Redshirt freshman center Zach Carpenter announced on Twitter that he is entering the transfer portal.
I initially gave Carpenter a TTB Rating of 73 (LINK) before bumping him up to 83 (LINK). Carpenter redshirted in 2019 and was expected by some (including me) to be the starter in 2020, but an injury led to him being a backup to Andrew Vastardis for the first several games of the year. After Vastardis got hurt, Carpenter started the final two games of the regular season against Rutgers and Penn State. I thought he performed fairly well and was more stout and athletic than Vastardis, though he did miss some stunts in pass protection that looked like standard mistakes for a young center.
Michigan is in a bit of a precarious position going into 2021. Vastardis is a fifth year senior who could presumably return in 2021, since the 2020 season is essentially null and void. Otherwise, Michigan might be reliant on Nolan Rumler (who has mostly practiced at guard), freshman Reece Atteberry, and class of 2021 commits Raheem Anderson II and Greg Crippen.
This is one of the stranger transfers over the years, right up there with tight end Devin Asiasi. Carpenter waited until the end of his second year, while Asiasi only spent one year in Ann Arbor, but both played quite a bit and were on the verge of starting the next season.
Then poof, they were gone.
Carpenter is the second class of 2019 signee to depart, joining linebacker Charles Thomas. Here’s a link to the scholarship count (LINK).
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