Michigan is pushing to shore up its linebacker room, and the Wolverines are reportedly looking at two fifth-year options as the portal window opens.
On3’s Ethan McDowell reported Sunday that Michigan has reached out to Trent Hendrick of James Madison and Jaylen Wester of Western Kentucky, two linebackers who were just granted another year of eligibility. McDowell described Michigan as being in the mix with other programs for both players.
Hendrick, who was the 2025 Sun Belt defensive player of the year under UCLA’s new head coach Bob Chesney, brings the kind of production that jumps off the page. He also played for Curt Cignetti, which could make the chase difficult if those coaches become heavily involved in his recruitment. Hendrick finished with 10 tackles in the playoff loss to Oregon and had more than 100 tackles during his 2025 season in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Wester also crossed the 100-tackle mark in his only season in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He spent a brief stretch with Deion Sanders at Colorado and does not have any Michigan ties or connections to Kyle Whittingham beyond playing against him while in Boulder. Wester had 17 tackles in a three-point loss to LSU last year and led the Hilltoppers in tackles.
The need in Ann Arbor is clear enough: Michigan’s linebacker room is thin, and the program needs to add at least one more starter through the portal. Neither player has made anything official yet, since both are only exploring a return to college.
If Hendrick chooses Michigan, he would be an immediate starter. At Indiana, he would likely be a backup. If he follows Chesney to UCLA, he would also be in the mix to start for the Bruins’ defense.
One detail to watch with Hendrick is that James Madison kept its linebackers coach from the Bob Chesney era, which could give the Dukes a real advantage if he wants to stay put and run it back with the same position coach. For Michigan, the challenge is to lean on its NFL linebacker coach and use that to land Hendrick or Wester and strengthen the middle of the defense. Hendrick, though, might be the player who can lift Jay Hill’s defense over the top.
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