Michigan football will need to replace Mike Sainristil after this season and the Wolverines have identified one option already in the transfer portal.
The success of Michigan football in the transfer portal last offseason, landing seven starters, is a key reason why the Wolverines made the College Football Playoff for a third straight season.
It’s also expected that Michigan football will be active in the transfer portal once again. We have already talked about some of the potential transfer-portal targets for the Wolverines, a list that includes former five-star quarterback from Detroit, Dante Moore.
However, another name that Michigan football fans need to know is that of defensive back Upton Stout out of Western Kentucky.
A perfect fit for Michigan football
Stout is 5-foot-9, 167 pounds. He was also offered by the Wolverines on Monday and would seem to be a potential replacement for Mike Sainristil in the slot.
In 12 games in 2022, Stout intercepted four passes and finished with 44 total tackles as well as two passes defended. He also scored a defensive touchdown.
This past season, even though Stout played in just seven games, he was very productive wth one interception and eight passes defended. He also had 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, 29 tackles, a forced fumble, and another defensive touchdown.
From that perspective, he sounds a lot like Mike Sainristil, who has been around the ball constantly for the Wolverines and won Big Ten Championship Game MVP after forcing two fumbles in the win over Iowa.
Mikey is going to be one of the most difficult players on this roster to replace. Not only is he incredibly productive on the field, but he’s an amazing leader. However, Stout is a highly productive player in his own right and is the kind of ballhawk you want in your secondary.
We’ll see how things progress, but Stout is exactly the kind of player the Wolverines want to add in the transfer portal. He would also address a key need with veteran productivity.