Off a disappointing 8-5 season, head coach Sherrone Moore and Michigan are set to land talented Alabama redshirt sophomore running back Justice Haynes in a sensational transfer.
Haynes rushed for 447 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024 to see his NIL valuation rise as high as $397,000. On3 reports his deal with the Wolverines could land him $500,000.
2025 could mark a big year for Michigan: the school has already secured the commitment of No. 1 prospect and quarterback Bryce Underwood. Haynes clocked in third place in ESPN’s transfer rankings after ranking as the site’s No. 24 overall recruit in the class of 2023. He would be the only Alabama talent to join Michigan: five-star Damon Payne Jr. will also make the move to Ann Arbor.
Michigan salvaged a disappointing season with a tight 19-13 win over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The program won the National Championship a season ago with former coach Jim Harbaugh.
Haynes will have to compete for touches in the backfield with ReliaQuest Bowl MVP Jordan Marshall. The pair are set to replace over 1,500 yards from the departing duo of Kalel Mullinings and Donovan Edwards.
The Haynes transfer comes as no surprise to many – he sat out the bowl game as rumors continued to swirl. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer reflected on the transfers of both Haynes and Payne Jr. in a recent press conference.
“I’m just going to say this, I think I’m always going to wish the guys that are in our program the best and those are two really good, solid young men and I’m always going to wish them the best,” DeBoer admitted.
“And I hear the word fit coming from Coach Moore’s conversation talk here and that’s what you always hope is that the college experience for anyone that you get to coach, you want it to be in your program, you want it to be in your program,” he continued.
“Ultimately this time comes and goes really fast and so I’m always going to wish the guys the best that were part of the year that we had here or any time I’ve coached throughout my career.”
Not everyone in the Alabama stratosphere was pleased with the announcement. Former Alabama running back Bo Scarbrough couldn’t help but comment on Haynes’s transfer announcement.
“Ay guy did all that talking about bama standard then turn your back on us when you aint producing,” he said.
Scarborough was Alabama’s leading rusher in 2016, rushing for 812 yards and 11 scores. He was a seventh-round selection by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2018 NFL Draft.
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