There is a report making the rounds on Sunday that Michigan football is looking for more reinforcements at linebacker. On3's Ethan McDowell is reporting that the Wolverines will dive into the talent pool when the portal opens tomorrow. They are fighting with other programs to lock up not one, but two linebackers who were just granted another year of eligibility.
Michigan football is flirting with two linebackers who are expected to return to college
PORTAL INSIDER: Michigan reached out to two linebackers exploring a 5th year of eligibility, including a conference DPOTY. 👀〽️
— Ethan McDowell (@ethanmmcdowell) August 2, 2026
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Those two players are Trent Hendrick from James Madison and Jaylen Wester from Western Kentucky. Hendrick was the 2025 Sun Belt defensive player of the year under UCLA's new head coach Bob Chesney. He also played for Curt Cignetti, so it will probably be a long shot to land his services with those two expected to be heavily involved in his recruiting, should he enter the portal. Hendrick tallied 10 tackles in the playoff loss to Oregon and logged over 100 in his 2025 campaign in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Wester collected over 100 tackles in his lone season in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He also played for Deion Sanders at Colorado for a minute, but doesn't have any ties to the Michigan program or Kyle Whittingham besides playing against him while in Boulder. Wester posted 17 tackles in a 3-point loss to LSU last year. He led the Hilltoppers in tackles for his hard work on the field.
Michigan's linebacker room is so thin that it has to find at least one more starter in the portal. Both are "exploring" a return to college, so nothing is official yet. Hendrick would be an instant starter for Michigan the second he decides, at Indiana, he would likely be a backup. Following Chesney to UCLA would land him in the discussion to be a starter for the Bruins' defense, too.
A note worth keeping an eye on is that James Madison did retain their linebackers coach from the Bob Chesney regime, so Hendrick could run it back with the Dukes under his same position coach. For Michigan, having an NFL linebacker coach on its staff is something that they have to utilize to land Hendrick or Wester and bolster the middle of the defense. Although Hendrick could be the one player who puts Jay Hill's defense over the top.
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