Six Graduate Transfers To Keep An Eye On

Michigan is definitely browsing the transfer portal and a few names should be monitored closer than others.

All six players listed below are in the transfer portal and carry graduate transfer status, meaning they'd be eligible to play during the 2020 season. Five of the six had a Michigan offer before committing elsewhere, but all of them should be monitored closely. Now that they're back on that market, it's about finding a fit and vibing with the coaches. Could any of them sport a winged helmet next fall? Here's what we know...

Devery Hamilton - OT (Stanford Cardinal • 6-7, 301)

The Backstory: Hamilton definitely belongs on this list as a former Michigan commit. Originally from Baltimore, Md., Hamilton played for Biff Poggi at Gilman School and was committed to Michigan for roughly seven months and would've ended up in Ann Arbor had he not been admitted to Stanford. With the Cardinal struggling, Hamilton is looking for a program that will compete at a high level on the field as he prepares for a potential NFL future, and is also serious about academics. Michigan obviously checks those boxes, which is why Hamilton saw himself as a Wolverine back in 2015.

The Player: Hamilton started six games in 2018 (three at left guard, two at right guard and one at left tackle) and then was slated to be a full-time starter in 2019 before getting injured four games into the season.

The Situation: Since Michigan has several spots along the offensive line to fill, Hamilton would be a great candidate to bring in. The big lineman has been followed on Twitter by tight ends coach Sherrone Moore, director of recruiting Matt Dudek and returning running back Chris Evans — he's clearly being monitored closely.

Xavier Kelly - DT (Clemson Tigers • 6-4, 305)

The Backstory: Kelly has family roots in Detroit and was pretty high on the Wolverines as a high school recruit. As a prep star, Kelly trimmed his offer list down to Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Kansas State, Michigan, Oregon, and TCU before picking the Tigers. Throughout the most of his recruitment, Michigan and Alabama seemed like the frontrunners but he ended up at Clemson.

The Player: Kelly recorded 26 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble in 256 career snaps over 28 games at Clemson. He played defensive end for the Tigers until moving to defensive tackle for the 2019 season. He was a freak of an athlete coming out of high school but is now north of 300 pounds making him a great fit on the interior of a defensive line.

The Situation: Kelly recently took an official visit to Arkansas and seems to be getting closer to making a decision. Michigan tight ends coach Sherrone Moore, defensive line coach Shaun Nua, director of high school relations Tony Jones and assistant recruiting coordinator Nate Crutchfield all follow Kelly on Twitter. Some of those follows could be from when Kelly was coming out of high school, but not all of them are.

Nigel Knott - CB (Alabama Crimson Tide • 5-11, 182)

The Backstory: Considered a consensus 4-star prospect out of Madison, Miss., Knott never visited Michigan but he did have an offer and was recruited on some level. He committed to Alabama as a pretty coveted recruit but never made much of an impact in Tuscaloosa.

The Player:  Per BamaCentral.com, Knott played in two games in 2017, and 10 games for the Crimson Tide in 2018, when he listed as a redshirt sophomore. He made his first and only career tackle for the Crimson Tide on special teams against Arkansas. However, Knott was medically disqualified to continue playing last year, and Nick Saban announced during a September press conference that the defensive back would stay in school but no longer play for the Crimson Tide. 

The Situation: Knott has now been medically cleared and is looking for a new home. Defensive line coach Shaun Nua has followed Knott on Twitter, which is obviously a new development since Nua has only been on U-M's staff for about a year. Knott is aware that Nua followed him and is at least giving the Wolverines a look at this point.

Brian Polendey - TE (Miami Hurricanes • 6-6, 245)

The Backstory: Originally from Eugene, Oreg., Polendey finished his prep career in Texas but grew up a die hard fan of the Ducks and all things Pac-12. That made his recruitment interesting but Michigan got involved very early. He routinely mentioned the Wolverines as a team he was interested in and was a big fan of Jim Harbaugh and his usage of tight ends, but it never materialized into much. He obviously ended up at Miami, but there was interest in U-M.

The Player: As a true freshman, Polendey saw action in six games, largely on special teams. In 2018 he saw action in two games before suffering season-ending injury, and last year, Polendey saw action in six games and made his first career start in Miami's bowl game. He finished his career at Miami with one catch for 14 yards.

The Situation: Because of his injury and lack of production, Polendey is getting attention from mostly smaller schools, at least in terms of who has followed him on Twitter, but Michigan tight ends coach Sherrone Moore is keeping an eye on him.

Jovan Swann - DT (Stanford Cardinal • 6-2, 271)

The Backstory: Swann is the lone player on this list that didn't have a Michigan offer coming out of high school, but probably had the most interest in the Wolverines, even with Hamilton being a former commit. Per an article from TheWolverine.com, Swann was born in Michigan and grew up a massive U-M fan. He moved to Indiana at a young age, but never lost sight of his background.

"I was only three years old when we moved but my whole family is from Michigan, in Detroit, and they are just big Michigan fans. Go Blue, you know? That's all I know," he said. "Since I moved with my dad for his job we've just always been Michigan fans."

Swann ended up reeling in 20 offers as a recruit and heavily considered Indiana and Northwestern before committing to the Cardinal.

The Player: Swann played in all 12 games and made nine starts this past season. He finished the year with 32 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He also broke up a pass, forced a fumble and blocked a kick. As a junior he was All-Pac-12 honorable mention and a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic performer in the classroom. He's undersized in terms of his weight, but he's extremely quick off the ball and athletic. 

The Situation: As an Indiana kid, Swann has a couple of Wolverine friends in running back Chris Evans and linebacker Cam McGrone, which never hurts. He's also been followed by director of recruiting Matt Dudek and defensive line coach Shaun Nua. Several people in the Michigan media market are also following Swann, which seems to indicate that he's a pretty serious target.

Mike Williams - DT (Stanford Cardinal • 6-2, 290)

The Backstory: Williams held a Michigan offer as a recruit but wasn't super high on U-M's board. He reeled in nearly 30 offers as a prep player and eventually learned that he was admitted to Stanford in January of 2016. 

The Player: As a redshirt junior last year, Williams started all 12 games for the Cardinal and finished with 24 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack and two quarterback hurries. He's considered an effort guy with good, not great, size and solid athleticism for an interior defensive lineman. Williams finished his career at Stanford with 72 tackles including eight for loss and two sacks.

The Situation: As a Texas kid, most of the local programs recruited Williams, including the Longhorns. It's definitely worth noting that Williams' lead recruiter from the University of Texas was new Michigan linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary. That development is certainly one to keep an eye on especially considering that Williams was heavily considering Michigan before Jean-Mary was hired. Both head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive line coach Shaun Nua have started to build a bond with Williams and the hiring of Jean-Mary can only help that situation. 

In late December, we caught up with Williams to find out just how involved Michigan was.

Which player would you like to see at Michigan the most? Which player do you think is most likely to come? Comment below!!!