The transfer portal officially opens on Monday and Michigan football is expected to be one of the most aggressive teams in terms of adding talent.
The Bryce Underwood recruitment showed that Michigan football is willing to pay for players (NIL) in a way that the Wolverines weren't before.
That will make an impact with high school recruiting but it will be even more important in the transfer portal. Michigan football will be looking to add a quarterback, maybe a running back, a wide receiver, a tight end, some offensive lineman and defensive lineman, and likely a cornerback.
That's just at the minimum. But the needs could expand depending on who is coming back for next season. We'll start to get a better idea about that soon, but here are five players the Wolverines need to convince to come back for another season.
Rayshaun Benny, DL
The 6-foot-4, 296-pound defensive tackle could easily go to the NFL draft and would probably get selected in the first few rounds.
Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant are both expected to leave for the NFL draft. They are likely going to be first-round picks. Losing them will be difficult enough to overcome.
The Wolverines can't afford to lose Benny too. Last season, despite battling some injuries, he had 28 tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack.
If Michigan football has NIL money to throw around, I'd throw some at Benny to try and get him back for his redshirt senior season.
Derrick Moore, EDGE
Derrick Moore started every game when healthy this season for Michigan football. He had 19 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks. Yet, his impact goes beyond that.
Moore is another dude who has NFL potential. He might be an early day-two pick right now, or maybe even a late day-two pick based on his potential at 6-foot-3, 256 pounds.
Moore does a good job of setting the edge and also applying pressure on the quarterback. Moore did miss a game this past season but he's got All-Big Ten potential. The Wolverines will miss Josaiah Stewart, but not nearly as much if Moore comes back.
Just like Benny, it will reduce the need. Michigan will still need to add another pass rusher, but the need won't be as dire if Moore comes back for his senior season.
Rod Moore, S/Nickel
The Wolverines lost Rod Moore to a season-ending injury during the spring and the secondary wasn't the same without him.
Whether Moore would have played nickel this season or deep safety, Moore was another dude who had a first-round projection going into the season.
Moore had six interceptions in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, including the game-clincher against Ohio State. Beyond that, Moore was able to erase deep plays down the field and is an incredible tackler.
There's a reason Michigan football didn't allow many explosive plays with him on the field. Moore could still go pro and I'm sure he would get drafted. But if Michigan football throws a bunch of NIL money at him, and he has the opportunity to boost his draft stock, why not take advantage?
There have been rumblings about Rod Moore returning. It makes sense and the secondary, which is already losing Will Johnson would have at least one impact player back in the secondary.
Both interior linebackers
Two other players that I would love to see Michigan football keep are linebackers Jaishawn Barham and Ernest Hausmann.
Hausmann, a former transfer from Nebraska, had 82 tackles last season, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, and an interception. Hausmann had one of the best games of his career against Ohio State. He also started to show more range in coverage and has become a sure-fire tackler.
Hausmann seems more likely to return than Barham (65, 4 TFL, sack). The former Maryland transfer showed his versatility. He was effective getting pressure as a blitzer this season and he's pretty good in coverage too.
Barham can do a lot of different things. Cole Sullivan and Jimmy Rolder have had some good moments, so if one of the two linebackers leaves, Michigan football should be able to overcome it.
But if the Wolverines returned all five of those defenders, that's a solid core group to build around. Add 3-4 all-conference caliber players from the portal at DT, CB, and maybe another safety or linebacker, and Michigan football could have the makings of another really good defense.
The offense needs an overhaul. The defense could be one of the best in the Big Ten again, as long as the Wolverines can retain some key pieces.