Derrick Green to Transfer from Michigan: Latest Details and Reaction

Running back Derrick Green's long-expected departure from the Michigan Wolverines has come to fruition. After John Taylor of College Football Talk reported that the football program granted the rising senior his release in January, head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed the news Friday, per Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press.

Green is scheduled to graduate in the spring, per Taylor, and would be able to use his final season of eligibility with another FBS school in 2016 as a graduate transfer.

Green’s transfer seemed inevitable after he played sparingly for most of the 2015 season and didn’t dress in the final three games. He tallied 157 rushing yards with two touchdowns on 47 carries in Harbaugh’s first season.

His lack of production was widely speculated to be the reason he didn’t travel with the team for the Citrus Bowl, as Harbaugh described Green’s absence as “an internal matter,” per Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com.

The No. 4 running back in the 2013 class, per 247Sports, Green committed to former Michigan coach Brady Hoke over Tennessee and Auburn. He was enticed by the opportunity to play early within Hoke's power-run offense.

But Green didn't fulfill his aspirations, finishing with just 270 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games as a freshman and 471 yards and three scores as a sophomore before a shoulder injury cut his season short six games into the year.

At 5’11” and 234 pounds, the talented former 5-star recruit should have no trouble landing with another Power Five school in the fall. He’d provide an immediate boost to most offenses, and a fresh start could do him well if he hopes to eventually play in the NFL in 2017.