Top 5 transfer portal landing spots for Michigan RB Justice Haynes

The college football transfer portal received another notable name during its active 2026 cycle, as running back Justice Haynes is on the lookout for a new school, and these programs should be interested.

Justice Haynes is in the college football transfer portal, and the former Alabama and Michigan back is looking for a new school. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Not long after Michigan signed transfer running back Taylor Tatum, it was expected that Justice Haynes would depart the program, and that moment has come.

But while most analysts thought Haynes would leave college football and enter the NFL Draft, the former Wolverines running back is set to enter the transfer portal instead.

Now the bidding begins for one of the more productive rushers in the country who would be an instant upgrade in any backfield he cares to name.

What schools could be in the market for Haynes coming out of the transfer portal for the 2026 season?

Alabama (again)

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It was to the Crimson Tide that Haynes originally committed as a four-star high school recruit out of Buford, Ga., before his departure to Michigan this past offseason.

He wasn’t a major contributor during those two seasons, but showed some real flashes of what was to come, finishing with 168 yards and 2 touchdowns as a freshman and adding 448 more yards with 7 touchdowns in his sophomore campaign.

Alabama is in dire need of reinforcements at running back, ranking 125th out of 136 FBS teams this season with just 104 yards per game on average on 3.3 yards per carry. 

Rushing offense, or the lack thereof, was a pronounced weakness that severely hampered the Tide’s total offensive efficiency down the stretch and in the playoff.

Texas

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Few major college football programs lost quite as much production at the running back position than the Longhorns did once the transfer portal opened up.

Three of their top five rushers all bolted the program, although Steve Sarkisian did bring on some notable relief in the form of Raleek Brown, who signed with Texas after rushing for 1,411 yards and four touchdowns at Arizona State this season.

Brown has starting potential at RB1 for the Longhorns, but there are still pressing questions around whether Arch Manning can completely take over this offense on his own, and adding another proven rushing threat wouldn’t be the worst idea.

Clemson

Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Dabo Swinney has been notoriously allergic to using the transfer portal, and when he has, it’s been with a heavy focus on signing defensive players overall.

But when looking over Clemson’s depth chart at running back, it’s clear a fixture of Haynes’ production and physicality would be an undeniable upgrade.

Especially for an offense undergoing a major transition at quarterback with the departure of Cade Klubnik and in need of a stabilizing force on the ground with starting experience.

Adam Randall and Keith Adams, Jr. are both on the way out, leaving a big hole in a Tigers backfield that ranked 105th nationally in rushing output in 2025.

Swinney may be reluctant to pick up the phone when it comes to transfers, but someone should definitely put it in his hand.

LSU

Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Lane Kiffin is in the market for some game-breakers on offense, and the running back position is said to be an area of interest for the new LSU regime and its financial backers.

Harlem Berry will return to the LSU offense in 2026 after completing a freshman season in which he placed second on the team with 491 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Caden Durham is reportedly poised to enter the transfer portal after leading the team with 505 yards and 3 touchdowns for an LSU rushing attack that was the 10th worst in FBS this past season.

Kewan Lacy was said to be considering a reunion with Kiffin at LSU after setting an Ole Miss record with 25 touchdowns, but confirmed his return to the Rebels in 2026 instead.

Securing a player of Haynes’ known output would be a positive in rebuilding this offense out from the backfield and establishing a firmer foundation for the unit as it installs a new quarterback in Kiffin’s debut.

Texas A&M

Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Running back is a position of some debate for the Aggies, both losing serious production but also retaining what might be enough for another run at the playoff.

Le’Veon Moss and EJ Smith are both headed to the NFL Draft, but head coach Mike Elko and new offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins also retain Rueben Owens and four-star Jamarion Morrow in the backfield.

Owens scored five times off 639 total yards and averaged more than 5 yards per carry, but the Aggies are believed to be in the market for another starting-caliber back to help quarterback Marcel Reed and more thoroughly test SEC defenses in 2026.

What he's done on the field

Haynes was tied for third in college football with four rushes of 50 yards or more, a figure that included two touchdown carries of more than 70 yards this past season.

The one thing that stopped him was injury, but after he carried 121 times for 857 yards while averaging 7.1 yards per attempt with 10 touchdowns in seven games for Michigan in 2025.

In the half-dozen games Haynes played before the foot ailment, he had more than 100 rushing yards and at least one touchdown in each appearance.