The 2026 college football transfer portal has taken yet another key player away from Michigan. This time, the Wolverines are losing safety Jordan Young.

Young appeared in eight games for Michigan in 2025, with his role increasing down the stretch. The freshman was expected to take a big leap for the Wolverines in 2026, but he instead entered the portal on Tuesday, On3 Sports' Hayes Fawcett reported.

Young, a former four-star recruit, just wrapped up his freshman season in Ann Arbor. He ended the year with 15 tackles and three pass breakups, with six of his tackles coming against Texas in the Citrus Bowl.

Young's biggest play, however, came in Michigan's Week 12 win over Northwestern. The freshman broke up a pass intended for tight end Hunter Welcing on a key third down in the fourth quarter. The play helped set up kicker Dominic Zvada's game-winning 31-yard field goal as time expired to avoid the upset loss.

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The play allowed Young to share the team's Defensive Player of the Week honor, despite only playing a handful of snaps.

The Monroe, North Carolina, native returns to the open market one year after teams fought hard for him in the initial recruiting process. Young had offers from Clemson, Florida State, NC State, Alabama, North Carolina, Auburn and others before committing to Michigan. He initially committed to Clemson before flipping to the Wolverines at the 11th hour.

Although primed for a big year in 2026, Young might have had trouble breaking into the starting lineup. Safety is one of the few positions Michigan is not struggling with, as the Wolverines could potentially retain three key safeties. Rod Moore, Brandyn Hillman and TJ Metcalf are all poised to return, although none have made any official announcements since Kyle Whittingham took over as head coach.