MICHIGAN’S SANDERS ENTERS PORTAL | Kilgore native considering his options after coaching changes

Kilgore’s favorite big-time football program cornerback could be making a move.

Kilgore native and former Kilgore High School standout Jayden Sanders, who played his first collegiate season at the University of Michigan, is entering the transfer portal.

The news was first reported by On3’s Pete Nakos, but confirmed by a Wolverines’ football team spokesperson to the media on Thursday night. MLive, a longtime Michigan football source, also confirmed the news.

Sanders’ father, legendary Kilgore athlete and Kilgore High defensive backs coach Nick Sanders, told ETBlitz.com Thursday night that his son was going to look at options.

Sanders, listed at 6-foot-1 and 193 pounds, has been a true freshman for the Wolverines. In the season just completed with a loss to Texas, ironically, in the Citrus Bowl, Sanders finished the 2025 campaign with 16 solo tackles on defense and a defended pass, sharing playing time with quite a few young defensive backs. He played in all 13 of the Wolverines’ games in ’25.

Sanders is a Kilgore football legacy player like few other. His mom, Whitney Clark, was a multi-sport athlete at KHS, including a state track qualifier and cheerleader. His father, Nick Sanders, had a star-crossed career as a defensive back and wide receiver here at Kilgore – it was Nick Sanders who blocked the field goal attempt by Dallas Lincoln in Kilgore’s state title game win in 2004; the ball bounced back up into his hands and he went the distance for the game-winning touchdown.

The score delivered Kilgore the 2004 UIL Class 4A, Division II state championship, and completed a 16-0 undefeated season. And then Nick moved on to Texas Christian University, where he starred again as a defensive back.

Jayden has followed in his parents’ footsteps. One of the state of Texas’ most prized recruits out of KHS, Sanders announced his commitment to Michigan back before the 2024 season, the first to do so from Kilgore’s indoor practice facility, with hundreds of people in attendance and thousands more watching live on streaming social media.

Sanders played his senior season on both sides of the football, and fulfilled his commitment, signing with the Wolverines and coach Sharone Moore.

But there’s been tumultuous activity at Michigan lately, with Moore’s coaching career there falling apart after stalking charges and an arrest, the coach was relieved of his duties by the university. Since then, the Wolverines hired former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. The coaching change means new coaches for Sanders: Jernaro Gilford is going to be the Wolverines’ new defensive backs coach under Whittingham.

The transfer portal is only a handful of years old, and was created to allow college players of all sports to change schools, the equivalent, many argue, of coaches being able to take other jobs.