Wolverine Digest

Michigan lands surprising LB out of the transfer portal

The Wolverines added some depth on Tuesday night.
Trent Knoop|
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

Out of nowhere, the Michigan football program announced that it had made a signing that not many people knew about. The Wolverines posted on social media that Michigan had signed linebacker Christian Pierce out of the transfer portal.

Pierce, the brother of Michigan defensive lineman Trey Pierce, played one season at Western Illinois and saw one snap on defense, per Pro Football Focus. He will come to Ann Arbor with four years of eligibility.

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

According to 247Sports, Pierce was a three-star prospect coming out of high school in the class of 2025. He was the No. 738 prospect in the nation and No. 75 linebacker. While Pierce chose to go to Western Illinois, he had offers from programs like Duke, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Texas, among others.

is Michigan done at LB?

The Wolverines wanted to make a splash in the portal after losing both Ernest Hausmann and Jimmy Rolder to graduation, along with Cole Sullivan, who went to Oklahoma.

Michigan had hoped to land either Pitt star LB Rasheem Biles or Cal LB Cade Uluave, but neither worked out. Biles opted to go to Texas, while Uluave had some issues with Michigan's admissions and chose to go to BYU.

The Wolverines landed a pair of LBs for depth: Max Alford and Christian Pierce. With those two in the fold, Michigan will add them to its room with Troy Bowles, Nate Owusu-Boateng, and Chase Taylor.

While Michigan has high hopes for Owusu-Boateng, along with Bowles showing flashes, the Wolverines could use another big-time LB in the fold. The Wolverines are going to likely continue to monitor the position ahead of the portal closing on Jan. 16, but time is winding down.

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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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