Michigan's loss is West Virginia's gain.
Linebacker Michael Ferns has decided to transfer from the Wolverines to the West Virginia Mountaineers.
The move for the 6-foot-3, 239-pound freshman would land him closer to his family's home in St. Clairsville, Ohio.
Ferns' father, Mike Ferns, said that the linebacker's decision was influenced by the opportunity to be closer to home and the absence of coach Brady Hoke, who was fired early December.
"He played high school in Ohio, was sought after very young, commits to Michigan as a sophomore and he had a goal in mind and part of that was playing for coach Hoke," said Mike Ferns, according to Locomotive. "And then you get there, and a lot of what you thought you were fighting for is no longer there, it makes it a little tougher.
"A lot of it was more about Michael wanting to get closer to home, and I know everybody's going to want to turn it into something it's not, but I can't say enough about (Michigan), the school," continued Ferns' father.
Ferns will have to sit out the 2015 season due to transfer rules, but will have three years of eligibility remaining.
