Transfer Portal: Michigans Fantasy Hails and/or Loses Another

Michigan Football was dealt a blow this week when safety Keon Sabb decided to enter the transfer portal, and subsequently commit to Alabama. Sabb was a top 100 recruit when he committed to Michigan and was hailed as an elite talent.

Sabb was next in line to be a great Michigan safety, but with the return of both Rod Moore and Makari Paige, it was going to be another year until Sabb could truly be a star. You can’t blame the kid – he’s got elite talent and, as a rising junior, wants to get his name on some NFL Draft boards.

Losing Sabb is tough, but luckily the Wolverines have talent at the safety position. But what if Michigan football were to lose other players? With all the coaching turnover, schools have (indirectly) been attempting to recruit Michigan’s players. There are rumors all over the place of stars receiving offers close to or above a million dollars.

Unsurprisingly, some players may be considering those offers, and who can blame them. They’re being offered life changing money right now, and are already atop NFL draft boards for next season.

Of course they want to maximize their value. And especially with the coaching turnover in Ann Arbor – many of Michigan’s stars have lost multiple coaches they were very close with – they’re vulnerable.

Will the Wolverines lose any other players to the portal?

For now, however, it seems that Michigan has done a good job of alleviating those issues with their star players. For one, Sherrone Moore has made great coaching hires, and it seems likely that those coaches will build strong bonds with the players.

The new defensive coordinator even met with some of Michigan’s defensive stars prior to being hired, meaning they must’ve liked what he brought to the table.

Likewise, Michigan has stepped up its NIL game amongst returning players. Michigan football is finally getting on track when it comes to fundraising and has the ability to make competitive offers to its best players. That could be enough to prevent any turnover amongst the stars.

However, it wouldn’t shock me to see some more players transfer. Michigan’s NIL is improving vastly among its stars, but still lacks opportunities for role players. That means there’s an opening for schools to steal some of Michigan’s under-appreciated players, such as Sabb.

Sabb wasn’t going to get the same amount of NIL attention from Michigan as guys like Will Johnson or Mason Graham. It probably wasn’t even close, even though Sabb has the makings of a star. Other schools may try to do something similar, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see more players transfer.

Nonetheless, the Wolverines are in good shape next year and BetMGM is giving fans an instant $150 sign-up bonus for any $5 bet today! Just sign up, deposit $10 or more and bet at least $5 on any Michigan wager and you’ll immediately receive $150 in bonus bets win or lose. Sign up for BetMGM now!