Opinion: Michigan Should Leave Its Past in the Past

Internet speculation has run amok in recent days that Michigan could pursue an old friend to help boost a thin position. Should they?

Michigan linebacker Ernest Hausmann (15) tackles Purdue wide receiver Michael Jackson III (2) during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, November 1, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

College football has changed. Once upon a time, adding a player to the roster required going into the general student body or getting a contribution from a walk on.

Now, things are different, and the Michigan Wolverines along with the rest of college football have a chance to look to add players with the new 5-for-5 rule, and a ruling allowing the class of 2022 to be grandfathered in for an extra year of eligibility.

One player who has eligibility, and could be a possibility to return to the football program is former linebacker Ernest Hausmann. The question now is not whether they can, but if they should.

Is He Healthy?

Hausmann left the program last year with a mental health issue that he has been battling for a significant period of time. The most important thing in any situation is whether Hausmann is healthy both physically and mentally.

If Hausmann is not healthy, there is nothing further to discuss.

Assuming he is, Hausmann was an excellent player for the Wolverines. He became a full time starter in 2024, and grew into an Honorable Mention All Big Ten linebacker.

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His final season at Michigan was off to a good start toward getting Hausmann postseason recognition and a chance to play pro football before he left the program late in the season.

Hausmann sat down with SI’s Albert Breer after the season ended as he was working toward participating in Michigan’s pro day to try and resurrect his career.

As things stand, Hausmann is not in the NFL. He was not drafted, and is not in an NFL training camp. Kyle Whittingham noted at his press conference on Monday that nobody was trying to get back into camp.

While there is no reason to not take Whittingham at his word, that is not going to stop speculation that Michigan could look to their old friend for a chance to bolster their linebacker corps.

Should they?

Thin Position

Linebacker has been a point of contention this offseason for the Michigan football program. They have talent, but not a lot of experience. Last year’s linebacker room included Jimmy Rolder, Cole Sullivan, along with Hausmann.

Rolder is in the NFL. Sullivan is at Oklahoma.

That leaves a dearth of experience at a position that could be a pressure point in Jay Hill’s defense.

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Despite the lack of experience, head coach Kyle Whittingham is bullish about the players they have on the roster.

“I think the linebacker room is going to turn out to be pretty good," Whittingham said at Big Ten Media Days. "I think we've got some guys that a lot of people don't know about. Chase Taylor is a really promising young player. Nate Staehling from North Dakota State. He's a physical specimen. He's 243 pounds. Looks like he's chiseled out of granite. He's going to be a really good player. Troy Bowles is a real good prospect, probably the fastest and most athletic linebacker. Nate (Owusu-Boateng) is another prospect.”

Moving On

One of the themes of the 2026 football season is moving away from what has plagued Michigan in the recent past.

Whittingham has talked about how the adults in the room have made victims out of the players on the field. He was hired to get Michigan away from its checkered past and focus on the future.

It’s hard to do that if you’re consistently looking back to the previous era for help. It’s also true that they would be working in a world of technicalities.

Does the new ruling of grandfathering in 2022 players allow for extra eligibility on players who have gone pro?

Yes.

Have we already seen players leave pro camps to go to other schools?

Also yes.

This is not to try and minimize Michigan’s accomplishments since the turn of the decade. Those games were won on the field fair and square, to use the NCAA president’s words as maize and blue confetti fell on the heads of the 2023 football team.

This is not even to rehash some of the issues that have followed the program even in the aftermath of the NCAA investigations into allegations that followed them.

This is about moving forward. Sometimes just because a team can do something, does not mean that it should.

College sports were never perfect. There were few rules that were hard and fast.

This was one of them. Eligibility used to be simple. Four years, or five with a redshirt. Minimal exceptions were made along the way for medical reasons.

Now, those rules have changed, and it could allow Michigan to participate in a gray area in order to help.

This is a program, however, that cannot operate in gray areas. That’s how they have gotten themselves in trouble over the last three years. If there were a spot where Michigan could prove it’s moving on from its past, they could do so by simply moving on from their past.

That means coaches and players.

If there were ever a time for a school that claims “leaders and best” to act like it, moving on from a former player who is currently operating in a gray area would be a great first step toward proving they’ve changed in a meaningful way.  

Michigan has a decorated past that should be celebrated. That includes every accomplishment that happened on the field this decade. Celebrate those. Be proud of them.

They just need to know when to let go.

Bruce Feldman released his famous 'Freaks List' for the 2026 season and one #Michigan player landed on it.

....A long snapper.

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— Trent Knoop (@TrentKnoop) August 10, 2026