Bowl season is here, and few are more excited about it than the Michigan football team. The Wolverines are ranked No. 1 in the country with a perfect 13-0 record, and are gearing up for their Rose Bowl matchup against No. 4 Alabama. But plenty of former Michigan players are gearing up for their own matchups during bowl season. In fact, we counted 16 former Michigan players who took advantage of the transfer portal, and are on rosters of other teams participating in bowl games. Below, we take a look at those players, how their seasons have gone and their matchup in the bowl game.
Seldon recorded three tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass breakup in New Mexico State’s 34-10 loss to Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl.
On the season, the former Belleville standout finished with 55 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble, seven pass breakups and three tackles for loss in his second season as a starter for the Aggies.
Dan Villari, Syracuse
A former Michigan quarterback, Villari has found a home as a tight end at Syracuse, and has lived up to Jim Harbaugh billing him as a Taysom Hill-type player back in 2021. Hailing from Long Island, the now-redshirt sophomore caught 20 of 23 targets for 180 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed 19 of 22 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown as a reserve quarterback, and ran 43 times for 289 yards and two touchdowns. In all, he played 528 snaps this season, and obtained 589 yards and six touchdowns overall.
He and the Orange, currently going through a head-coaching change and without starting quarterback Garrett Shrader, will take on South Florida in the Boca Raton Bowl Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
Myles Sims, Georgia Tech
Sims, now in his fifth season at Georgia Tech after spending the 2018 season with Michigan, has appeared in 53 games for the Yellow Jackets in his career. This fall was arguably his best season at cornerback, as he tallied 35 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one interception and five pass breakups in 11 games and nine starts. Georgia Tech will take on Central Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
AJ Henning, Northwestern
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One of the few players on this list who played multiple seasons in Michigan’s two-deep, Henning, a Chicagoland native opted for Northwestern as a graduate transfer this spring. Playing for the upstart Wildcats this fall, Henning recorded 39 receptions, 361 receiving yards and four touchdowns and added 109 rushing yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. He also returned eight punts for 45 yards and 15 kickoffs for 330 yards. He led the Wildcats in all-purpose yards, and was tied for the team lead with five touchdowns.
Northwestern will take on Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Andrew Russell, Kansas
Cornell Wheeler, Kansas
Kansas sports two Michigan transfers that combined to play in three games for the Wolverines. Russell, initially playing on Michigan’s lacrosse team, spent three years as a Michigan football walk-on before transferring to the Jayhawks. He played in 13 games last season and appeared in two this fall, all on special teams. He underwent season-ending surgery in October.
Wheeler, a West Bloomfield product, did no see game action in Michigan’s shortened 2020 season, and transferred to Kansas afterward. Wheeler recorded just one tackle in 19 games in 2021 and 2022, but has emerged as a reserve linebacker this fall, posting 27 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one pass breakup and one interception.
The Jayhawks will face off against UNLV Dec. 26 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl at 9 p.m. ET.
Cole Hussung, Louisville
A walk-on kicker at Michigan, Hussung opted to return to home and transfer to Louisville, a short drive from his hometown of Floyd Knobs, Ind. So far this season, Hussung has appeared in one game, attempting four kickoffs against Murray State.
The Cardinals, ranked 16th nationally, will take on USC in the Holiday Bowl Dec. 27 at 8 p.m. ET.
Alan Bowman, Oklahoma State
No one was sure what to expect when Bowman entered the transfer portal after spending two seasons as a backup for the Wolverines. Bowman began his career throwing for more than 5,000 yards at Texas Tech, but then threw for just 95 yards on 12 attempts in two seasons with the Wolverines. He ended up at Oklahoma State, however, where he eventually won the starting job and led the Cowboys to the Big 12 title game. He currently has completed 270 of 453 pass attempts for 3,058 yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
He and Oklahoma State will take on Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl Dec. 27 at 9 p.m. ET.
George Rooks, Boston College
After two seasons with the Wolverines in which he played in eight games, Rooks transferred to Boston College last winter. And this fall, the defensive tackle played handsomely, appearing and starting in 12 games for the Eagles, totaling 476 defensive snaps, 29 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and 16 quarterback pressures.
Rooks and Boston College will stay close to home, taking on SMU in the Fenway Bowl Dec. 28 at 11 a.m. ET.
Aaron Lewis, Rutgers
Though Lewis never technically played a season with Michigan, transferring to Rutgers for family reasons after spending a couple months as an early enrollee, he has carved out a solid career with the Scarlet Knights. Over four seasons, he has 143 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and 86 quarterback pressures. He and Rutgers’ touted defense will face off against Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl Dec. 28 at 2:15 p.m. ET.
Taylor Upshaw, Arizona
Joe Milton, Tennessee
After helping Michigan’s edge room in 2021 and 2022, Upshaw led Arizona’s defense to a resurgent season this fall. The edge rusher initially transferred to Colorado as a graduate transfer before opting to head to Arizona instead this spring. He started in all 12 of the Wildcats’ games, finishing the year with 30 tackles, a team-leading 11.5 tackles for loss, team-best 8.5 sacks, a forced fumble and 31 quarterback pressures, also a team-high.
He and Arizona, coached by former Michigan assistant Jedd Fisch, will face Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl Dec. 28 at 9:15 p.m. ET.
Andrel Anthony, Oklahoma
On the other side of the Alamo Bowl matchup, though not playing as he recovers from season-ending surgery, will be former Michigan wide receiver Andrel Anthony. The junior was off to a brilliant start to the 2023 season, catching 27 of 34 passes for 419 yards in the Sooners’ first six games, but endured a knee injury that ended his season Oct. 9.
A third quarterback on this list, Milton spent three seasons with Michigan before transferring to Tennessee for three more seasons. He took over the starting job this fall, and has completed 229 of 354 passes for 2,813 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He ranked 35th nationally in completion percentage, and 38th in passer efficiency rating. With NFL scouts intrigued by his arm strength but leery of other aspects of his game, Milton will try to end his college career on a strong note in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa. The game is slated to kick off at 1 p.m. ET in Orlando.
Cade McNamara, Iowa
Erick All, Iowa
Two players who could be on the sidelines of the Citrus Bowl facing Milton and Tennessee, but won’t play after season-ending injuries are Cade McNamara and Erick All. McNamara replaced Milton as Michigan’s starting quarterback in 2020 and then helped the Wolverines win a Big Ten title in 2021. At Iowa this fall, he completed 46 of 90 passes for 505 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.
All, meanwhile, impressed as a tight end for the Hawkeyes, catching 21 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns in seven games. He actually still leads Iowa in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns — a testament to the Hawkeyes’ stagnant offense this fall.
Giles Jackson, Washington
Yes, Michigan will even have a former player on another team in the College Football Playoff. Jackson was a successful kick-returner and up-and-coming slot receiver for Michigan in 2019 and 2020, but opted to head West ahead of the 2021 season. Since arriving in Seattle, Jackson has played in 30 games, posting 521 receiving yards, 93 rushing yards, 754 kick return yards, 136 punt return yards and two total touchdowns.
This year, a broken thumb in fall camp kept him out of the Huskies’ first six games, and led to Washington limiting him to four regular-season games to give him a redshirt season with an eye on a return next fall. He played in six snaps of the Pac 12 championship game against Oregon, which didn’t count against his redshirt total, and will be active as a reserve receiver and specialist against Texas in the Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1, 8:45 p.m. ET).
