Michigan Football: 3 transfer portal targets Wolverines should consider

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh said the program was going to look to the transfer portal and here are three players the Wolverines should consider.

In the past, Michigan football hasn’t been afraid to use the transfer portal, although the Wolverines have made limited additions compared to some other schools.

But with some key weaknesses to address and some depth needed at certain positions, Jim Harbaugh has already said Michigan football will look to the portal, as well as the late signing period for more talent to add to the 20 players it signed on Wednesday.

Certainly, there are some targets to watch in the 2021 recruiting class and in-state defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny tops that list.

But for a class that was once thought to include 25-26 recruits, there are some spots to fill. Also, Michigan is losing its own transfers as Zach Carpenter and Will Hart have already announced they are in the portal and others are surely to follow.

That’s life in this new age of college football and if Michigan is going to keep up and be competitive, it needs to be as aggressive as anyone in the portal and hopefully that starts now.

There are a few targets that make sense and some that aren’t all that far away, which is where we start — with a former Spartan.

WR/CB Julian Barnett

Julian Barnett was a four-star recruit out of high school but his first two seasons didn’t go great with Michigan State. He started out as a wide receiver then moved to cornerback and saw limited time last season before transferring.

Barnett is from the state of Michigan, so it would make sense for the Wolverines to target him, especially with their need of depth at corner. He’s 6-foot-2, 190 pounds and he’s a solid all-around athlete.

It sounds like Barnett wants to play defense and that would be ideal for Michigan, which signed just one cornerback on Wednesday. But even as a wide receiver, he could have a role especially with his size.