It’s the holiday season, folks! Time to be merry. But not everyone gets lucky to celebrate this happy time. We are talking about the college football programs that are losing their players to the transfer portal. Sherrone Moore’s Michigan Wolverines are one of them. That’s because Moore and Co. lost their three-star recruit to the transfer portal. However, the player decided to stay in-state with a transfer decision. But as life goes by, you lose some, you win some. Moore does not pester over the loss. Instead, he whips up a plan to fill the gaps.   

Already the Michigan Wolverines had been in a sensitive spot this season. All thanks to the great coach Jim Harbaugh leaving Ann Arbor to the NFL. Even though Moore looked all sorted, the defending national champions finished the season unranked with a poor 7-5 record. Well, can Moore really be blamed? Well, not completely.

After all, he was busy clearing the mess left by Harbaugh and having one of the most offensive teams in the country. But when it comes to recruitment, Moore did score well. For instance, he was able to woo the No.1 recruit Bryce Underwood and snatch the quarterback from the LSU Tigers. But as the transfer portal opened its gates, the Wolverines lost some notable players. Well, the list is pretty long, including QB Alex Orji, and WR Tyler Morris, among others. Another blow came with RB Tavierre Dunlap taking the exit door.

Dunlap was one of the first players from Moore’s squad to hit the transfer portal. A four-star in the 2021 recruiting class, the running back gathered 22 rush attempts for 138 yards. Even though he has been there in Ann Arbor for four years, the touchdown came in December 2024 (Week 13) on a 20-yard carry in the fourth quarter against Northwestern. Now that he has just one year of college eligibility remaining, he thought of swapping the wagons. So where is he headed to? 

Well, Moore’s RB is not heading too far. Rather, Dunlap will be traveling just seven miles down the road. On Christmas Eve, he announced his commitment to Eastern Michigan in neighboring Ypsilanti. He’s officially an Eagle! He posted a pic in the grey and green jersey with the #2, and tagged Coach Creighton on X to make it official. Looks like Moore did not wait for Dunlap’s commitment. The Michigan HC had already started to do his homework to find the player’s replacement. 

A powerful addition to Sherrone Moore’s program 

After a rocky road ride, the Wolverines are now preparing to face off against Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama Crimson Tide. The ReliaQuest Bowl matchup is scheduled for December 31. But ahead of the matchup, Moore’s program received some good news. Turned out that Christmas Eve ushered in some good luck for Michigan as they received a commitment from Crimson Tide transfer and running back Justice Haynes. 

He was there in Tuscaloosa for two years. Now that he has two seasons of eligibility remaining. Haynes thought of landing in Ann Arbor. Well, this looks like a healthy replacement. After all, he was in a loaded running back room with Jam Miller and Richard Young. During this season, he even posted seven touchdowns and 448 yards on 79 carries. 

And if we talk about his two-year career in Alabama, the 5-star prospect of the 2023 recruiting class recorded a total of nine touchdowns and 616 yards on 104 carries. These stats made Justice Haynes enter the portal as the No. 1 running back and No. 26 overall prospect in the nation. It’s Haynes’ moment to shine and prove Sherrone Moore won’t rue losing Tavierre Dunlap.