared in 39 games at Michigan with 27 starts at defensive tackle, earning a starting role in base packages his freshman season in 2022 while emerging as a stalwart up front for the Wolverines. He was an All-American last year and is a two-time All-Big Ten selection, earning first-team honors this year from both the coaches and media.

CB Will Johnson
Johnson played in 32 games with 22 starts over three seasons at Michigan. The former five-star recruit is a two time All-Big Ten selection (consensus first team in 2023 and second-team by the media in 2024). He earned first-team All-America honors from Sports Illustrated as a sophomore in 2023, and was the Defensive MVP of the national championship game, helping lead the Maize and Blue to their 12th title in history and first since 1997.

DT Kenneth Grant
Grant appeared in 41 games in a Michigan unform along the defensive line, making 17 starts and getting the opening nod in all 12 games this season. He was a third-team All-American selection this year and a two-time All-Big Ten honoree (second team, coaches, 2023-24; second team, media, 2024; third team, media, 2023).

Transfers out (15)

Junior QB Alex Orji
This season, Orji played in 10 games, completing 23 of 44 passes (52 percent) for 148 yards and 3 touchdowns with an interception. He also rushed 53 times for 260 yards and a score.

Junior QB Jayden Denegal
A 6-5, 235-pounder, Denegal played in one game during mop-up duty in 2022 and six more last season, completing 4-of-5 passes with one touchdown. He also ran four times for 10 yards to earn his second varsity letter, but he didn’t register any statistics this year.

Sophomore RB Cole Cabana
During the 2023 season, the Dexter, Mich. native only saw two carries on the season, amassing six yards for the Wolverines. He didn’t see the field in 2024.

Senior RB Tavierre Dunlap
Dunlap had 22 carries for 138 yards in his career, one of which came for 20 yards and his only touchdown in the Maize and Blue this season. He will have one season of eligibility remaining at his next destination.

Junior WR Tyler Morris
The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder has one year of eligibility remaining, after playing three seasons at Michigan. He appeared in 35 games with 12 starts as a Wolverine.

Senior OL Raheem Anderson
Anderson played in 16 career games as a Wolverine, mostly as a reserve before having a special teams role this season. He was in the battle for the starting center job in fall camp, but fell behind classmates Greg Crippen and Dominick Giudice in the pecking order.

Senior OL Tristan Bounds
The 6-foot-8, 305-pounder saw action in two contests this season, at Indiana Nov. 9 and against Northwestern Nov. 23. He logged one offensive snap on the season, which was a touchdown by running back Tavierre Dunlap, the first of the ball-carrier’s career. Bounds only recorded 41 offensive snaps in his career. Bounds played in one game in 2023, three in 2022 and one in 2021.

Senior OL Dominick Guidice
The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder spent four seasons with the Wolverines, playing in 18 games with five starts at center.

Junior OL Andrew Gentry
The 6-foot-7, 327-pounder out of Littleton, Colo., appeared in 26 games with two starts in three seasons in Ann Arbor. The 23-year-old has two years of eligibility remaining.

Sophomore EDGE Breeon Ishmail
He did not see game action during the 2023 season. He was a three-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class for Michigan, coming in as an athlete at 214 pounds and putting in work in the weight room to find a position before ultimately landing at EDGE.

Junior LB Micah Pollard
This year, Pollard was limited to two contests – the Fresno State and Texas games – before appearing on the availability report the rest of the season with an undisclosed injury designation.

Junior CB Myles Pollard
Pollard appeared in just 10 outings over the last three seasons, playing a reserve role throughout the entirety of his career.

Junior CB Kody Jones
The 5-foot-11, 193-pounder played in 15 games as a reserve in three seasons at Michigan. He has two years of eligibility remaining, since he redshirted as a freshman in 2022.

Sophomore K Adam Samaha
In two seasons with Michigan, Samaha saw limited playing time and took a redshirt for the 2023 season, making an extra point in his appearance that season. He has not yet attempted a field goal.

Senior P Tommy Doman
Doman has served as the primary punter for Michigan the past two seasons, winning a national title with the Wolverines in 2023. He has a career punt average of 43.4 yards.