Friday Forum: How involved should Michigan be in the transfer portal?
The portal is getting bigger and bigger.
Whether you like it or not, the transfer portal is an important piece of the college football equation right now. While Michigan has larger fish to pursue in December, the Wolverines would be negligent if they ignored the transfer portal during its open season. Recruiting and roster building never stop.
Since its creation, Jim Harbaugh and company have reaped significant benefits from the transfer site. Drake Nugent, LaDarius Henderson, A.J. Barner, Josaiah Stewart, and Josh Wallace have all contributed significantly to Michigan’s success this season. Nonetheless, the coaching staff has stated that they want to use the gateway to fill gaps rather than develop the program from the ground up.
With that in mind, do you believe Michigan should be aggressive in the transfer portal this offseason?
Quarterback is the biggest question mark heading into 2024. There are a handful of reasons why J.J. McCarthy should stay in school. He could be QB1 in the 2025 draft class instead of somewhere from QB3-QB7 in the 2024 class. He also could benefit from a larger workload in 2024 in order to build his draft stock. However, there are also several million reasons for McCarthy to leave.
Should McCarthy declare for the draft, Michigan’s options in 2024 would be numerous. The Wolverines could roll the dice and start a true freshman in Jadyn Davis. They could see how well Alex Orji can throw the ball and build the offense around a running quarterback. Most likely in my mind is they test the waters in the portal. Several huge names have already entered the portal with Kyle McCord, Moore, and Cam Ward just to name a few. Should the Wolverines take a stab at recruiting Dante Moore again? The program has already reached out and contacted him.
Michigan also has other requirements. Roster projection is extremely difficult at this time because there will be 20+ stay-or-go decisions to make after the season is over. Will Michigan continue to prosper at attracting the proper transfers?
There is also a disadvantage to using the transfer portal. If you put transfers ahead of homegrown talent, that same homegrown talent may decide to transfer out. It’s also far more difficult to build a culture when large groups of players are only in your program for a year. Michigan’s coaching staff is clearly strong in player scouting and development. It would be a shame if they were unable to develop players for more than a year.
With that in mind, what do you expect from the transfer portal as a fan? Do you intend to acquire everyone who is interested? Do you want Dante Moore to start for Michigan next season if J.J. McCarthy declares? Do you worry that Michigan’s stringent academic admissions policies may stymie the football team’s use of the portal, as they have for the basketball team?
Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
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