Michigan Wolverines, Kyle Whittingham lose former elite recruit, but there’s no need to panic after his sudden transfer decision
The Michigan Wolverines lost former elite recruit Ty Haywood to the transfer portal, but it’s an outcome that both sides wanted.
The Michigan Wolverines have put together a strong effort in roster retention, beating back the rest of the college football world to keep some of their top players on both sides of the ball for next season.
However, they did lose one former top recruit to the portal on Thursday, and it’s one that has fans upset because of his former elite status as a recruit.
Ty Haywood a bad fit for Michigan Wolverines
Ty Haywood was a massive recruiting win for the Wolverines in the class of 2025. Michigan flipped Haywood away from the Alabama Crimson Tide late in the cycle to help their class finished sixth in the country, according to 247Sports’ rankings.
However, speaking to a source, it seemed like Haywood just didn’t have a spot on the Wolverines any longer. Fellow class of 2025 recruit Andrew Babalola seems like a lock to take over the left tackle spot, even after missing the entire season due to injury. With Andrew Sprague returning to take over right tackle after holding it down admirably in 2025, there just wasn’t a starting role available for Haywood to step into now or in the foreseeable future. Michigan likes the guys they have up front to protect Bryce Underwood’s flanks.
Chris Balas of TheWolverine, Michigan’s On3 affiliate, reported that Haywood “simply wasn’t who they thought he would be” and that Haywood “wasn’t in the top 35 of guys on the list to pay to return,” further adding that he “wasn’t close to living up to his ranking”.
Given Haywood’s elite status as a recruit, it’s easy to infer that he would cost a pretty penny to remain with the Wolverines. Evidently, Kyle Whittingham and the remaining Michigan staff did not believe that he was worth the cost, especially if he wasn’t even a guaranteed starter.
Now, the Wolverines can turn that money elsewhere, likely to add at wide receiver, the interior of their offensive line, tight end, and defensive back. Overall, it sounds like this was a bad match from the beginning, and Haywood will seek greener pastures, while Michigan is content with the group they have remaining.
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