There are now two Michigan football transfer entries that will be leaving the Wolverines after the 2023 season ends: CJ Stokes and Leon Franklin, both running backs who saw limited reps due to the depth of Michigan’s RB room. That said, seeing as the College Football Playoff and Rose Bowl are around the corner, neither Stokes nor Franklin intends to leave just yet.
Both Michigan Football Transfers Not Leaving Yet
The first transfer to announce his intention to leave the Maize and Blue was sophomore running back CJ Stokes, who is an incredibly talented running back whose reps had fallen victim to the Wolverines’ absolutely loaded RB room in 2022 and 2023. After Michigan football won the Big Ten title (again), Stokes announced that he would be leaving the program.
CJ Stokes will be staying through the College Football Playoff this season
Soon after CJ Stokes entered the NCAA transfer portal, he made a second announcement: he will be staying with the program through the College Football Playoff, competing for a Rose Bowl title and national title alongside his teammates one final time.
Leon Franklin announces the same
Today, another Michigan football transfer loss announced his decision to leave U-M football after a few seasons with the Wolverines: walk-on running back Leon Franklin, a graduate student. Franklin, like Stokes, had seen very limited playing time due to Michigan’s RB depth, though he remained with the program from 2020-2023, winning Big Ten titles and more along the way. In fact, earlier this fall, Franklin punched in a rushing touchdown against Minnesota — his first as a Wolverine.
In his transfer announcement, Leon Franklin included a key detail: he will also be staying with the Michigan football program through its College Football Playoff run, which will begin with a Rose Bowl matchup against Alabama on January 1, 2024.
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