Speedy Michigan RB, former in-state prep star, transfers to Western Michigan
KALAMAZOO, MI –– Western Michigan football’s running back room just got a whole lot faster.
All thanks to an in-state prodigy.
Michigan redshirt freshman running back Cole Cabana, a former four-star prospect and the 2022 MLive High School Football Player of the Year, has withdrawn his verbal commitment to Minnesota and instead is signing with Western Michigan as of Sunday, according to a report from On3′s Pete Nakos.
Cabana will have three years of eligibility remaining.
An Ann Arbor native, Cabana should provide an instant-impact and home run threat to the Broncos’ rushing attack, while filling the void of former Oklahoma State running back and first team Mid-American Conference honoree Jaden Nixon, who entered the transfer portal late last month.
The 6-foot, 204-pound speedy ball carrier starred at Dexter High School and was ranked as a top 200 recruit, the No. 10 running back in the country, and the No. 2 player in Michigan by 247Sports’ composite rankings after amassing an eye-popping 5,791 all-purpose yards and 76 touchdowns with the Dreadnaughts.
He’d choose the Wolverines over a slew of Power Four offers including Boston College, Pittsburgh, Miami, Kansas, Michigan State and Louisville, but entered the transfer portal last month after two injury-riddled seasons.
Cabana had just two carries at Michigan, both of which came in a September 2023 game against Bowling Green.
That led to Cabana’s initial commitment to Minnesota on Dec. 15, but after some thought, he elected to land in Kalamazoo earlier this week. Cabana was likely to split carries with a solidified Gopher running back room that included leading rusher Darius Taylor II, along with incoming transfers A.J. Turner (Marshall) and Cameron Davis (Washington).
A former all-state track star at Dexter, Cabana joins a Broncos rushing attack that includes Jalen Buckley, who earned freshman All-American honors for his 2023 season.
