Evaluating Michigan's transfer portal needs: Wide receiver, O-line among top priorities

If the transfer portal seemed chaotic before, get ready for even more player movement as programs transition from 85 scholarships to a world of revenue sharing and roster limits.

Michigan has already begun restructuring its roster to meet the 105-player limit expected to take effect in 2025.

Unlike the previous three seasons, the Wolverines arent balancing the December roster crunch with preparations for the College Football Playoff.

Michigan will focus on Alabama and the ReliaQuest Bowl in due time, but with the portal officially opening for business Monday, the immediate priority is to upgrade the roster at a few positions of need.

Advertisement The portal is going to be the craziest its ever been because everybody thats over that number is going to have to have attrition, coach Sherrone Moore said.

Thats just going to happen naturally.

Every schools going to have to deal with it if theyre over the 105 number.

As programs decide how to allocate revenue and scholarships, young players and established contributors will likely be the biggest beneficiaries.

The players most likely to get caught up in the numbers crunch are the older players who havent carved out significant roles.

Michigan has had several of those players hit the portal already, including quarterback Jayden Denegal and offensive linemen Raheem Anderson , Tristan Bounds , Dominick Giudice and Andrew Gentry .

Michigan is expected to be active in the portal as the Wolverines try to build on a 7-5 finish in Moores first season.

Heres a breakdown of Michigans priorities by position group, with 10 being the most urgent and 1 being the least urgent.

Quarterback The big question is whether Michigan will bring in a veteran quarterback to compete with five-star freshman Bryce Underwood.

The ideal player would be a grad transfer whos capable of being a starter and willing to be a backup if Underwood wins the job.

GO DEEPER The 21 names to know as college football's transfer portal officially opens Davis Warren could slot into that role if he returns for a fifth year, but as Michigan learned this season, a program can never have too many quarterbacks.

A player like USC transfer Miller Moss could make sense as a bridge quarterback whos capable of holding down the job until Underwood is ready.

Portal priority: 6 Running back With Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings headed for the Senior Bowl, Michigan will be replacing at least 75 percent of its rushing production next season.

A best-case scenario for the ReliaQuest Bowl is that freshman Jordan Marshall gets enough carries to show hes ready to be the featured running back in 2025.

Advertisement The running back position has thinned out a bit since the season ended with Tavierre Dunlap and Cole Cabana entering the portal.

That would leave Marshall, Benjamin Hall and Micah Kaapana as the top three options heading into next year.

Adding a veteran running back isnt an absolute necessity, but it would be nice to have a back with FBS experience to complement the returning players.

Portal priority: 5 Wide receiver If theres a proven wide receiver out there, Michigan is probably interested.

The Wolverines received abysmal production from their wide receivers in 2024 and are losing starter Tyler Morris to the portal.

The best way Michigan can help Underwood is by adding a big-play wide receiver or two who can go up and get the ball, an element thats been missing in the offense outside of tight end Colston Loveland .

Michigan has been linked to Indiana transfer Donaven McCulley , who has big-play ability at 6 feet 5.

Even after signing three promising freshmen Andrew Marsh, Jacob Washington and Jamar Browder the Wolverines should be looking for at least one starter and perhaps two in the portal.

Portal priority: 9 Tight end Assuming Loveland enters the NFL Draft, Michigan will have Marlin Klein and Hogan Hansen atop the depth chart, with players like Deakon Tonielli , Zack Marshall and Brady Prieskorn not far behind.

Losing top-100 tight end Andrew Olesh from the 2025 class on a late flip to Penn State hurts for the future, but it likely doesnt change the picture substantially for next season.

Tight end isnt a position of major need, but if Michigan finds the wide receiver options underwhelming, adding another big target at tight end could be an alternative.

Purdue transfer Max Klare , who led the Boilermakers with 51 receptions for 685 yards, might be worth a look.

Advertisement Portal priority : 4 Offensive line A gap in Michigans offensive line development became more glaring with the spate of players hitting the portal.

The Wolverines have some promising young players in the pipeline, but they likely need a starter or two from the portal as a stopgap.

With Myles Hinton out of eligibility, a starting left tackle would be the top item on Michigans wish list.

The Wolverines are set to lose Josh Priebe , so they could stand to add another interior lineman as well.

Josh Thompson was Priebes teammate at Northwestern and, like Priebe, is originally from Michigan.

If it worked the first time, why not try again? Portal priority: 7 Defensive line/edge With Josaiah Stewart out of eligibility and Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant drawing draft buzz, Michigan will likely have to replenish a front four thats been the strength of the team for the past four years.

The edge spots will be in good shape if Michigan can get TJ Guy and Derrick Moore back for another year.

Rayshaun Benny has played well on the interior and would be eligible to return for a fifth year, but theres no easy way to replace Graham or Grant.

Adding another big-bodied defensive tackle from the portal would help.

Portal priority: 6 Linebacker Barring a surprise departure, linebacker doesnt look like a huge area of need.

Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham are juniors who played their best football down the stretch, and both could benefit from another year in Wink Martindales defense.

Cole Sullivan , Jimmy Rolder and incoming freshman Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng should be capable of filling out the depth chart.

Portal priority: 2 Secondary Michigan will have options at safety, especially if Rod Moore opts to return after missing the entire 2024 season with a knee injury.

Mason Curtis and Brandyn Hillman are young players who showed promise, and the Wolverines still have Michigan State transfer Jaden Mangham waiting in the wings.

Advertisement Cornerback could be a different story.

The Wolverines turned to Aamir Hall , a fifth-year transfer from Albany, over Jyaire Hill late in the season.

Hill had some nice moments but wasnt consistent enough to guarantee a starting job for next season.

Zeke Berry should be back and has the flexibility to play inside or outside, but Michigan could use another experienced cornerback.

Portal priority: 7 Special teams Michigan could be in the market for a punter after Tommy Doman elected to enter the portal for his final year of eligibility.

The kicker position is set as long as Michigan can hold on to Dominic Zvada , who was 7-for-7 on kicks of 50-plus yards this season.

Portal priority : 4 (Top photo of Sherrone Moore: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images).

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