The Impact Levels Of The U-M Players Who Have Transferred Since 2020 Ended

Freshman wideout Xavier Worthy became the latest Michigan Wolverines football player to announce his departure from the program today, making him the 14th athlete to do so since the 2020 campaign ended Nov. 28.

The creation of the transfer portal and the ability to jump from school to school without having to sit out (a rule that has been officially passed by the NCAA) has created plenty of roster dysfunction in the sport, a sentiment Michigan has encountered head on over the past four-and-a-half-months.

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Below is the full list of Michigan players who have entered their name into the transfer portal (in chronological order) since the Maize and Blue last took the field Nov. 28 against Penn State:

• Redshirt freshman center Zach Carpenter — Dec. 10

• Fifth-year senior punter Will Hart — Dec. 16

• Redshirt sophomore running back Christian Turner — Dec. 19

• Sophomore running back Zach Charbonnet — Jan. 18

• Redshirt junior defensive end Luiji Vilain — Jan. 19

• Redshirt junior quarterback Dylan McCaffrey — Jan. 21

• Redshirt sophomore linebacker Ben VanSumeren — Feb. 12

• Redshirt junior linebacker Adam Shibley — Feb. 16

• Redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Milton — Feb. 18

• Sophomore wide receiver Giles Jackson — March 29

• Redshirt junior safety Hunter Reynolds — April 5

• Freshman linebacker William Mohan — April 5

• Redshirt junior defensive tackle Phillip Paea — April 14

• Freshman wide receiver Xavier Worthy — April 15

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While a high level of attrition is seldom a good thing, it's worth pointing out how many players departed due to where they resided on the depth chart and/or playing time concerns.

Vilain and Turner, for example, had contributed sparingly throughout their Michigan careers and wouldn't have seen significantly larger roles in 2021, which likely prompted each of their respective departures.

On a similar note, Reynolds would have been a backup (at best) behind sophomore Daxton Hill and fifth-year senior Brad Hawkins at safety in 2021, while spots behind the starters are likely where VanSumeren and Shibley would have wound up at linebacker as well.

Some of the departures stung a bit more than others, with Charbonnet and Jackson, for example, fitting the bill. Both had been contributors since their freshman seasons in Ann Arbor, and would have had a role on offense (and in Jackson's case, on special teams) once again in 2021.