Michigan is adding tight end Alex Bauman, formerly of Miami, and cornerback Jeremiah Earby, formerly of Boise State, in the middle of the season. CBS Sports' Austin Nivison reported that both were granted a TRO that allows them extra eligibility. Maize n Brew said both received a preliminary injunction for a fifth year of eligibility on Tuesday in Washtenaw County Circuit Court.
The outlets disagree on the legal terminology. CBS Sports and Yahoo's item on Earby's commitment call it a TRO. Yahoo's item cites the 22nd Circuit Court in Washtenaw, MI. Another Yahoo item and Maize n Brew say preliminary injunction. The feeds don't say which is right, and none of the summaries give the length or conditions of the relief.
On the timeline, Yahoo's item on Earby's commitment, which cites On3's Hayes Fawcett, says Earby entered the portal on Oct. 14. It describes him as a member of the Class of 2022 whose career began at Cal. A ClutchPoints piece carried by Yahoo cites On3's Pete Nakos for the report that Michigan was expected to land both players. The summaries we have confirm Earby's commitment. They describe Bauman only as expected or set to join.
The need is clear from the record. Michigan is 3-2 and 0-2 in the Big Ten, which puts it 13th in the conference, and it has lost two in a row. It lost 20-19 to Iowa on Sept. 26 and 20-14 at Minnesota on Oct. 3, both by a score or less. ClutchPoints called the offense a "train wreck" and said the defense has tried to carry the team. That framing is the outlet's own. Our numbers show the scoring problem: Michigan has not topped 20 points in either loss, after beating UTEP 52-17.
Bauman's production at Miami was modest. Our box scores show 13 catches for 126 yards and one touchdown in 2025, with a season-best 58 yards on three catches at Pitt on Nov. 29. His last game was Jan. 19 at Indiana, where he had one catch for 22 yards. Miami is 5-0 this season and leads the ACC at 3-0. Earby's archive entry shows only one 2025 game, five tackles, three of them solo, at Washington on Dec. 13. That is too little to judge him by. Neither report gives a role for either player.
Sat, Oct 17, 3:30 PM ET
The next test comes quickly. Michigan hosts Penn State on Saturday, Oct. 17. None of the reporting says whether Bauman or Earby will be cleared or available for that game, so that is the first thing to watch. Bauman's old team plays Florida State the same day.
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