The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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62 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2024 D espite predictions to the contrary by national re- porters, rival schools' fans and the like, Michigan (and most other big-time schools) survived the spring NCAA trans- fer portal period (April 16-30) without any devastating losses. There are multiple threads on Texas message boards about Michigan junior defensive tack- les Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, one even titled, "Which one would we want?" One-sided rumors rooted in the Longhorns' desire to add elite talent like Gra- ham and Grant became fodder among the fan base and even dis- cussion points on podcasts. According to the unfounded narrative, it wasn't a matter of if Michigan would lose its top-tier play- ers, but how many, after Jim Harbaugh — perhaps the best head coach in the sport — departed Ann Arbor for the Los Angeles Chargers. The portal was open for 30 days following Harbaugh's exit, and Michigan only lost one key player in junior safety Keon Sabb, a projected backup at the time, before senior Rod Moore went down with an injury this spring. Michigan saw seven players depart in the subsequent portal window in April. Those former Wolverines combined to log 224 offensive/defensive snaps in their careers. The impact was minimal, with sophomore cornerback DJ Waller Jr., who was in contention for a starting job be- fore transferring to Kentucky, being the one that stung the most. "Michigan has done a really good job of roster retention," On3 national reporter Pete Nakos said. "Maybe it isn't where some fans want it to be when it comes to recruiting high school talent, but it's obviously done the job that it needed to do to keep this roster together, to give it a chance to compete for a Big Ten title yet again. You look at that defense, and there could've been some huge losses there — and that didn't happen. That's a big reason why Michigan's going to be at the top of the Big Ten again this year." While NIL is a big reason why the na- tional media had a belief that elite play- ers would enter the portal and grab the biggest payday possible, it was actually a huge factor in why top-shelf players stayed at their schools. Collectives, in- cluding Michigan's Champions Circle, worked to ink contracts with contribut- ing athletes and did so. "Don't look for transfer mania to happen this cycle. … This 100 percent affirms the growth and power of the collectives and how the schools' GM/ Roster Management infrastructure has improved over the past year," On3 CEO Shannon Terry posted on Twitter/X. Champions Circle signed contracts with more than 30 Michigan football players, including Graham, Grant and others. That's allowed head coach Sher- rone Moore to be set up with the roster he hoped he'd have for the first year on the job, and excitement for the Wolverines' Aug. 31 opener against Fresno State is building. HOOPS WILL BE 'EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE' IN YEAR 1 New Michigan basketball coach Dusty May wants to build a program that can achieve sustained success for many years. It's also true that May wants to win right away, and those two things aren't mutually exclusive — not at all. May has made eight additions — six transfers and two freshmen — on top of what was already in the fold after head coach Juwan Howard was let go in March. May said on the "College Hoops To- day" podcast that there's an "art and science" to building a roster, a process he finds "fun." "To look like a real cohesive unit that competes at the high- est level," May said of what he hopes for in 2024-25. "... Just a group that's extremely connected and battling with each other for a common goal." "He's not a very patient per- son," assistant coach Mike Boynton Jr. said on the "Defend The Block" podcast. "You would think since there's been a lot of turnover, maybe your fan base would be patient if things get off to a little bit of a slow start and give you a chance to build, and he's not of that mind at all. He wants to be good now." That won't just give everyone involved with the program something to latch onto in 2024-25, but success right away will give the staff immediate results to sell for the long term. They work hand in hand. "We can strike a great balance," Boyn- ton said. "We think we can put some re- ally, really high-quality, high-talented freshmen who we can develop over some years alongside some guys who've had some experience winning in college basketball, being in college basketball practices that have had success. That we can balance our roster in a place that we can be competitive right away. That's the mission that he's set out for us." A mission they're well on their way to achieving. ❏ SAYFIE BLITZ ❱ CLAYTON SAYFIE Roster Is Locked, Ready To Rock Junior defensive tackle Kenneth Grant was one of many U-M stand- outs who were the subject of public speculation and highly coveted by other schools during the spring transfer portal period but who ultimately chose to remain at Michigan. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Staff writer Clayton Sayfie has covered Michigan athletics for The Wolverine since 2019. Contact him at Clayton.Sayfie @on3.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @CSayf23.