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CB Zeke Berry reverses course, plans to return to Michigan

Screenshotby: Clayton Sayfie01/06/26CSayf23

Michigan Wolverines football cornerback Zeke Berry entered the NCAA transfer portal the day it opened Jan. 2 but, according to a report from ESPN, plans to return to U-M for its first season under head coach Kyle Whittingham.

The 5-foot-11, 196-pounder has one season of eligibility remaining, after spending the previous four at Michigan.

The Wolverines have nearly 20 players that have entered the transfer portal since it opened Jan. 2, but Berry is the first one to decide to come back to Michigan. He will play under new defensive coordinator Jay Hill, who spent the last three years in the same role at BYU, and cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford.

Berry is set to play for his third head coach, after competing under Jim Harbaugh (2022-23) and Sherrone Moore (2024-25).

Berry has appeared in 37 games with 23 starts at Michigan, serving as one of the team’s main defensive backs over the last two seasons.

Earning second-team All-Big Ten honors from the media and first-team recognition by the coaches, Berry recorded 33 tackles, 11 pass breakups and 1 interception in 2025. His interception came in a loss to Southern California Oct. 11.

Beginning the year as Michigan’s starting nickel back, Berry switched over to outside cornerback late in the year in 2024. He registered 37 tackles with 2.5 for loss, 2 quarterback hurries, a team-leading 11 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. He was tabbed as an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection.

Berry played mostly on special teams in 2023, appearing in 11 games. He redshirted as a true freshman in 2022.

A Concord (Calif.) De La Salle product, Berry was a four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 146 overall player and No. 11 safety in the 2022 class.

In a podcast appearance on ‘Bussin With The Boys,’ Whittingham detailed how difficult it is for Michigan’s staff to retain its current roster with only one transfer portal period — the product of a new rule — that began just days after he took the job and all while he’s hiring his staff.

“Now, there’s a one-portal system, where they feel like they’ve got a gun to their head and they have to make a decision right now before they even have a chance to gather enough information to find out what we’re all about with our new staff. So, that makes it even more challenging,” Whittingham noted.