Michigan landed a punter in the transfer portal in the form of former Missouri punter Luke Bauer.

Bauer is a 6'5", 207 lb. former walk-on who joined the Missouri program in 2020, the COVID year exemption making it irrelevant for his eligibility. He then sat on the bench in 2021 and 2022 before becoming the starting punter in 2023 and 2024. He punted 49 times for 2,047 yards (41.8 yards/attempt) in 2024 and punted 22 times for 927 yards (42.1 yards/attempt) in 2023. In addition, he completed a pass on a fake punt against Kentucky in 2023, resulting in a 39-yard touchdown.

Michigan needed to replace former starting punter Tommy Doman, who transferred to Florida this off-season. The move to Bauer seems to be a downgrade, but we'll see; he may not even win the starting job, since Mississippi State transfer Hudson Hollenbeck looked solid in the bowl game against Alabama, punting 6 times and averaging 46.2 yards/attempt. Doman averaged 42.6 yards/attempt last year, down from 44.3 in 2023.

Michigan now has options at punter, at least. The potential roster limits might make it difficult to carry several potential punting options, but word coming out of bowl practices and spring ball was that tight end Marlin Klein was the backup punter to Hollenbeck. Obviously, relying on your starting tight end to be a backup punter is fraught with issues, including fatigue, injury, etc.

Bauer would be the first player to play for Michigan from St. Louis (MO) DeSmet since 1980.

TRANSFER PORTAL

C.J. Hester - RB - UMass: Hester is a 5'10", 190 lb. running back who started his career at Western Michigan in 2023 and transferred to UMass in 2024. Coming out of Cincinnati (OH) Wyoming, he was a 3-star, the #113 running back, and #1702 overall, and his offer list was made up entirely of MAC schools. He ran 28 times for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns as a freshman Bronco, and as a Minuteman in 2024, he was #2 on the team with 119 carries for 529 yards and 4 touchdowns. Michigan is pursuing him as a potential replacement for Benjamin Hall, who announced a few days ago that he was entering the portal.

2026

Khary Adams - CB - Towson (MD) Loyola Blakefield: Adams is a 6'2", 175-pounder with officials planned for Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, and South Carolina. He's a 4-star, the #10 cornerback, and #76 overall.

Dorian Barney - CB - Carrollton (GA) Carrollton: Barney is a 6'1", 180 lb. prospect with officials set for Georgia Tech, Penn State, and Texas A&M. He's a 4-star, the #14 cornerback, and #117 overall.

J.J. Finch - DT - Indianapolis (IN) Warren Central: Finch is a 6'3", 260 lb. prospect who's the son of former Michigan commit Jerimy Finch, a safety who played for Florida and Indiana. The younger Finch is a 3-star, the #43 defensive lineman, and #435 overall. Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee are slated to get official visits, and Michigan is trying to join that list.

Brody Jennings - CB - Jacksonville (FL) Mandarin: Jennings is committed to Michigan. He's a 4-star, the #23 cornerback, and #269 overall.

Hit the jump for more.

Redshirt sophomore defensive end Aymeric Koumba is entering the transfer portal.

Listed at 6'5" and 260 pounds, Koumba played in one game in each of the past two seasons. Coming out of France in 2023, he was always considered to be a project. He was consistently mentioned as a guy who should be "the first guy off the bus" because of his physique, but obviously his play on the field never matched his appearance.

Koumba was a part of an intriguing edge rusher class in 2023, but the excitement from that class has largely fizzled. Enow Etta has bulked up to play defensive tackle, and both Breeon Ishmail and Jason Hewlett have also hit the transfer portal. The lone remaining edge player is Cameron Brandt, who has shown flashes and should be a key backup in 2025 after notching 3 sacks in 2024.

Former defensive line coach Mike Elston recruited Koumba and others to Michigan, but Elston followed Jim Harbaugh to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Koumba was a 3-star, the #81 edge, and #845 overall in the class of 2023.

Fifth year senior defensive back Ja'Den McBurrows has decided to enter the transfer portal for his final season.

McBurrows is listed at 5'11" and 194 lbs. on Michigan's roster. He played four games as a freshman in 2021 and then missed 2022 with an ACL injury. He played in fifteen games in 2023 and 2024, totaling nineteen appearances throughout his career. McBurrows was also involved in the infamous tunnel brawl with Michigan State when he tried to help fellow defensive back Gemon Green.

At various times in his career, McBurrows has been thought to be a key contributor, especially at the nickel position. However, injuries and the performances of other players have prevented him from being a major factor. Last year the nickel spot was won by Zeke Berry initially, and then safety Makari Paige won the role during the second half of the year when Berry moved to outside corner. That was probably McBurrows's best chance to play significant moments, but his season ended due to injury after the first four games.

McBurrows has one season of eligibility remaining (though with his injury history, he could eventually apply for a sixth year and would probably get it). Overall, he made 13 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 pass breakups, and 1 interception in his career at Michigan, and that one pick came against the dastardly MSU Spartans in 2023, a year after they attacked him in the tunnel.

Redshirt sophomore Jason Hewlett has decided to enter the transfer portal.

Hewlett is a 6'2", 227 lb. linebacker who played in nine games, mostly on special teams and all of them in 2024. He made 2 career tackles after redshirting in 2023.

Hewlett was committed to Cincinnati at one point in the process but Michigan swooped in and stole him. I gave him a TTB Rating of 81 when he came out of Youngstown (OH) Chaney (LINK) listed at 6'4", 220, but the fact that he's two inches shorter than that and has only put on seven pounds in two years did not bode well for his playing much in 2025.

This makes ten players from the class of 2023 who have already transferred, where Hewlett joins LB Semaj Bridgeman (Michigan State), RB Cole Cabana (Western Michigan), CB Cam Calhoun (Utah/Alabama), WR Karmello English (West Georgia), OG Amir Herring (Kansas), LB Breeon Ishmail (Purdue), LB Hayden Moore (Wasington), K Adam Samaha (North Carolina), and CB D.J. Waller, Jr. (Kentucky). All the linebackers from the class (Bridgeman, Hewlett, Ishmail, Moore) have transferred as the linebacker room has seen some coaching turnover in that time, going from Chris Partridge to Rick Minter to Brian Jean-Mary.

2026

Nick Abrams II - LB - Owings Mills (MD) McDonogh: Abrams is a 6'2", 215 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, and others. He's a 4-star, the #15 linebacker, and #213 overall.

McHale Blade - DE - Chicago (IL) Simeon: Blade is a 6'4", 245-pounder with offers from Florida, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, and Notre Dame, among others. He's a 4-star, the #21 defensive lineman, and #185 overall.

Davion Brown - WR - Richmond (VA) Trinity Episcopal: Brown is a 6'3", 185 lb. wideout with officials set for Duke, Georgia, Penn State, and Virginia Tech. He's a 4-star, the #29 wide receiver, and #180 overall.

Hit the jump for more.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2026

Ashland (OH) Ashland quarterback Nathan Bernhard (3-star, #30 QB, #530 overall) was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'5", 227 lb. prospect who has offers from Duke, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan State, Penn State, West Virginia, and others. Bernhard is visiting Ohio State today and could potentially earn an offer, but some predictions have already come in for Michigan to land Bernhard.

Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep wide receiver Daylen Sharper (3-star, #97 WR, #633 overall) was offered by Michigan when he visited Ann Arbor not long ago. He's a 6'3", 200 lb. prospect with other offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, and UCLA, among others. He's the son of former Green Bay Packers safety Darren Sharper.

Hit the jump for more.