Princeton transfer running back John Volker committed to Michigan on Monday morning. Volker visited Michigan toward the end of last week.
Volker is listed at 6’0″, 215 lbs. and was a captain for the Tigers. As a redshirt junior in 2024, he ran for 514 yards and 6 touchdowns. Altogether, he played in 29 games at Princeton with 245 carries for 1,183 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also caught 31 passes for 273 yards and 2 touchdowns. (Oddly, both career touchdowns came as a freshman, when he had his lowest receiving output with 4 catches for 96 yards.)
UMass transfer running back C.J. Hester committed to Michigan on Saturday. He had visited for the spring game.
Hester is listed at 5’11” and 195 lbs. As a freshman at Western Michigan in 2023, he ran 29 times for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns in seven games. He then transferred to UMass in 2024, ranking as the team’s second leading rusher with 119 carries for 529 yards and 4 scores across eleven games. Coming out of Cincinnati (OH) Wyoming in 2023, he was a 247 Composite 3-star, the #113 running back, and #1702 overall.
I think Hester’s size is exaggerated; he’s probably closer to 5’9″ than 5’11”. And I don’t think he’s 195 pounds, or at least he wasn’t during the 2024 season. But he does run tough. His numbers aren’t great, but he was playing for UMass, one of the worst FBS teams. There are several highlights of him running through tackles and fighting for extra yardage, and that’s a step up in a way from the type of tackle-breaking ability Donovan Edwards showed over the past few seasons. That’s not to say that Hester is a better overall running back, but at least Hester has the ability to fight through tackles. Hester also has a little bit of wiggle and a little bit of quickness, but he’s not going to be a breakaway threat like Edwards.
Overall, Hester is a notch below Jordan Marshall and Justice Haynes, and that’s probably the best Michigan can hope for from someone committing from the portal at this point in the cycle. Michigan has Marshall and Haynes and then a bunch of unproven players, including redshirt freshman Micah Ka’apana and a couple freshmen.
Hester would be the only player other than Jibreel Black, who finished his college career in 2013, to play for Michigan out of Cincinnati (OH) Wyoming.
With the house settlement expected in April of this year, FBS rosters are going to change. Instead of the old 85-scholarship limit with unlimited walk-ons available, it is expected that teams will be allowed to have 105 total players on a roster. All of those players would be able to receive scholarships, but there would no longer be walk-ons beyond the 105 limit. Michigan had 136 players on its roster in 2024, so that means there are 31 fewer students at the University of Michigan who will be able to run out of the tunnel on home game Saturdays.
Even though I think that’s a little bit sad for the state of college football, those are the times we’re living in. So I’m going to adjust the “scholarship count” posts – which used to differentiate between scholarship players and walk-ons – and just keep track of players with spots on the roster.
TOTAL ROSTER PLAYERS FOR 2025 = 119
Michigan needs to lose 14 players from this list prior to the season.
Recent adjustments:
Added RB John Volker (transfer from Princeton)
Added RB C.J. Hester (transfer from UMass)
Added P Luke Bauer (transfer from Missouri)
Removed LS Evan Boutorwick (transfer portal)
Removed RB Benjamin Hall (transferred to North Carolina)
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.
Newbury Park (CA) Newbury Park QB Brady Smigiel (image via SI/Rene Morales)
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.
