After four years with Princeton Football, senior running back John Volker will take his talents to the Wolverine State, after he committed to the University of Michigan to play football in his final year of eligibility.
It was a relatively late commitment for the Princeton captain, given that the initial transfer portal opened from Dec. 4–28 in the fall. There is also a spring portal, however, which opened on April 16 which, under Princeton’s rules, provided Volker with the right timing and opportunity to put his name in the hat.
“I entered the portal in December as a graduate transfer, expecting to graduate in May,” Volker said to The Daily Princetonian. “But at Princeton, you’re not allowed to enroll in your new school early. So I knew that this April transfer portal window would be my best shot to get recruited.”
Although the Tigers had a disappointing 2024 season, Volker clearly proved himself enough to attract the likes of schools such as Michigan.
“Honestly, I had no idea it was gonna happen. I knew the portal was swamped,” Volker said to the ‘Prince’ about his chances in the transfer portal. “I thought there was a great chance I would get overlooked because of, just, the volume of people. So to hear from a big school, let alone Michigan, I was extremely excited and grateful for that.”
“Michigan reached out a few days [after entering the portal], they wanted me to get on campus. I went there, and they gave me an offer. And then I just felt like I had to commit,” Volker continued.
Despite facing a couple of injury setbacks, during the season he had six touchdowns, 514 rushing yards off 89 carries, and 75 receiving yards. A standout moment for the senior captain came during his final game for the Tigers against Penn. On Princeton’s first snap he ran for 75 yards, scoring a touchdown. He went on to end the game with 170 all-purpose yards.
Volker built off his junior campaign, where he had 438 rushing yards on 92 carries along with seven touchdowns.
Volker pointed to the “wide variety of coaching” for the running back position as something he is particularly thankful to Princeton Football for. “I think that that kind of diversity is really going to help me, [having] a broad knowledge of the running back position as a result,” Volker told the ‘Prince.’
As per Ivy League policy, Volker has to use his fifth year of eligibility outside of the conference if he wishes to continue playing football. He follows in the footsteps of fellow senior classmates Tommy Matheson and Will Reed, who have committed to Boston College and West Virginia University, respectively. Seniors Luke Colella and Nick Hilliard are also using their fifth years of eligibility — Colella at Villanova University and Hilliard at Austin Peay State University.
Before them, Jalen Travis ’24, Ozzie Nicholas ’24, and Liam Johnson ’24 all took their talents outside of the Orange Bubble following their senior year. Travis and Nicholas have since declared for the NFL draft, which begins on April 24, and both have strong chances to be drafted in the later rounds.
“[It was] really just a sigh of relief knowing that I got an awesome spot to play next year,” Volker added.
At Michigan, however, Volker won’t have it easy, with plenty of competition for the running back spot as the team heads into their 2025 season. The Wolverines have had somewhat of a running back revolving door, with several of their key players departing last season due to eligibility or transfer situations, and many replacements have been brought in.
Former Alabama running back Justice Haynes and sophomore star Jordan Marshall are expected to top the depth chart for Michigan, but that third spot — and, indeed, all of them — will be up for grabs for the best-performing players. Bryson Kuzdzal, Micah Ka’apana, CJ Hester will also be in the mix.
Nevertheless, Michigan prides itself on “depth chart meritocracy,” and there are no guarantees for any of the players. Similarly, the beauty of the running back position and Michigan’s continued reliance on the ground game means that several players will have the opportunity to get snaps and split the carries evenly — something which doesn’t often occur at the quarterback or offensive line positions, for example.
“They said Michigan’s not a place that guarantees playing time. They pride themselves on being a complete meritocracy, and that means that they couldn’t guarantee me anything,” Volker said. “I don’t want to be guaranteed anything other than an opportunity to compete and make a role for myself in the offense. So, I just have to work really hard and prove myself in the summer.”
“I had a lot of reps at Princeton and sometimes at the bigger schools it’s so competitive, so [other players] don’t get as much playing time there. That’s something I think is gonna work in my favor,” he continued.
Needless to say, wherever Volker finds himself in the depth chart, it’s a huge accomplishment to be recruited by a school such as Michigan. Just two years ago, the Wolverines won the National Championship, led by star quarterback and current Minnesota Viking JJ McCarthy. With a disappointing 2024 season, Michigan will be looking to get themselves back into the playoff mix under the revamped 12 team college football playoff.
As for Volker, he will be hoping to play his part in that, however large or small.
Alex Beverton-Smith is a head Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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