Michigan fans, living in the NIL era.

Ah...

That was tough.

Cole Sullivan went to Oklahoma.

It seems like a large number of players are entering the transfer portal at every school, not just Michigan.

• Entering the portal in search of playing time

• Performing well, transferring to a powerhouse or top-tier school, and aiming for the NFL

In addition to the two above, there is an increasing number of cases where players who performed well last year just enter the portal to aim for a higher NIL contract.
Naturally, if another school offers better terms, they will transfer.

■ What is the Transfer Portal?

Introduced by the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) in 2018, it is a platform for student-athletes to officially express their intention to transfer to another university.

It is an online system for managing what is essentially a "college sports version of the free agent market."

Previously, players needed permission from their current school to talk to coaches at other schools, but this system has made the process transparent and simplified.

Place for expressing intent: When a player tells their university representative they want to enter the portal, their name is registered in the database within 48 hours.

Contact from other schools: From the moment their name is on the portal, coaches from other universities can legally recruit that player.
※ This has become a mere formality, and tampering (prior contact) is rampant. We are in an era where it is common to announce the transfer destination on the same day they enter the portal. They don't even try to hide it anymore.

Transferring as an immediate contributor: There used to be a rule that players couldn't play for one year after transferring, but due to rule changes, if it is their "first transfer (and multiple times if conditions are met from 2024 onwards)," they can now play immediately at their new school. Schools like Indiana have succeeded in building a team ranked in the national top by building through transfers rather than recruiting.

For 2026 (as there are changes every year), the period is from January 2nd to January 16th (the spring transfer window has been abolished starting this year),
as a special exception
Coaching changes: If a head coach resigns or is replaced, players on that team are given a 15-day special window (shortened from the previous 30 days).

Graduate Transfers: Players who have already graduated from university are not bound by these designated periods and can enter the portal at any time.

Postseason participants: Players participating in bowl games or the playoffs (CFP) may be given a 5-day grace period after their team's season ends.

■ Risks of the Transfer Portal

Once a player enters the portal, their original university can terminate their scholarship.
Therefore, if they fail to secure a transfer destination, they face the risk of being unable to return to their original team, losing both their place to play and their scholarship (a state known as being "buried in the portal").

It is said that 65% of players in the FCS (lower league) and 40% in the FBS (upper league) end up in a state of limbo or are forced to retire because they cannot find a new team; when including factors like worsening conditions, it seems the probability of "failure" exceeds 50%.

Last year, players like QB Nico Iamaleava, who was at Tennessee, hinted at a transfer and negotiated NIL deals, but failed. He ended up transferring to a lower-ranked UCLA for a smaller contract.

■ In the case of Michigan 2026/01/08

6 Starters
OT Andrew Sprague HS rating 4★ 0.960 All-Big 10 →Michigan
WR Fredrick Moore Transfer rating 3★ 0.850
LB Cole Sullivan Transfer rating 3★ 0.870 →Oklahoma
G Jake Guarnera Transfer rating 4★ 0.920 All-Big 10 →Michigan
DE Enow Etta Transfer rating 4★ 0.910
S Zeke Berry HS rating 4★ 0.970 →Michigan

Rotation players
IOL Kaden Strayhorn Transfer rating 3★ 0.860
Citrus Bowl starter →Alabama
S Elijah Dotson HS rating 4★
S Jaden Mangham Transfer rating 3★ 0.870
S Jordan Young HS rating 4★
Active last year as a true freshman
WR Semaj Morgan HS rating 3★ →UCLA
RB Jasper Parker Transfer rating 3★
DE Devon Baxter HS rating 4★ 183rd in the nation
RB Bryson Kuzdzal Former WO, Citrus Bowl starter

Reserves
QB Jadyn Davis Transfer rating 3★ 0.850 →Stanford
Former WO, 2024 season starter, win against Ohio State
QB Jadyn Davis Transfer rating 3★ 0.860
Once rated 5★ in high school, short stature is a bottleneck
OT Connor Jones Transfer rating 3★
RB CJ Hester HS rating 3★
LS Evan Boutorwick Unrated
IOL Ben Roebuck HS rating 3★
TE Brady Prieskorn HS rating 4★
QB Mikey Keene HS rating 3★
K Beckham Sunderland →Minnesota

Currently 23 players
Of the 6 starters, 3 have already announced their return to Michigan.

↑ This shows 16 people because it doesn't include players who withdrew from the portal or the most recent information.
Is Michigan doing better than expected considering the coaching change?

■ Impressions

College football looks like total chaos, with people slapping each other in the face with wads of cash, but personally, I support it.

It comes from the thought that it is wrong for others to force young people who have a market value of tens or hundreds of millions of yen to "You are a student, so work for almost nothing and take risks for almost nothing.".

I kept writing on note that Cole Sullivan was amazing and that he would definitely grow, and he was my favorite player in college football.

Then he entered the portal. Honestly, my first emotion was anger.
Logic is logic. Naturally, it is different from emotion.

There were reports that the delay in selecting an LB coach was the cause and that there was a high possibility of him returning to Michigan, but once he entered the portal, I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to continue supporting him purely as a fan...
My emotions over the past few days have been shifting toward acceptance.

He received a low transfer portal rating of 3★ 0.870. His PFF rating is also low. Even so, I still think he is a top-class LB of his generation.

Oklahoma also has a matchup in the second game of next season.
I wish him the best of luck in games other than against Michigan.

He was a player I truly loved.
Goodbye, Cole Sullivan!