Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham continues to do impressive work in the player retention department, as another key player will be back for next season.
Freshman defensive back Jordan Young, who will be a sophomore next season, is one of the most promising players in the Michigan secondary.
That made it worrisome when he entered the transfer portal. Outside of Cole Sullivan, and Jayden Sanders, he was one of the top players who entered the portal, who was still out there to go somewhere else.
Last week, Young was among a few Michigan defensive backs to enter the transfer portal. He joined fellow safeties Brandyn Hillman and TJ Metcalf. It felt like the Wolverines needed to retain one of those players. My preference was always Young, who stood out this season as a freshman.
There was the third-down pass breakup against Northwestern that allowed the Wolverines to get the ball back. He also had a PBU in the Citrus Bowl, and his play in that game likely garnered some attention.
There was no shortage of suitors for Young. Yet, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3, the defensive back is returning to Michigan football.
Jordan Young's return is another big win for Kyle Whittingham,
That's massive, just like Jyaire Hill's return, because it shores up those positions. We haven't heard one way or another on Rod Moore, but if he's back, the Wolverines would have Moore, Young, and Mason Curtis, who played extensively in 2026, to start with at safety.
Hill and Zeke Berry, the two starters, are back at corner. Shamari Earls, a former top-100 signee who was flipped from Georgia, also hasn't entered the portal, so it appears he will be back. Michigan is in the mix for Smith Snowden, a former Utah cornerback, but so are Oregon and Notre Dame.
The Irish just landed Sanders, so maybe it's down to Oregon and Michigan, but even if the Wolverines miss on Snowden, with the return of Hill and Young, fans should feel much better about the secondary going into 2026.
Young had 11 solo tackles this season and three pass breakups.