Mason Graham transfer portal rumors: 6 best destinations if star DT leaves Michigan
By John Buhler
No, I don't think the Michigan Wolverines are repeating as national champions in 2024. Their 15-0 was as dominant as it was controversial. With Jim Harbaugh leaving for the Los Angeles Chargers, it will be The Sherrone Moore Show in Ann Arbor. However, he will be without quarterback J.J. McCarthy, as well as defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and noted strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert.
Moore was the right hire for Michigan to make now, but not conducting a thorough search to replace Harbaugh could come back to haunt the Wolverines considerably. Not only are they losing key pieces everywhere to the NFL, but rival Ohio State is about to level up with the Buckeyes' rapid growth and development in the NIL game. Of course, there are other programs that loom large elsewhere.
There are many players still in school that other College Football Playoff contenders could want off Michigan's roster. While running back Donovan Edwards and defensive back Will Johnson could be coveted, nobody on the Michigan roster currently has everyone salivating like defensive lineman Mason Graham. He is the next great star in the trenches for Michigan, a complete game-changer.
So if Graham were to enter the transfer portal at some point this offseason, where could he end up?
Mason Graham transfer portal rumors: 6 best fits for Michigan star DT
6. Ole Miss Rebels are about to have their best football season in decades
Even though Ole Miss already landed former Texas A&M standout Walter Nolen in the transfer portal, this is the Rebels' best shot at contending for and winning a national title in generations. Not since Johnny Vaught was at the peak of his power in the late 1950s and early 1960s has Ole Miss been this good. With the College Football Playoff expanding and the SEC going division-less, fins up, Ole Miss!
I would attest that Georgia and Texas are probably the likeliest teams to get to Atlanta and play for an SEC Championship this year, but Ole Miss is right there in the next tier of SEC contenders with Alabama, Missouri, LSU and maybe even Tennessee who have a shot at making the expanded College Football Playoff as an at-large team. If they were filthy in the trenches, they can win it all.
While Graham has no ties to the southeast, we have seen Lane Kiffin work wonders in the transfer portal. Ole Miss recruits players just fine out of high school, but the portal is where the Rebels fill in the gaps. Although Pete Golding is not the greatest defensive coordinator, Nick Saban did trust him for years at Alabama. Again, it is hard to not be bullish on the Rebels next year, one way or another.
It may be too late in the offseason cycle for Graham to seriously consider Ole Miss, but he should.