Wolverine Digest

Star Michigan freshman withdraws name from portal, will return to Wolverines in '26

This is massive news for Michigan.
Trent Knoop|
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Michigan Wolverines

There is some big news coming out of Ann Arbor on Monday afternoon and it's that freshman safety Jordan Young has withdrawn his name from the transfer portal and he will return to Ann Arbor for 2026. Young posted a photo of himself with the popular 'LFG147' slogan, showing which players are returning under Kyle Whittingham.

Once Young entered the portal, he was looking at times like USC, UCLA, Vanderbilt, and NC State -- but he never left the Wolverines off the table as an option. Michigan's defensive back depth was hit hard by the transfer portal. Not only did Michigan initially lose Young -- but a few starters.

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

Fellow freshman Jayden Sanders left and committed to Notre Dame, TJ Metcalf, Brandyn Hillman, and Jaden Mangham (Purdue) all left after seeing a ton of playing time. Freshman Elijah Dotson and Tevis Metcalf also entered their names into the transfer portal.

Young's 2025 season in Ann Arbor

The true freshman played in 12 games for Michigan. He saw 148 snaps on defense and played three different positions under Wink Martindale. The Wolverines had Young playing Nickel, free safety, and strong safety this season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Young had a 56.8 defensive grade, which was No. 50 on the Wolverines' defense. He was good against the run, however, and PFF gave him a 73.7 run defensive grade, which was No. 9 on the team.

Young struggled in coverage this season as a young defender. He had a 53.1 coverage grade and allowed 11 receptions on 16 targets that came his way.

With Young heading back to Ann Arbor, he's going to have a head start on earning the full-time starting role in 2026 under new DC Jay Hill. Young is a versatile piece that can be moved around and he has shown the ability to make plays. He will only continue to get better with more experience and the new coaching staff will help Young tremendously.

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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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