Michigan is going to see one of its former linebackers on the opposite sideline Saturday, and that alone gives No. 11 Oklahoma’s trip to the Big House a little extra edge. Cole Sullivan spent the first two years of his college career in Ann Arbor, but he’ll be wearing a different uniform when the Sooners come to town.
Sullivan left shortly after Kyle Whittingham was hired at Michigan, entering the transfer portal and committing to Oklahoma just five days later. So while the setting is familiar, the jersey is not. For him, though, the approach stays the same.
"We say it’s always just a nameless, faceless opponent, so that’s what I’m going to do my best to treat it," Sullivan said earlier in the week."Nothing’s going to change in my preparation. Obviously, it’s a special one, but nothing’s going to change in my preparation as far as how I handle myself before the game or during the game."
Former Michigan LB Cole Sullivan on playing at The Big House with Oklahoma this Saturday:
"We say it’s always just a nameless, faceless opponent, so that’s what I’m going to do my best to treat it. Nothing’s going to change in my preparation. Obviously, it’s a special one, but… pic.twitter.com/V91Q5tDrib
- TheWolverine.com (@TheWolverineOn3) September 8, 2026
Sullivan isn’t turning this into a public breakup tour or taking shots at Michigan. He’s happy to be back at The Big House, but the mission is straightforward: help Oklahoma leave with a win.
His move also leaves Michigan with a little what-if attached to the linebacker room. A player who could have had a major role in Ann Arbor instead found a bigger opportunity elsewhere, and that stings a bit more because of where Michigan’s defense is right now. The unit was the one clear bright spot in the game against Western Michigan, and while the linebackers were solid, Sullivan could have been the standout of that group.
Michigan did add North Dakota State transfer Nathaniel Staehling, which gives the room more experience. Still, returners Troy Bowles and Chase Taylor barely saw the field last season, and the group is young and new. Sullivan might have fit right in and carved out a meaningful role.
Instead, he’s in Oklahoma’s linebacker room now, where he has taken on a larger role. He’s not the starter he was expected to be, especially with Owen Heinecke back for one more season, but he’ll be on the field plenty for the Sooners.
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The university has not yet formally responded, and the case now pushes beyond the sport itself into the question of how much a high-profile program can be held accountable for what happened inside it. The former players are seeking financial damages, along with prevention training meant to keep similar behavior from being repeated, leaving Michigan to confront a deeply serious allegation that reaches back across nearly two decades of its hockey history. [Read more 🡒]