Ranking All 18 Michigan Football Transfers by Projected 2026 Impact

Michigan has 18 players coming in as transfers. Which players will make the biggest impact?

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After firing Sherrone Moore and hiring Kyle Whittingham, Michigan went through some changes to its roster. Overall, Whittingham and Co. were able to keep the core of the Wolverines' roster together — while losing some key pieces like RB Justice Haynes, LB Cole Sullivan, and CB Jayden Sanders.

Michigan added 18 transfers to the team for this season. In this article, we are going to rank each addition based on predicted production for the 2026 season only. This is not a career prediction ranking, just one season.

18. LS Gavin Magorien

Magorien comes to Michigan after spending his freshman season at Marshall. As a true freshman, he played in all 12 games for the Thundering Herd, and while he comes to Ann Arbor with a load of experience, Michigan added two long snappers to its portal cycle.

Magorien projects to be the second longsnapper, possibly seeing some time in relief, but not providing much production in 2026.

17. LB Christian Pierce

Christian Pierce also comes to Michigan after playing his freshman season elsewhere. The brother of Trey Pierce, Christian played the 2025 season at Western Illinois.

Injuries had set Pierce back and he played limited snaps at Western Illinois. Don't expect much from Pierce this season, but he could sneak in on special teams.

16. LB Max Alford

Max Alford is a veteran linebacker who has played three seasons at Utah State and last year at BYU. A season ago, Alford tallied 21 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack. However, he doesn't project as anything more than depth at the moment.

The Wolverines return Troy Bowles, Chase Taylor, and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, along with adding a couple of other linebackers from the portal. Alford will likely see some special teams, and defensive snaps during blowouts.

15. OL Houston Ka'aha'aina-Torres

Ka'aha'aina-Torres played one season at Nebraska and is now coming to Michigan as a sophomore. The 6'3", 300 pound lineman saw just two games of action last season with the Cornhuskers, and he could become Michigan's backup center this year.

Assuming Jake Gaurnera stays healthy, Ka'aha'aina-Torres won't see the field often. And it also depends on how quickly Ka'aha'aina-Torres can get to game speed with Michigan. The Wolverines are going to have other options at center, if something does happen to Guarnerea.

14. LB Aisea Moa

Moa comes to Michigan, with his brother, after playing three seasons at BYU and one at Michigan State. In 2025, he appeared in 12 games for the Spartans, recording 12 tackles and one tackle for loss.

Moa has played in 27 games during his four-year career and will likely become the No. 5 linebacker on the team this season. Obviously, you don't want injuries to your top linebackers, but Moa, like Alford, has experience and can play as many downs as needed.

13. S Taylor Tatum

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Taylor Taum would've likely been higher on this list if he hadn't changed positions. Tatum, who came into college in the same class as Jordan Marshall, was a five-star running back. But things didn't go smoothly with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Now, Tatum is trying his hand at safety and hoping to see the field. Coach Tyler Stockton recently spoke about Tatum's movement and how he is working.

"The first thing is what's best for the team," Stockton said on Tatum's position change. "And we thought that Taylor Tatum had a unique skill set from an explosive standpoint, a ball skill standpoint, because he's also a baseball player as well. Like, he's just scratching the surface.

"I mean, this was his first time ever backpedaling, you know, so it fires me up because you got like a piece of clay that you can just fine tune and make him into a great player. And if he does a good job, just getting better every single day. I mean, the first time he took a rep, he lost. Like, who wouldn't if you never done it? Then all of a sudden, towards the end of spring ball he's going against our better wide receivers, competing his tail off."

12. LS Nico Crawford

There isn't a whole lot of excitement surrounding long snappers, but Nico Crawford is proven. He spent the last two seasons at Pitt, as the team's primary long snapper.

Most fans don't ever want to hear about the long snapper — that means they are doing their job. Crawford is the veteran and figures to start right away with his kicker Trey Butkowski, who also comes to Michigan from Pitt.

11. QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi

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Fowler-Nicolosi played four seasons at Colorado State and left midway through the 2025 season, following the firing the Jay Norvell. Fowler-Nicolosi has accounted for 6,938 yards and 38 touchdowns during his career, but he has also tossed 29 interceptions.

Michigan has a capable backup, however, and if the Wolverines blow out the opponents that it should, Fowler-Nicolosi will see the field.

10. P Cameron Brown

Again, not a sexy position, but Michigan fans know firsthand how important a punter is. Punting the football was a disaster last season, and with Kerry Coombs coming over, he hand-picked Brown in the portal.

Brown played one season at UNLV, his freshman season. Brown punted the ball 47 times for a total of 2,032 yards. Brown averaged 43.2 yards per punt with a long of 71 yards. He punted the ball inside the 20-yard line 19 times this season.

Brown figures to start this season, and Michigan will lean on him to help win the field-possession battle.

9. K Trey Butkowski

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Another hand-picked transfer by Coombs, Butkowski started for Pitt as a freshman last season, and was excellent. He was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist, and converted 19-of-22 field goal tries, along with making 41-of-42 extra-point tries.

Butkowski's longest field goal came from 47 yards. With Michigan losing Dominic Zvada, the Wolverines will rely on Butkowski to continue the great trend of transfer kickers.

8. WR Salesi Moa

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I want everyone to remember: this list is not based on career predictions, but the 2026 season. Michigan has at least two wide receivers above Salesi Moa, and possibly a third in Jaime French. Will Moa make an impact? Absolutely. But there are other players who figure to start for the Wolverines in 2026, providing more of an impact.

Moa was a five-star athlete, who signed with Utah. But once Kyle Whittingham left, Moa transferred out and landed with the Wolverines. Moa could play either side of the football, but Michigan has him playing wide receiver, and his one-handed catch in the spring game was impressive.

7. WR Jaime Ffrench Jr.

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The 6'1" wide receiver spent one season at Texas, seeing four games of action last season. Having known Bryce Underwood and Andrew Marsh, it made the move to the Wolverines much easier.

Ffrench is known as a burner and someone who can take the top off the defense. With having well-rounded Andrew Marsh and reliable catcher JJ Buchanan, Ffrench could be the deep threat that the Wolverines needed. Expect some long catches from the Florida native.

6. LB Nathaniel Staehling

Spending four seasons at North Dakota State, Staehling is someone who could force his way into a starter role. He is smart and has good instincts, but he will have to pass one of the three returning linebackers.

Last season, Staehling recorded 75 tackles, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and three interceptions. At 6'2", 238-pounds, Staehling reminds you of a Joe Bolden-type of linebacker for the Wolverines. Reliable and a sure tackler.

5. DT Jonah Lea'ea

Michigan has three proven defensive tackles this season: Trey Pierce, Enow Etta, and Lea'ea. Last season, at Utah, Lea'ea started all 12 games for the Utes, and while he might not start this season, he is going to play a pivotal role.

Lea'ea recorded 34 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack. Lea'ea prides himself on being fast, and at just 285-pounds, he will bring a unique skill set to the Wolverines' line. Both Etta and Pierce are bigger players, while Lea'ea will be a change-of-pace tackle.

4. S Chris Bracy

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Chris Bracy is tackling machine, and someone who is fantastic against the run. The former Memphis safety will figure to start alongside Rod Moore when the season kicks off.

Last season, Bracy recorded 81 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, one interception, and 10 pass breakups. He is a versatile safety, who Michigan can move around to inflict the most damage to the opposition.

"I would like to say I’m just getting better at both," Bracy said on where he fits the best. "I mean, I guess if you watched my stats last year, you could say run game. But, I like to say my coverage skills are pretty good as well. Just perfecting my craft, getting better at each of those. It’s a big emphasis for me."

3. WR JJ Buchanan

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JJ Buchanan was a starter for Utah as a true freshman in 2025. He went to the Utes as a tight end, but quickly went into Micah Simon's room as a wide receiver. At 6'3", Buchanan is a contest-catch machine, and someone who will be trusted in the red zone.

Last season, Buchanan caught 26 passes for 427 yards with five touchdowns. And as far as his role at Michigan, offensive coordinator Jason Beck spoke about Buchanan earlier this spring.

"With our receivers, we move them all over," said Beck. "So they’ll play inside, outside, left, right. We’ll move them all over. And so JJ’s in that. He’s much more than a tight end. When he came to Utah, everybody kind of listed him as a tight end. But he’s like 98% in a two-point stance, flexed out. So he can maybe come in a little bit once in a while, but he’s in that receiver room, and he’ll play all those different spots moving around."

2. CB Smith Snowden

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Smith Snowden might've been the key to the Wolverines' defense in 2026. Michigan doesn't have the best depth at corner, and Snowden will become a lock-down nickel defender, who can slide out to corner if needed.

Starting in every game last season, Snowden recorded 37 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions, and 11 passes broken up. He is a two-way threat, with the ability to carry the football, and he can also make an impact in the return game.

He has three years under his belt at Utah, and is looking for a major 2026 season with Michigan.

1. Edge John Henry Daley

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If it weren't for a season-ending injury, John Henry Daley could've been in the NFL. But after an All-American year, he is with Michigan, giving the Wolverines potentially the best edge rusher in the Big Ten.

Last season, playing in 11 games, Daley logged 48 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.

After losing Derrick Moore, Jaishawn Barham, and TJ Guy, Daley will plug right in as a starter and give the Wolverines instant impact. Obviously, Daley needs to fully heal from the Achilles injury, but he is supposed to be a full go this summer, which means come Sept. 5, Daley can wreak havoc.