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Michigan lands RB CJ Hester out of the NCAA transfer portal

Anthony Broomeby:Anthony Broome•04/19/25•

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NCAA Football: Massachusetts at Mississippi State
Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines have landed a running back out of the transfer portal in former Western Michigan and UMass rusher CJ Hester, who will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. He visited the program this weekend shortly after the spring portal period opened on Wednesday, April 16.

Michigan has connections to Hester, a Cincinnati, Ohio, native who entered the transfer portal on March 8. Defensive line coach Lou Esposito was the defensive coordinator at Western Michigan when Hester was a freshman for the Broncos in 2023. Graduate wide receiver Anthony Simpson — a UMass transfer who will join the Wolverines this summer — played with Hester last season. U-M tight ends coach Steve Casula didn’t coach Hester at UMass but was at the school before the running back arrived, giving them common ground.

Last season, Hester rushed 119 times for 529 yards and four touchdowns after transferring in from Western Michigan. In 2023, he had 29 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns with the Broncos.

RELATED:
• Michigan transfer portal hot board: A look at running back, offensive line, cornerback targets (April 18)
• Portal Insider: Another offensive tackle option emerging for Michigan

The Wolverines had a bit of a sneaky need at running back after Benjamin Hall declared his intention to transfer this week. Justice Haynes, who transferred in from Alabama this winter, and Jordan Marshall are expected to man the top two spots in the backfield, but Michigan had to address its depth a bit with some unproven pieces behind them. There could still be opportunities for others, but the room needed a bit of bolstering after Hall and Cole Cabana‘s departures this offseason.

The backs will be part of a new-look offense in Ann Arbor, helmed by coordinator/quarterbacks coach Chip Lindsey in his first season on the job. Running backs coach Tony Alford is in his second year with the Michigan program and will lead the room during the 2025 season and beyond.

The transfer portal window for spring football is open through April 25, which could provide for some more movement both in and out over the next week or so. Michigan wrapped its spring practices with the split-squad exhibition game on April 19 and will pick back up in July to prepare for the upcoming season.

The Wolverines are expected to be active in the spring portal on offense, looking at running backs in addition to the quarterback, wide receiver and offensive tackle positions.

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