Weekend wrap-up: Checking in on some former Wolverines heading into the fall

While Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines have benefitted plenty from the transfer portal — and expect to have many transfer contributors again this season — the portal both gives and takes away. No hard feelings here, though; sometimes the situation is just not right in Ann Arbor, and a player like Zach Charbonnet can really blossom elsewhere.

The expectations for Michigan are as high as they have ever been heading into the fall, but some former Wolverines enter the new season with some decent opportunities as well. Here is a quick look at a handful of familiar names playing in (somewhat) new places this season.

QB Factory?

The highest profile ex-Wolverine is certainly Joe Milton, who has a chance to play himself into both the first round of the NFL Draft and the Heisman conversation. Milton was always an extremely talented recruit, but very unpolished. He has made limited appearances for Tennessee with 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions, though he did have a 64.6 percent completion rate last year.

Milton was replaced by Cade McNamara at Michigan, but he will be starting at another school as well this fall. McNamara looks to energize a desperate Iowa offense that has become a joke across the national landscape. This does feel like the perfect situation for McNamara, however, where quick throws and low-risk plays will be the most common asks. McNamara seems to be ok after an injury scare.

Somehow, there is a third former Wolverine quarterback that could be starting at a Power 5 program this fall. Alan Bowman returns to the Big 12 and could be the starter at Oklahoma State given all of his experience at Texas Tech. Though he did not see the field much in Ann Arbor, he has made plenty of appearances in his career.

The best of the rest

There are far too many transfers to call out, but there are a few that will surely draw some attention. Unfortunately, Giles Jackson sounds to be at risk of missing the season after an injury at practice. Jackson had 28 catches and one touchdown for Washington after playing just for games in 2021 with the Huskies.

Joining McNamara is Erick All, who also seems like a perfect fit in the Iowa offense. All should be featured heavily by McNamara and could boost his draft stock with some good numbers. He will not be the only former Wolverine pass catcher in the Big Ten West, with A.J. Henning heading to a Northwestern program that is...going through some things.

Andrel Anthony never really panned out at Michigan, but do not be surprised if he splashes a bit at Oklahoma. While Xavier Worthy never made it onto campus, and was a higher-ranked recruit, Michigan fans could be seeing both receivers make the highlight reel on multiple occasion this season. The final shoutout goes to R.J. Moten, who heads to Florida looking for a change of scenery.