Big Ten Program Targeting Michigan Football Transfer Portal Loss

On Monday morning, CJ Stokes — a running back — became the first Michigan football transfer portal loss in the 2024 cycle. His departing announcement came exactly three weeks before the Wolverines are slated to face Alabama in the Rose Bowl game on January 1 for a shot at the national title game. Not long after he said farewell to U-M, fellow Big Ten East program, the Indiana Hoosiers, started targeting the sophomore running back, per an announcement on his Twitter.

Michigan football transfer loss CJ Stoks announces departure on Monday morning

CJ Stokes was beloved by Michigan fans during the moments that he got to play, which, unfortunately, did not come too often, seeing as Michigan’s running back room has been absolutely loaded over the past few seasons. Through two seasons in Ann Arbor, the ex-Michigan running back appeared in 13 games, carrying the ball 59 times for over 280 yards and a touchdown.

This fall, with Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards, Benjamin Hall, Kalel Mullings, and more on the depth chart, Stokes only had four carries across two games, prompting him to — understandably — hit the transfer portal.

Big Ten program, Indiana Hoosiers, targeting Stokes in the transfer portal

Just hours after CJ Stokes announced that he would be hitting the transfer portal, the Indiana Hoosiers became the first school to offer him a scholarship to transfer. Of course, Indiana was where U-M hired Mike Hart — Michigan’s current RB coach — from, so there are some vague ties there.