Michigan received mixed roster news within a few minutes. Before Kyle Whittingham could fully enjoy the return of an offensive lineman, he lost a No. 1 special teams commit from the locker room.

According to On3’s Ethan McDowell, Micah Drescher, Michigan’s kicker commit, requested a release from his signing on Wednesday, January 14. He is the No. 1 kicker prospect in the country and has been pledged to the Wolverines since June. Drescher confirmed the report, making a public announcement on his decision to leave Michigan.

“After careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw my NLI,” Drescher wrote on X. “I greatly appreciate the University of Michigan and all they have done for me.”

Drescher’s decision turns out to be a shock, as the kicker appeared ‘locked in’ for the Wolverines. Earlier this month, when he participated in the Navy All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Micah Drescher shared his intent to compete for the starting role.

“I’m expecting to go in and compete for the starting job,” Drescher said. “I hope to prove to the coaches that I’m there, and I can be a valuable asset to the team. We hired Kerry Combs, who’s our new coordinator. I’ve talked to him a lot. I think he’s a great guy, very motivational. I’m excited to play for him.”

It seems like Kyle Whittingham and his staff saw that coming, as they came prepared, hiring Pitt’s Trey Butkowski from the transfer portal. The Pitt transfer brings in one season of experience with a 20-of-23 field goal completion record. Though he could be a big addition, losing the No. 1 kicker stings.

The news broke out just moments after Michigan’s redshirt freshman OL Andrew Sprague announced his return to the 2026 season, cutting short the happiness.

Andrew Sprague withdraws intent to transfer

According to On3’s Pete Nakos report on X, Michigan’s OL Andrew Sprague has formally withdrawn from the transfer portal to return to the Michigan locker room for the 2026 season. Sprague originally entered the portal on January 02, receiving interest from Texas and other big schools. But ultimately changed his decision.

The 6-foot-8, 315-pounder will now return to play for the Wolverines with three seasons of eligibility remaining. This would be almost an entirely new coaching staff moving forward, led by head coach Kyle Whittingham, offensive coordinator Jason Beck, and offensive line coach Jim Harding.

With this, Sprague becomes the third Michigan player to withdraw his transfer portal decision and return to Michigan, including the fellow OL Jake Guarnera and the graduate cornerback Zake Berry.

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The return of the redshirt freshman is a big win for Whittingham, as he proved his capabilities with the Wolverines. Sprague played for 740 offensive snaps with a recorded 69.3 overall PFF grade. He was a part of 71.6% pass protection and 65.3% run blocking, per PFF. As a starter, he was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award. Additionally, he was a four-star recruit from Rockhurst High School and was listed as the seventh-best offensive tackle in the country.