2026 roster · Roster geography
The Michigan roster story
In 2016, 53 of 144 roster spots were filled by Michigan players with no earlier college team detected. On the 2026 roster, 15 of 118 fit the same definition. Detected transfers went from 2 to 17.
In 2016 the median player grew up 222 mi from campus. Now it is 473 mi.
None of the 17 players who came from another college grew up in Michigan.
The record reaches back to 1997, when 42% of the roster came from Michigan. Today it is 13%.
The roster, at a glance
- 764 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 115 located players.
- 12.8%In-state12.8% of the roster is from Michigan.
- 9.6%Backyard9.6% grew up within 100 miles of campus.
- 14.4%Detected transfers14.4% of the roster arrived after playing at another school.
Across the FBS
Where Michigan ranks
Homecoming Radius over time
The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.
Roster composition over time
Where the in-state lens draws the line: local-developed, local transfer, outsider developed, outsider transfer, and unknown. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.
Then vs now
2016–18 baseline vs the 2021–25 portal era
- Local-developed core
- Transfer stock
| Measure | 2016–18 | 2021–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local-developed core | 35.0% | 24.4% | |
| Transfer stock | 1.6% | 8.1% |
Where do Michigan's players come from?
| Season | Roster | In-state | Transfer signal | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 118 | 12.8% | 14.4% | 473 mi |
| 2025 | 119 | 21.4% | 15.1% | 432 mi |
| 2024 | 138 | 24.3% | 8.7% | 426 mi |
| 2023 | 143 | 23.9% | 9.1% | 460 mi |
| 2022 | 140 | 26.8% | 5.0% | 452 mi |
| 2021 | 120 | 31.4% | 2.5% | 422 mi |
| 2020 | 136 | 32.3% | 1.5% | 388 mi |
| 2019 | 148 | 32.9% | 1.4% | 289 mi |
| 2018 | 147 | 34.2% | 1.4% | 247 mi |
| 2017 | 144 | 34.7% | 2.1% | 236 mi |
| 2016 | 144 | 37.1% | 1.4% | 222 mi |
| 2015 | 132 | 40.5% | 2.3% | 172 mi |
| 2014 | 120 | 42.5% | 0.8% | 161 mi |
| 2013 | 116 | 43.1% | 0.0% | 140 mi |
| 2012 | 112 | 41.1% | 0.0% | 136 mi |
| 2011 | 112 | 40.2% | 0.0% | 169 mi |
| 2010 | 122 | 42.6% | 0.0% | 167 mi |
| 2009 | 124 | 29.8% | 0.0% | 647 mi |
| 2008‡ | 30 | 17.4% | 0.0% | — |
| 2007‡ | 35 | 13.3% | 0.0% | — |
| 2006‡ | 36 | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| 2005‡ | 32 | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| 2004‡ | 29 | — | 0.0% | — |
| 2003archive | 113 | 46.4% | 0.0% proxy | 129 mi |
| 2002archive | 121 | 41.5% | 0.0% proxy | 172 mi |
| 2001archive | 117 | 35.1% | 0.0% proxy | 213 mi |
| 2000archive | 117 | 36.0% | 0.0% proxy | 205 mi |
| 1999archive | 115 | 38.6% | 0.0% proxy | 207 mi |
| 1998archive | 108 | 39.6% | 0.0% proxy | 160 mi |
| 1997archive | 116 | 41.7% | 0.0% proxy | 162 mi |
‡ fewer than 70 roster rows or under 75% known home state — treat with caution.
archive = official athletic-site roster. “Proxy” is the share listing a previous school where that field behaved like a transfer field; it is not the same measure as detected transfer stock.
Where the roster grew up
Every 2026 player's hometown, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.
Homecoming Radius: 473 mi
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