Previewing the upcoming game, Kyle Whittingham met with the media recently. Michigan entered the week 3–2 overall and 0–2 in Big Ten play, with questions mounting over its quarterback situation after consecutive conference losses. Against the Golden Gophers, his offense produced one score and 180 yards with three turnovers, and Whittingham said he had “tough decisions” to make. But no changes appear to be in the coach’s mind, as he said on October 12, “Jason will call plays and Bryce is our guy, and we’ll move forward,” closing the subject. So, when, per reports, fans got to know that other changes could be near nonetheless, they didn’t hold back.

With Penn State set to visit on October 17, Michigan is preparing to add former Miami tight end Alex Bauman and former Boise State cornerback Jeremiah Earby, CBS Sports reported, citing Matt Zenitz’s sources.

Washtenaw County Circuit Court Judge Julia B. Owdziej recently granted both players temporary restraining orders on Tuesday, writing that denying them eligibility would be “irreparable and severe” while the harm to the NCAA would be minimal, per the AP.

For a team coming off consecutive losses, the additions offer potential reinforcements at two positions.

Through the early portion of the season, Michigan had completed only nine passes to TEs on 69 completions. Hogan Hansen led the position with just five catches for 35 yards. As a whole, Michigan is averaging 23 points and 315.8 total yards per game, ranking 17th among 18 Big Ten teams in both categories.

And Alex Bauman brings experience that Michigan’s current group has struggled to provide as a receiving threat. The 6’5, 250-pound TE spent three seasons at Tulane, finishing with 63 receptions, 610 yards, and 13 touchdowns. Then he transferred to Miami for the 2025 campaign. He caught 18 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown as the Hurricanes reached the CFP national championship game.

After working out at Miami’s Pro Day, Bauman didn’t land an NFL roster spot. His return to college now gives Michigan an experienced player who can contribute as a blocker and potentially offer more as a pass catcher. With the passing game struggling, Michigan could lean on the run, which would open snaps for Bauman in heavier sets with multiple tight ends.

As for Jeremiah Earby, the 6’2, 186-pound defender played two seasons at Cal before moving to Boise State ahead of the 2024 season. He appeared in all 24 games at Cal with 10 starts, then started all 28 for the Broncos. Last year, Earby recorded 60 tackles, four interceptions, nine pass breakups, a fumble recovery and half a sack. That season earned him second-team All-Mountain West honors. But he then found no door open at the pro level.

Once the NFL process ran its course, he took his case to a judge and asked for one more year of college football. Earby, though, may have a harder time finding snaps. Michigan’s pass defense is the best in the Big Ten, giving up only 146.8 yards a game. Still, Whittingham has talked openly about how thin the cornerback room is.

Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, Smith Snowden and Shamri Earls are the four the staff trusts, and the gap behind them is wide. One injury and somebody new has to step in, which is why a sixth-game arrival, late as it is, would help. Earby also already knows Tyler Stockton, who coached Boise State’s defensive backs in 2024 and 2025 before landing in Ann Arbor.

That said, neither Bauman nor Earby was drafted in 2026, and neither signed an undrafted free agent contract. That matters because the Big Ten’s rules on players returning from the pros hinge on whether they signed with an NFL team. And football isn’t the only Michigan program leaning on veterans this year: the basketball team has added Kenny Noland and Roddy Gayle Jr. for 2026-27, and now the football team is close to doing the same with two fifth-year players.

The question, though, among fans, is what these signings say about the program’s current position. Kyle Whittingham’s staff is looking for answers, especially offensively, and midseason recruiting can look like either smart problem-solving or a desperate attempt to patch holes. Michigan fans appear divided on which explanation fits.

One fan questioned whether Michigan really needed more bodies on the roster, writing, “Did we not already have 105 on the roster?”

An emergency motion for the restraining order went in Sept. 25, and court records show a hearing on a preliminary injunction set for Nov. 4. A source familiar with the situation, speaking anonymously to be candid, had said both players were already enrolled at Michigan but hadn’t signed anything yet.

CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz was first to report that the pair would come in through the transfer portal. Michigan, meanwhile, held several roster spots open so it could add them the moment they do sign.

Another supporter offered a sarcastic assessment of the potential chemistry boost. “This should certainly help the locker room chemistry….” they wrote.  One more reaction cut straight to Michigan’s offensive dilemma. “Adding a tight end just to not use them,” the fan commented.

Those sharp jabs came given the recent controversy surrounding TE Zack Marshall, who apologized after leaked messages showed him criticizing OC Jason Beck’s scheme, arguing that TEs had little function as receiving options. 

Then came a blunt suggestion aimed at Michigan’s most scrutinized position. “Maybe get a quarterback,” another wrote. 

The remark comes amid mounting pressure on Bryce Underwood, whose performances have drawn scrutiny as Michigan’s offense struggles to find consistency. Through five games, Underwood had completed 59.3% of his passes for 881 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.

Others are tired of the sport’s changing roster rules. One fan wrote, “Really starting to lose interest in college sports with all this NIL and transfer market sh–.”

Bauman and Earby aren’t the first to take this route. Both belong to the high school Class of 2022, the group the NCAA’s new eligibility rule locked out of a fifth season, and players from that class have been filing suits in courtrooms across the country, many of them convinced they were singled out.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order this week letting the state’s colleges offer a fifth year to 2022 high school graduates. NCAA president Charlie Baker responded in a letter to member schools, arguing that DeWine “cannot legislate NCAA eligibility rules.”