Honestly, college football in 2026 is just different. The "Those Who Stay" mantra at Michigan usually feels like a permanent oath, but the reality of the transfer portal era means even the biggest recruiting wins can vanish overnight. When Michigan football recruiting landed Ty Haywood, it felt like the ultimate statement. A five-star offensive tackle from Denton, Texas, choosing Ann Arbor over the SEC? That was a massive deal. It was supposed to be the cornerstone of Sherrone Moore’s first "real" class.
But things move fast. On January 12, 2026, the news broke: Ty Haywood is heading back to Alabama.
It’s a tough pill for the Wolverines to swallow. You’ve got a guy who was the No. 6 offensive tackle in the 2025 class, a physical specimen at 6-foot-5 and over 315 pounds, and he’s out the door after just one season. For a program that prides itself on being "O-Line U," losing a talent of this caliber to a direct rival for national titles is a gut punch. Let's get into what actually happened and why this recruiting battle took such a sharp turn.
The Rollercoaster of Ty Haywood and Michigan Football Recruiting
To understand why he's leaving, you have to remember how he got here. Haywood’s recruitment was a saga. He was originally an Alabama commit back in the summer of 2024. Then, Nick Saban retired, Kalen DeBoer took over, and things got shaky. Michigan swooped in, leveraging their reputation for developing NFL-caliber linemen and the personal connection with Sherrone Moore.
He signed with the Wolverines in February 2025. People in Ann Arbor were ecstatic. He was part of what was statistically the best offensive line class in school history, alongside Andrew Babalola. The vision was simple: Haywood and Babalola would be the bookend tackles for Bryce Underwood.
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So, what changed?
Basically, the coaching landscape shifted again. The "unexpected transition" from Sherrone Moore to Kyle Whittingham at the start of 2026 created a window of uncertainty. In the modern game, a coaching change is basically a free agency starter pistol. Even though Whittingham is a legendary developer of talent, Haywood had deep ties to the staff in Tuscaloosa—specifically offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic, who had been recruiting him since his days at Baylor.
Why the Flip Back to Alabama Happened
It wasn't just about the coaching change, though that was the catalyst. Haywood has been pretty open about his relationship with Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell. They’re both Texas kids. They’ve been talking almost every day, even while Haywood was wearing maize and blue. That kind of peer-to-peer recruiting is often more powerful than anything a coach can say in a living room.
Haywood’s freshman year at Michigan was... quiet. That’s normal for a tackle. He played in three games—Central Michigan, Maryland, and the Citrus Bowl against Texas—preserving his redshirt. He saw 15 total snaps. For a five-star kid used to being "the guy," sitting and waiting while the program undergoes a massive coaching shift is a lot to ask. Alabama offered a familiar staff, a "dream school" environment he’d already committed to once, and the chance to play with his close friends.
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The Impact on the 2026 Michigan Roster
Losing Ty Haywood is more about the ceiling of the team than the floor. Michigan actually did a decent job of "roster retention" considering the drama of Moore's exit. They kept Andrew Sprague, who looks like a future star at right tackle. They kept several other key pieces. But Haywood was the elite insurance policy and the projected starter at left tackle for 2027 and 2028.
- Depth Chart Concerns: With Haywood and Kaden Strayhorn both heading to Alabama, the young depth on the interior and at tackle is suddenly thin.
- The "Texas Pipeline": Michigan has worked hard to establish a presence in Texas. Losing a high-profile recruit like Haywood back to the South makes it harder to convince the next five-star Texan that Ann Arbor is the place to be.
- The Whittingham Era Blueprint: Kyle Whittingham is known for taking three-star "scrappers" and turning them into first-round picks. He might not care about "star ratings" as much as the fans do, but you still need raw size and athleticism to win in the Big Ten.
It’s worth noting that Haywood isn't the only one leaving. The portal window that closed on January 16 saw a handful of Wolverines depart, including some surprising names like Cole Sullivan. It feels like a bit of a "house cleaning" or a culture reset under the new staff.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Transfer
A lot of fans want to blame NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) for every transfer. While money is always a factor—let’s not be naive—this feels more like a "fit and familiarity" move. Haywood originally wanted to be at Alabama. He only left because of the Saban-to-DeBoer transition. Once he saw that Alabama was still "Alabama" under DeBoer, and Michigan was entering its own era of coaching uncertainty, the decision to go back "home" (or at least to his first choice) became easy.
Also, the idea that Haywood "failed" at Michigan is nonsense. He was a true freshman. Offensive linemen almost never play meaningful minutes in Year 1 at a place like Michigan. He was developing exactly how the staff expected. This wasn't a performance issue; it was a preference issue.
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Actionable Insights for Michigan Fans
If you're following Michigan football recruiting, here is what you need to watch for in the coming weeks as the dust settles from the Haywood departure:
1. Watch the Spring Portal Window (Wait, there isn't one): Actually, a big change for 2026 is that the spring transfer window was eliminated. What you see now is mostly what you get for the spring ball period. Whittingham will have to work with the roster he has until the summer.
2. Focus on Andrew Babalola: He is now the undisputed "franchise" tackle of that 2025 class. His development under the new staff is the most important storyline for the offensive line. If he stays healthy and stays put, the loss of Haywood is manageable.
3. The 2026 High School Class: Keep an eye on how Whittingham recruits the tackle position in the current cycle. He needs to land at least two "high-floor" prospects to replace the scholarship numbers lost by Haywood and Strayhorn.
4. The Keelon Russell Effect: Recruiting isn't just about coaches. It’s about the players. Michigan needs to find its own "alpha" recruiter in the 2026 class who can help keep kids from looking at the portal when things get tough.
At the end of the day, Ty Haywood’s exit is a reminder that in 2026, a "signed" letter of intent is just a one-year contract. Michigan still has a massive brand and a coach who knows how to build O-lines, but the battle for elite talent never actually ends.