Here’s where 39 Michigan football transfers are playing this season

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The first official game week of the Michigan football season got off to a strange start Monday, with redshirt freshman linebacker Charles Thomas entering the transfer portal.

The timing might seem odd, but that’s just the way college football works now. Michigan received a commitment from four-star Branden Jennings late last week, giving the team a loaded linebacker class in 2021, and Thomas had to make the best choice for his future.

FROM LAST YEAR: Here’s where 25 Michigan transfers are playing and how they’re doing

Every school has to deal with attrition, and Michigan is certainly no exception.

Here’s a look at where 39 players who transferred from Michigan are playing this season.

LB Jordan Anthony

New school: ???

Transfer year: 2020

The former elite linebacker recruit never quite found his footing at Michigan, so after graduating in December, he entered the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining. Between the timing of his transfer and the pandemic, it’s been hard to find the right landing spot.

LS Matt Baldeck

New school: Western Kentucky

Transfer year: 2020

Baldeck didn’t see any action for Michigan, but has played in all five games for 1-4 Western Kentucky this season as a long snapper. He also has one tackle.

TE Ramsey Baty

New school: ???

Transfer year: 2020

A former walk-on at Michigan, Baty entered the transfer portal after serving on the scout team in 2018 and 2019.

WR Tarik Black

New school: Texas

Transfer year: 2020

Michigan never seemed like a great fit for Black after a foot injury three games into his freshman season. Now he’s four games into his Texas career, and after making five catches against UTEP, he’s made just two grabs for 36 yards in the last three games.

P George Caratan

New school: Arkansas

Transfer year: 2020

The walk-on punter didn’t get a chance to take the field in two years at Michigan, thanks to a strong duo of Will Hart and Brad Robbins at the top of the depth chart. He has punted 17 times for Arkansas so far, averaging 45.1 yards.

RB Jordan Castleberry

New school: Maryland

Transfer year: 2020

Castleberry had a handful of non-FBS scholarship offers but chose to walk on at Michigan last year. He didn’t see game action, and decided to try his luck at another Big Ten East school. Michigan is stacked at running back, with Zach Charbonnet, Hassan Haskins, Chris Evans and Blake Corum all expected to get carries this season.

WR Kekoa Crawford

New school: Cal

Transfer year: 2018

The former four-star receiver appeared in 16 games for Michigan in 2016 and 2017, catching 21 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns. He sat out 2018 due to transfer rules and made 16 catches for 272 yards and two scores in six games for Cal last season. The Golden Bears are scheduled to begin their 2020 season Nov. 7 against Washington.

RB Kingston Davis

New school: Lane College

Transfer year: 2017

It’s actually unclear if Davis is still with Lane College, as their official roster hasn’t been updated for 2020. But he was listed as a junior last season and posted a picture on Instagram in March that says “Last ride” and shows him wearing a Lane College jersey. Davis has dealt with all kinds of adversity since appearing in just one game at Michigan. He transferred to Independence Community College in Kansas after Michigan asked him to switch to fullback. There, he was featured on the Netflix show “Last Chance U,” and eventually moved on to UAB. He was removed from UAB’s roster after legal issues and landed with Lane College. Even if he is on the team this year, the SIAC suspended fall sports because of COVID-19.

DL Michael Dwumfour

New school: Rutgers

Transfer year: 2020

This is one of the few transfers that came as a bit of a surprise, as Dwumfour was a regular part of the rotation at a thin position for the Wolverines. Over the last two seasons, he played in 17 games, making 28 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He’s a graduate transfer and can play immediately this season.

OL Sean Fitzgerald

New school: Coastal Carolina

Transfer year: 2017

Michigan welcomed Fitzgerald as a preferred walk-on way back in 2017, and he redshirted as a freshman before transferring to Coastal Carolina. He played in all 12 games on the offensive line each of the last two years, and this season, he’s helped the Chanticleers start 4-0 and jump into the AP poll at No. 25.

LB Devin Gil

New school: South Florida

Transfer year: 2020

High school teammates Devin Bush and Josh Metellus have moved onto the NFL, and Gil decided to head back to his home state of Florida. The grad transfer opted out of the shortened 2020 season.

OL James Hudson

New school: Cincinnati

Transfer year: 2019

The whole Hudson transfer situation was a mess, with everyone pointing fingers and telling different stories. It ended with Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell implying that Jim Harbaugh has the power to keep transferring players ineligible. Hudson has appeared in all three games for the 3-0 Bearcats this season.

DL Deron Irving-Bey

New school: Central Michigan

Transfer year: 2018

The Flint native was a top 250 recruit in the 2017 class, but transferred from Michigan after redshirting as a true freshman. He landed at Central Michigan and got kicked out due to academics before rejoining the team when former Michigan wide receivers coach Jim McElwain took the reins. He didn’t see game action in 2019.

WR Nate Johnson

New school: Grand Valley State

Transfer year: 2017

Michigan dismissed Johnson from the team in 2017 after he was arrested for an alleged assault. Johnson was later sentenced to four days in jail and eventually landed at Arizona Western College. He transferred to Grand Valley State University, where Roy Roundtree has since taken over as the wide receivers coach. Johnson had to sit out the 2019 season.

DL Ron Johnson

New school: Towson

Transfer year: 2019

After appearing in one game over three years in Ann Arbor, Johnson announced he was transferring to Rutgers, only to end up on Towson’s roster due to issues with transfer requirements. He tore his ACL in September 2019 and isn’t currently listed on Towson’s official roster, but according to his Instagram page, he was with the team as recently as June 27.

WR Oliver Martin

New school: Nebraska

Transfer year: 2019

On Jan. 30, 2017, Jim Harbaugh and Pep Hamilton jumped into a pool, fully clothed, with Martin to help announce his commitment to Michigan. Two years later, after making just 11 catches for 125 yards and one touchdown as a Wolverine in 2018, Martin transferred back to his home state of Iowa. He played in just three games for the Hawkeyes, catching five passes for 28 yards and a touchdown, before transferring to Nebraska, where he is a walk-on with two years of eligibility remaining.

LB Elysse Mbem-Bosse

New school: Davenport University

Transfer year: 2018

Some strange transfer timelines have played out during the Harbaugh era -- none as extreme as Mbem-Bosse’s. After playing in seven games as a freshman and four games as a sophomore, Mbem-Bosse tweeted threatening messages toward Harbaugh in April 2018, including, “Michigan is open carry, let’s not forget.” He is now joining Division II Davenport University in Grand Rapids.

QB Dylan McCaffrey

New school: ???

Transfer year: 2020

McCaffrey served as the backup to starting quarterback Shea Patterson the last two seasons and was favored by most to win the starting job this year. But after Joe Milton apparently won out, with Cade McNamara possibly in the mix at backup, McCaffrey decided to take his final two years of eligibility elsewhere.

WR Eddie McDoom

New school: ???

Transfer year: 2018

Michigan gave McDoom 24 carries and 16 catches in his two years on campus, but his career was defined by a dropped pass in the 2017 game against Michigan State. He transferred to South Florida, sat out 2018 and caught 13 passes for 174 yards in 2019. McDoom decided to opt out of the 2020 season, along with Gil, and has since entered the transfer portal once again.

WR Kyle McNamara

New school: Western Kentucky

Transfer year: 2020

The younger brother of Cade McNamara, Kyle McNamara was only enrolled at Michigan for 50 days before he announced he would transfer to Western Kentucky. He isn’t yet listed on the official roster for the Hilltoppers.

TE Mustapha Muhammad

New school: None

Transfer year: 2019

Muhammad entered the transfer portal after sexual harassment allegations were filed against him in 2019. He has since been cleared of violating sexual misconduct policies, but Muhammad isn’t on a football roster for 2020. He tried to transfer to Houston, but ended up at Kilgore College. He’s no longer listed on the community college’s roster.

DB Owen Goldsberry

New school: Penn

Transfer year: 2019

When Goldsberry spent a year on the Michigan practice squad, he was listed as a defensive back. Last season for Penn, he caught four passes, returned two kickoffs, made two tackles and threw an 80-yard touchdown pass. He’s officially listed as a quarterback, but it certainly seems like he does a little bit of everything. Penn will not have a 2020 season because the Ivy League canceled athletics due to the pandemic.

S Jaylen Kelly-Powell

New school: Akron

Transfer year: 2020

The Detroit native and Cass Tech grad played in 20 games for Michigan before graduating and deciding to transfer with two seasons of eligibility remaining. The Mid-American Conference hasn’t started play yet, but Akron will begin its six-game schedule Nov. 4 against Western Michigan.

DL Aaron Lewis

New school: Rutgers

Transfer year: 2020

The Lewis era at Michigan was very short. He committed to Michigan on June 23, 2019, after being pledged to West Virginia for two months. Then, seven months after enrolling early in January, Lewis entered the transfer portal without playing a game.

QB Brandon Peters

New school: Illinois

Transfer year: 2019

Peters got a chance to be Michigan’s starting quarterback after Wilton Speight’s injury and John O’Korn’s ineffectiveness in 2017, but injuries and inconsistencies for the entire offense derailed that experiment. He transferred to Illinois after Patterson joined the Wolverines, and threw for 1,884 yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 55.3% of his passes as the starter in 2019. He’ll be back under center for the Fighting Illini this season.

RB O’Maury Samuels

New school: New Mexico State

Transfer year: 2018

Samuels was dismissed from Michigan after an alleged domestic violence incident in December 2018. He transferred to New Mexico State but was denied immediate eligibility and had to sit out the 2019 season. He would have been allowed to take the field this year, but the independent Aggies decided not to try to piece together a schedule this year, and will look ahead to 2021.

LB Osman Savage

New school: ???

Transfer year: 2020

Like Lewis, Savage enrolled at Michigan this summer only to announce his plan to transfer before the Wolverines played a single game. The former four-star linebacker was enrolled for exactly two months before entering the transfer portal.

K Alan Selzer

New school: Indiana State

Transfer year: 2020

As a former walk-on, Selzer kicked off against Rutgers last season in his first and only game at Michigan. He has since transferred to Indiana State, which is scheduled to begin its delayed, eight-game Missouri Valley Conference slate on Feb. 27.

CB Myles Sims

New school: Georgia Tech

Transfer year: 2019

Michigan landed “Spider” as a four-star prospect in the 2018 class, and he enrolled early before redshirting his freshman season. He transferred back home to Atlanta for “personal reasons,” according to his Twitter account, and appeared in 10 games for Georgia Tech last season. He has 10 tackles in four games so far this season, as the Yellow Jackets sit at 2-3.

LB Drew Singleton

New school: Rutgers

Transfer year: 2019

After redshirting his freshman year, Singleton appeared in seven games for Michigan in 2018, mostly on special teams. He transferred to Rutgers and played in all 12 games a year ago, making 34 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Singleton still has two more seasons of eligibility.

DL Aubrey Solomon

New school: Tennessee

Transfer year: 2019

It’s not a surprise that Solomon’s tenure at Michigan ended early. The former five-star recruit committed to Michigan in high school, then decommitted and posted a video cursing out the university, then recommitted and enrolled. He made 19 tackles for Michigan as a freshman and sophomore, then posted a career-high 28 tackles and two sacks for Tennessee last season. He’s made seven tackles in three games this year as Tennessee is off to a 2-2 start.

OL Stephen Spanellis

New school: Vanderbilt

Transfer year: 2020

Sometimes one play can define an entire career, and for Spanellis, nobody will forget when he embarrassed a Notre Dame defender with one of the most thorough blocks you’ll ever see. Now he’s a graduate student at Vanderbilt, which is off to an 0-3 start.

CB Benjamin St-Juste

New school: Minnesota

Transfer year: 2019

Michigan will see St-Juste this weekend as he leads the Minnesota secondary for a second straight season. St-Juste was an All-Big Ten honorable mention recipient in 2019 thanks to 45 tackles and 10 pass break-ups for the 11-2 Golden Gophers.

RB Kurt Taylor

New school: Tennessee Tech

Transfer year: 2019

Taylor didn’t see game action in two season with Michigan, but transferred to JUCO Iowa Central in 2019. Now he’s moved on to Tennessee Tech, which is scheduled to start its season in late February due to the pandemic. Tennessee Tech will play six of its seven games on Sundays.

LB Charles Thomas

New school: ???

Transfer year: 2020

Thomas was abruptly removed from the team roster Monday after redshirting as a true freshman in 2019. He is a former three-star recruit and has yet to choose a landing spot.

DL Ryan Veingrad

New school: Florida Atlantic

Transfer year: 2019

The former walk-on spent two years at Michigan before transferring to FAU, where he played in all 14 games last season, making one tackle. He has appeared in one game for the Owls so far in 2020, according to the team’s official site.

RB Kareem Walker

New school: Mississippi State

Transfer year: 2018

When he committed to Michigan on Dec. 17, 2015, Walker was a five-star running back and one of the top high school players in the country. His prospect pedigree took a hit late in his high school career, though, and that carried over into college. He earned just 20 carries for Michigan in 2017 after missing 2016. Walker transferred to Fort Scott Community College in Kansas for a year, then ended up at Mississippi State. After sitting out the 2019 season, Walker has appeared in two games for pass-happy head coach Mike Leach, though he has no carries.

RB Tru Wilson

New school: Northern Colorado

Transfer year: 2020

Wilson was Michigan’s No. 3 running back a year ago, but transferred to have a chance at the top of Northern Colorado’s depth chart, where Dylan McCaffrey’s father, Ed McCaffrey, is the new head coach. The Big Sky Conference has postponed the season due to COVID-19, so the Michigan grad will have to wait a little longer to get back on the field.

S J’Marick Woods

New school: Duke

Transfer year: 2020

In 27 games with Michigan throughout his career, Woods made 26 tackles and blocked a punt. He graduated and transferred to Duke, where he is starting at safety and has made 14 tackles in five games for the 1-5 Blue Devils.

Others departures

Here are the players who were recently on Michigan’s football roster and could still have eligibility, but aren’t listed on the roster this year and don’t appear to have joined another team.

Many of the redshirt juniors from 2019 likely graduated from the university and pursued careers beyond football.

• Michael Sessa (redshirt junior last season)
• Jake Martin (redshirt junior)
• Tyler Cochran (redshirt junior)
• Jack Young (redshirt sophomore)
• Camaron Cheeseman (opted out of 2020 and will focus on professional career)
• Dane Drobocky (redshirt junior)
• Lawrence Reeves (redshirt freshman)
• Tyler Grosz (redshirt junior)
• Andrew Russell (freshman -- currently only on Michigan’s lacrosse roster)
• Jared Char (redshirt junior)
• Peter Bush (redshirt junior)
• Carl Myers (redshirt junior)
• Dan Jokisch (redshirt junior)
• Mahdi Hazime (freshman)
• Greg Robinson (redshirt junior)
• Desmond Nicholas (redshirt junior)
• Kyle Grady (freshman in 2018)
• Julian Garrett (freshman in 2018)
• Ethan DeLand (freshman in 2018)
• Ryan McCurry (freshman in 2018)
• Quinn Rothman (freshman in 2018)
• Tyler Plocki (sophomore in 2018)
• Bryce Chamberlain (freshman in 2018)
• Connor Burrows (freshman in 2018)
• Adam Culp (freshman in 2018)
• Evan Latham (freshman in 2017)
• Eric Kim (sophomore in 2017)
• Connor Edmonds (sophomore in 2017)
• Simeon Smith (freshman in 2016)

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