Michigan football may have gone 7-5 this past season but it was rife with talent — particularly on the defensive side of the ball. But even with multiple stars declaring for the NFL draft shortly after the conclusion of the regular season, there was one Wolverine who appeared to be holding out.

Mason Graham, Will Johnson, Colston Loveland, Josaiah Stewart, and Myles Hinton all shared their decisions to enter the NFL draft, but fellow star, defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, hadn’t made any kind of announcement sharing which way he was leaning. With one year of eligibility remaining, it was unlikely he would return, but with NIL now being a factor, there were some reports that Michigan football was giving him pause.

However, on the day that the maize and blue were wheels up to Tampa for the ReliaQuest Bowl, Grant announced that he is entering the NFL draft after all.

Go Blue 4L💙 pic.twitter.com/Z46HuY2wHN

— Kenneth Grant (KG) 〽️ (@KennyGrant78) December 26, 2024

The Wolverines will be without him in the bowl game but will have Rayshaun Benny, Trey Pierce, Ike Iwunnah, and Enow Etta. All of the aforementioned are presumed to be returning next season, and Michigan has also added former Alabama defensive tackle Damon Payne — who has one year of eligibility remaining — via the transfer portal.