Wolverine Digest

Michigan football lands former No. 1 ranked RB out of the transfer portal

Out of nowhere, Michigan lands one of the top backs.
Trent Knoop|
BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

Out of nowhere, reports came in signaling that Michigan signed former Oklahoma running back Taylor Tatum on Thursday. Tatum wasn't on anyone's radar for Michigan, but after the Wolverines were in the running for Tatum back in the 2024 cycle -- Tatum finally made his way to Ann Arbor.

The Texas product was ranked as the No. 38 player in the 2024 cycle and was regarded as the No. 1 running back in the cycle. While Michigan didn't land Tatum then, the Wolverines did land Jordan Marshall in that same cycle. Marshall was ranked as the No. 4 RB and now Michigan has a pair of top-five backs from the 2024 class on the roster.

RELATED: Michigan transfer portal tracker: Every player coming in and out of the program in 2026

While Tatum was highly regarded, he wasn't able to do a ton with the Sooners. In 2024, Tatum played in 11 games and saw 56 carries for 278 yards and three touchdowns. But in 2025, Tatum saw just one carry.

He will enter Ann Arbor with three years of eligibility remaining to use.

Michigan's 2026 RB outlook

With Tatum entering Ann Arbor, that likely signals the end of Justice Haynes at Michigan -- we assume. The wording of Matt Zenitz's post about Haynes coming back to 'college football' and not Michigan, specifically, was properly worded.

Michigan Football RB Jordan Marshall
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan agreed to a new deal with Jordan Marshall, who will enter 2026 as RB1 on the roster, and the Wolverines now have both Taylor Tatum and five-star freshman Savion Hiter coming into the fold. Of course, Michigan will also have some depth pieces like Micah Ka'apana, Donovan Johnson, and incoming freshman Jonathan Brown behind the top three backs.

Last season at Utah, under Jason Beck, the Utes utilized three running backs with RB3 seeing 40 carries on the season. That would give you a good idea of how Michigan will utilize its stable of backs heading into next season. Marshall should see the lion's share, with both Tatum and Hiter behind Marshall.

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Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI during the 2025 football season. Trent also serves as the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI. His other bylines have appeared on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

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