Kyle Bosch, Ex-Wolverine

Kyle Bosch

Sophomore offensive guard Kyle Bosch has received his transfer release. His destination is unclear. If he transfers to another Division I school, he will have to sit out one season before playing again, which means the earliest he could play would be as a redshirt junior. If he transfers to a lower division, he should be able to play immediately.

Bosch came from Wheaton (IL) St. Francis and committed in February of 2012 (LINK). I gave him a TTB Rating of 88, confident that he would be a good starting guard down the line. As a true freshman in 2013, he was forced into action due to injuries and underperformance by his elders. He started three games late in the year but was eventually replaced. This year he played the final offensive snap of the season opener, and then it was reported that he was taking "an indefinite leave of absence" from the team that sounded like some sort of personal or family issue. He tweeted that he would return the next semester, and he has supposedly done so (he tweeted that he was "back in Ann Arbor") but not to play football. At least not for Jim Harbaugh.

I am disappointed about Bosch's departure because I thought he would be a very good player. I ranked him as Michigan's top lineman in the 2013 class, he played first, and he had a nasty disposition. In fact, I think his style of play would work better for Harbaugh than it would have for Brady Hoke. But for whatever reason(s), he has chosen to depart. Of course, part of it may have to do with the issue that caused him to leave the team for almost the whole first semester. Another part may have to do with the fact that Michigan returns all five starters in 2015, plus versatile backup Erik Magnuson. Overall, the reasons seem to have to do with things other than football.

This is the second player to transfer since the firing of Brady Hoke (freshman linebacker Michael Ferns was the first) and the first player to transfer since the hiring of Jim Harbaugh. Bosch is also the first member of the 2013 class to leave, a class that included six linemen altogether. He will probably not be the last player to leave through the transition, and I have heard rumors about 1-2 other linemen, but those rumors came through before Harbaugh was hired; Bosch was also initially on that list of rumored departures, but again, that was somewhat predictable after he left school for three months.

Michigan has six current commits in the 2015 class and at least eight openings, so the class could reach 14 or more.