Fans have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming 2025 season for Michigan football. True freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood highlights the newcomers of the team as he looks to lead the Wolverines to a bounce-back season after finishing 8-5 in 2024.
Michigan will be without one of its offensive transfers after running back CJ Hester decided to leave the program before ever taking a snap as a Wolverine, according to On3 Sports' Pete Nakos.
Hester, a junior transfer, would have been joining his third school in three seasons in college. The Western Michigan and UMass transfer drew interest from Michigan after the team lost running back Ben Hall when he decided to transfer to North Carolina this spring.
Hester's decision had a large part to do with the late addition of Justice Haynes, an Alabama transfer who's expected to take the starting spot for the team this fall. The second spot on the depth chart will be redshirt freshman Jordan Marshall.
CJ Hester will finish out the semester's worth of classes at Michigan and find a new place to play in the transfer portal for next season. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound running back from Cincinnati, Ohio, has career statistics at WMU and UMass of 653 rushing yards on 148 carries, 60 receiving yards with 15 receptions, and six total touchdowns.
His top college performances include a 63-rushing yard, one-touchdown performance against Miami (OH) on Sep. 28, 2024, and a 74-rushing yard, one-touchdown performance against Georgia on Nov. 23, 2024.