Two Wolverines have decided whether or not to leave for the NFL after the season

The Rose Bowl matchup between Michigan and Alabama, which will determine who advances to the National Championship in Houston, is in just one day. Some have pledged to return the next season, while others have decided that this College Football Playoff will be their last game as Maize and Blue players.

Offensive tackle Myles Hinton is one of those scheduled to return to school in 2024, according to Alejandro Zuniga of 247Sports. Although the Stanford transfer hasn’t had much of an impact in2023, he will have an opportunity to take LaDarius Henderson’s spot at left tackle now that Henderson isn’t eligible to play collegiately.

But after the season, another player—all-around offensive tackle Karsen Barnhart—plans to enter the professionals. The native Michigander, who started college in 2019, acknowledged that he had already made up his mind before the current season started.

“I’m heading to the NFL,” Barnhart declared to Chris Balas of On3. “Even before the season began, I considered it. That seems like the greatest option to me.

Safety Rod Moore, meanwhile, hinted to On3 that he would return to school in 2024, saying that “it’s a possibility” he would return to Michigan for his senior year. For the secondary of the Wolverines, that alone would be tremendous.

“I’ve thought about it a little bit, but I just really want to focus on what’s going on right now, especially this game that’s coming up,” Moore said. “I don’t want to cloud my mind with my personal future. I just want to do what I want to be able to do for this team at the time being.”

Much like Moore, there are other Wolverines still contemplating what to do. Wide receiver Roman Wilson and defensive tackle Kris Jenkins have not publicly announced their plans, but they both seem highly likely to go to the NFL. Others such as edge Braiden McGregor, tight end AJ Barner, safety Makari Paige, linebacker Junior Colson and running back Donovan Edwards will have tougher decisions to make.

Then there are players who are out of collegiate eligibility, like defensive tackle Cam Goode, linebacker Michael Barrett, cornerback Mike Sainristil and cornerback Josh Wallace. No matter what, their time in college will come to an end at the conclusion of this season.

And finally, there’s J.J. McCarthy. The third-year quarterback continues to have a “one-track mind” and focus on

the current task, which is to defeat Alabama and go on to win the National Championship. But mock drafts already have him pegged as a first-round pick.

It would be difficult to turn down that opportunity, but McCarthy is not like other people. If he hasn’t already, he might return for one more season, win team captaincy, and record an all-time high at Michigan. There’s a little Jim Harbaugh left in him, so his return wouldn’t be a major surprise.

In just a few weeks, we will find out if these guys intend to play in the NFL because that is the last day for players with remaining college eligibility to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft.