Michigan football appears set to add reinforcements at tight end.
Alex Bauman, a fifth-year senior who spent this prior four seasons at Miami (2025) and Tulane (2022-24), was granted a temporary restraining order in his lawsuit against the NCAA on Tuesday, Oct. 13, as he seeks a final season of collegiate eligibility, according to court records obtained by the Detroit Free Press.
Bauman, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end from Red Bank, New Jersey, is already enrolled at U-M in the School of Social Work, according to his filing. Judge Julia B. Owdziej of the Washtenaw County Circuit Court issued a preliminary injunction which states "the NCAA is ordered to immediately open the transfer portal for [Bauman]. This allows Plaintiff to participate immediately at any
NCAA Division I institution during the 2026-2027 season."
A show-cause hearing where the NCAA could possibly appeal the ruling has been set for Nov. 4.
“We can’t comment on players in the portal,” team spokesman Dave Ablauf told the Free Press on Wednesday.
As of Wednesday morning, Bauman was not listed on the Wolverines' roster.
Attorneys representing Bauman did not immediately return request for comment to the Free Press on Wednesday morning. His filing is similar to that of other NCAA athletes across the country − including Michigan basketball players Roddy Gayle Jr. and Kenny Noland − who are seeking a fifth-year of eligibility under the NCAA's "five-in-five" ruling, with an argument it should be retroactively applied to them, given the law does not explicitly state the 2022 class cannot have a fifth season.
"The NCAA breached the contract when it excluded Plaintiff based on the clear, unambiguous language of Bylaw 12.6," Owdziej wrote. "It made the fifth season of competition permanent for every graduating class but arbitrarily carved out the non-redshirted class of 2022; the very class that bore the burden of competing against older, COVID-waiver athletes throughout its career."
Bauman has 81 career catches for 776 yards (9.6 yards per catch) and 14 touchdowns in four collegiate seasons. His most productive years came in his final two at Tulane, when he had 35 grabs for for 286 yards (both career highs) and five touchdowns in 2023 and a career-best seven touchdown receptions in 2024.
Last year at Miami, he had 18 catches for 166 yards and one touchdown, as the Hurricanes went all the way to the national championship game.
Michigan hasn't had much production out of its tight ends this season with Hogan Hansen, Jalen Hoffman and Eli Owens combining for nine receptions for 65 yards through five games. The position also was under the microscope last week after Zack Marshall apologized for a group text message he sent that leaked to the public, where he said the offense "sucks," has "no answers" if it's blitzed and said offensive coordinator Jason "Beck is a problem."
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Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football gifted TE on temporary restraining order vs NCAA
