Not all transfers are made the same. Some are looking for playing time at a smaller school, others are looking for a quick payday, and others don’t like where they stand on the depth chart at their current school.
Today, we’re going to examine which outgoing transfers Michigan will miss the most. Please note this isn’t a list of who is the most talented or who has the best long-term outlook — it’s simply a ranking of how useful each player would have been on this year’s roster.
Honorable Mention: S Brandyn Hillman (Virginia), TE Brady Prieskorn (Ole Miss), WR Semaj Morgan (UCLA), OL Ty Haywood (Alabama)
Hillman and Morgan were
starters last year, but both were severely underwhelming — Hillman routinely picked up unnecessary flags and Morgan had a case of the drops. Both were likely to lose their starting roles this season, but could have provided useful depth if they stayed.
While Prieskorn was slowed down by injuries as a Wolverine, the tight end room is sorely lacking in depth. A talented depth piece is always welcomed when navigating a brutal Big Ten schedule. Haywood was a former five-star recruit who was unlikely to start this season, but could have cracked the two-deep. Again, it’s never a bad thing to have depth at important positions.
5. S TJ and Tevis Metcalf (Tennessee)
The Metcalfs spent just one year in Ann Arbor after transferring in from Arkansas. While they certainly didn’t light the world on fire, TJ was a solid and earned All-Big Ten honorable mention. While the secondary should still be fine without both of them, their departures are certainly a hit to the team’s depth.
4. CB Jayden Sanders (Notre Dame)
Sanders was highly promising as a true freshman and played meaningful snaps all season. His long-term projection is as high as anyone’s on this list. The only reason he is at No. 4 is because Michigan still has Zeke Berry and Jyaire Hill, along with transfer Smith Snowden. Don’t be surprised if Sanders eventually becomes the most painful transfer casualty of the coaching change this offseason.
3. RB Justice Haynes (Georgia Tech)
Haynes is without a doubt the most talented player to transfer out of Michigan this offseason. He had Heisman aspirations after a hot start to 2025, but the season was derailed by injuries. Under normal circumstances, his departure would be incredibly painful for a program like Michigan. Fortunately, the Wolverines return Jordan Marshall, who projects to be one of the best backs in the country, and bring in five-star prospect Savion Hiter. Everything will be just fine here.
2. CB Elijah Dotson (Missouri)
Dotson and Sanders fall in the same bucket here. Like Sanders, Dotson wasn’t expected to contribute much as a true freshman in 2025. Also like Sanders, Dotson was playing incredibly meaningful snaps by the end of the season. But Dotson is a bit more polished than Sanders is as it stands today and played both nickel and boundary positions. He would have been firmly a part of the rotation this fall, so his exit is moderately painful.
1. LB Cole Sullivan (Oklahoma)
The easy choice for No. 1 on this list — for both myself and the readers of this website — Sullivan not only transferred out, but will be right back in Ann Arbor as an opposing visitor for Oklahoma in Week 2. He was arguably Michigan’s best linebacker this past season and certainly would have been the best returning linebacker had he returned. Linebacker appears, at least on paper, to be a weak spot for 2026, so having a player like Sullivan would have been a game-changer.
