Tag: Michigan Football

Michigan football set to host elite transfer portal LB

Love this! #GoBlue

Michigan football has a big visit weekend lined up for transfer portal targets. The headliner is Alabama running back Justice Haynes, but Arizona cornerback Emmanuel Karnley is another top priority.

And now another is set to make it to campus.

Rated the second-best linebacker in the transfer portal, the Wolverines are set to host outgoing Washington LB Khmori House, who has been highly sought after since entering the portal. He had 33 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in 2024. According to On3’s Pete Nakos, House will be on campus on Sunday to see what the maize and blue have to offer.

Here is how he ranks according to the transfer portal rankings:

* Ovr Pos
247Sports 4 87 2
On3 3 271 11

Michigan reportedly hosted outgoing Georgia linebacker, Troy Bowles (son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles), quietly this past week. Thus, with yet another linebacker target, it appears that the Wolverines are all in on bringing in another linebacker this offseason.

Originally from powerhouse high school Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, House was a three-star recruit who has played just one year of college football. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Michigan football to get a visit from top OT in transfer portal

This is a huge visit! #GoBlue

Thus far, Michigan football has been interested in interior prospects along the offensive line as it peruses the transfer portal.

Though commit Brady Norton played outside at Cal Poly, his previous school, he likely projects more inside. Northwestern transfer Josh Thompson (who is still undecided) is also an interior lineman.

On Thursday, another target was revealed: Washington State tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe, a 2020 prospect looking for a new home. According to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, not only is there mutual interest between Michigan and Fa’amoe, but he has set up a visit to Ann Arbor to see what the Wolverines have to offer after he concludes a visit to LSU.

Here is how Fa’amoe ranks according to the transfer portal rankings:

* Ovr Pos
247Sports 4 22 2
On3 3 – 24

With Myles Hinton moving on, the Wolverines don’t have an obvious heir apparent at both tackle spots — especially with Andrew Gentry opting to transfer. If Michigan can get a transfer for one side, there’s the possibility it could roll with Andrew Sprague at tackle on the other and move Evan Link inside. Any scenario also depends on who the maize and blue end up getting in the portal.

Michigan football QB selects transfer portal destination

Best of luck to him. #GoBlue

In 2022, Michigan football was all in trying to get Detroit (Michigan) King five-star quarterback Dante Moore to stay home. When the Wolverines failed, they turned to other options.

Though Alex Orji had become the household name of the 2022 class’ quarterbacks, Jayden Denegal committed in the summer — a three-star prospect who earned his offer through camp. The Apple Valley (California) prospect only appeared marginally during his three seasons in Ann Arbor and elected to transfer.

In a way, Denegal is returning home.

According to a report, Denegal will transfer back to Southern California to suit up for the San Diego State Aztecs.

The only stats Denegal registered in a Michigan uniform came in 2023, when he went 4-for-5 for 50 yards and a touchdown. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining.

Denegal’s hometown, Apple Valley, is northeast of Los Angeles, so he will be about three hours from where he played high school ball.

Davis Warren hails hire of ‘awesome’ offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey

He’s going to greatly improve the Michigan offense. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Michigan football offense has really struggled this season, but Kirk Campbell ended up being the scapegoat for it all. This isn’t to say that there isn’t complicity there (surely, there has to be) but given the amount of departures from last year to this year, there were a lot of complications for the entirety of the Wolverine offense.

Thus, not long after the conclusion of the regular season, first-year head coach Sherrone Moore made a move to oust Campbell from his position, bringing in former North Carolina offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey as his replacement.

Though incumbent starting quarterback Davis Warren is sad to see Campbell go, he’s excited about he future with Lindsey leading the offensive charge.

“You spend a lot of time with the offensive coordinator and I spent a lot of time with Coach Campbell,” Warren said. “And have nothing but respect for him and everything that he’s done for this program. He’s a smart, smart football mind, and really enjoyed being with him, and I know that he’s going to land on his feet somewhere and be successful.

“And I stand by Coach Moore and the decisions that he makes. And knowing that he’s got to do what’s best for the program, and if he felt like that was best, then I get it. I understand where he’s coming from, and I know that he just wants what’s best for this program, and he’s going to do that. And bringing Chip in is — Chip’s been great, and is, I think, going to be a huge, huge asset to this team moving forward.”

Currently, as Michigan prepares for Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl, tight ends coach Steve Casula is working as the interim offensive coordinator. It’s a role that fits given that he spent two years calling the UMass offense. But Warren is particularly excited about what Lindsey brings to the table.

Between his football mind, his experience, and his resume for development, there’s a lot to like about Sherrone Moore’s latest hire.

“We’ve had a chance to sit down and just talk ball,” Warren said. “And getting to know him, I just have learned he’s a really smart guy. Really understands the game experience, play-caller, which I think is huge. He’s had the metaphorical ball in his hands, in terms of calling plays, which has been awesome. And, seeing what he did at Troy, and then being at UNC, with Maye — they did some really good stuff.

“So, we’ve been able to sit down to talk about it. And I’m just really excited to get him in here and have him keep working with us. And, even more when it comes to the spring.”

Rayshaun Benny shares thoughts on in-state DT Damon Payne joining the Michigan D-line

The 2024 DT rotation is gonna be lethal! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football likes to proclaim “the best players in Michigan go to Michigan,” but that’s not always the case. Some top in-state talent have looked elsewhere, especially if they’re one of the higher-rated players in the country.

Such was the case for former Belleville (Michigan) five-star defensive tackle Damon Payne. Though Payne had visited Ann Arbor multiple times, there wasn’t much reciprocity between the program and the elite-level recruit during the 2021 cycle. Payne ended up at Alabama but never grew into a starting role, instead being more of a reserve. Now, he’s coming to Ann Arbor, ready to make his hometown proud.

On Thursday, WolverinesWire asked fellow 2021 class member Rayshaun Benny, who has been in Ann Arbor the whole time, in a general sense his excitement for Payne’s commitment to the maize and blue (Payne hasn’t signed yet) as well as the importance of getting or bringing local talent back into the fold.

“I think it’s good. Coach Moore is doing a good job with keeping the Michigan guys in Michigan, or getting Michigan guys back to Michigan,” Benny said. “So it’s big, just with the history we got with the D-line, that’d be big as far as just building another dominant group, knowing that we got the two moving on — one moving on.”

Of course, Benny is referring to Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. Graham announced he’s moving on to the NFL draft. Grant has not made that decision officially.

Assuming everything holds with the current room, Michigan will likely have Benny (he hasn’t decided his future, he says), Trey Pierce, Ike Iwunnah, Enow Etta, and Damon Payne available to rotate next year — along with Derrick Moore, TJ Guy, Cam Brandt and others on the edge.

Payne was ranked as the top defensive tackle in the state of Michigan in the 2021 class while Benny was the second-best DT in the state that cycle.

Davis Warren after Bryce Underwood’s first practice: He’s ‘the No. 1 recruit in the country’ for a reason

You’re gonna love Warren’s comments here. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Former Michigan football walk-on and current starting quarterback Davis Warren hasn’t exactly received an abundance of accolades in his short career. But now he’s being shadowed by arguably the most notable quarterback in the country, the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 recruiting class, Bryce Underwood.

The former five-star enrolled in classes this week and took the field for his first practice on Thursday. Though Underwood can’t play in Michigan’s next game, the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama, he will soon be competing with at least Warren for the starting quarterback role next year.

Yet Warren is loving what he’s seeing from the not-yet true freshman.

“Bryce, he’s started to get rolling here with us. And, man, he’s a great kid,” Warren said. “First and foremost, loves football. You can tell he’s a competitor — humble, wants to get better. And I think that’s — I mean, I think it’s a bit of a little bit of a beautiful thing, the way he came in versus the way I come in, you know? Couldn’t be any more different in terms of — I don’t know if there was even an article written about me when I committed, and I’m sure there’s been a lot written about him!

“But you wouldn’t be able to tell. He’s just a guy who wants to get better, wants to improve. Knows he’s got a lot to learn, just like any freshman would. But he’s been great. Today was really his first day the (freshmen are) rolling with us. And, yeah, he wants to help this team win games, just like I do, just like everyone in this building wants to. That’s the way coach Moore built it. He’s built the recruiting classes. And, I’m so glad that Bryce is here, and it’s gonna be a lot of fun to have him.”

Underwood will be brought along slowly. There’s no reason to throw him to the wolves right out of the gates given the earliest he can play in a game is August 2025. But Warren has seen him in limited action throwing the football and he has been impressed.

“Yeah, so we’ve done some things. And you’re not the No. 1 recruit in the country for no reason,” Warren said. “So he’s a super talented kid, and he cares about the details, wants, like I said, wants to get better, wants to do things the right way, and do things the Michigan way.”

Whether fans want to admit it, Underwood will have a learning curve. Though Warren obviously would like to retain his position as the starting quarterback next year, he’s aware of that learning curve while recalling his own experience. And he’s taking it upon himself to help pull Underwood along to lessen it.

As well as to help him understand that he’s not only going to have good days, there are going to be some down ones, too. It’s all about how he works through the latter if he’s to have more of the former.

“We were just trying to get Bryce to help him find his helmet today. So there’s a certain level of getting that all figured out, and making sure you know all those things,” Warren said. “There’s a lot going on. I remember my first practice and just trying to make sure I wasn’t late and everything lined up. But I remember making one good throw and coach Harbaugh hyped me up. And that was kind of what I needed at the time to kind of feel like, OK, I belong and can move forward. And I know Bryce — no one has a perfect career, right? No one — you know, no one. Maybe you can name one or two guys ever that have been that have, but everyone’s had hiccups. I mean, even Peyton Manning threw the most interceptions, I think, for a rookie in NFL history, or whoever you can name anyone.

“So everyone’s going to have ups and downs. I’ve had ups and downs in my career, and he’s going to have ups and downs too. But I know he’s well-suited for it. And that was kind of my message to him, is just take it all in stride. Take it all as a learning opportunity. Be humble, be hungry, and you’ll fit in well here and earn the respect of the guys — because that’s a huge part of playing quarterback is having the respect of the group and knowing that when you’re out there, they can trust you to make the right play and be the competitor to go win the game.”

Underwood will be able to practice throughout ReliaQuest Bowl prep before moving on to winter conditioning, spring ball, summer conditioning, fall camp and then the season. He may have close to 40 practices before he sees the field for the first time, if it comes at the earliest possible opportunity.

TJ Guy describes the aftermath of beating Ohio State in 2024: ‘Twitter was fun’

Go off, KING! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Shoe was in disbelief. This was supposed to be Ohio State‘s year — not only to beat Michigan but to win it all. The latter may still happen, but the former is off the table.

The Buckeyes were three-score favorites against the Wolverines in this year’s edition of The Game, yet, Michigan did what it did the previous three years: it beat the rival Buckeyes, regardless of the perception of the two teams going into rivalry week.

The fallout has been — interesting. From Jack Sawyer’s proclamation following the on-field melee that Michigan’s ‘season is over’ since OSU is in the College Football Playoff to the despondency coming out of the fanbase in Columbus, there’s a wide range of emotions from Buckeye Nation. But perhaps one of the most underrated (in a schadenfreude type of sense) was the OSU crowd’s reaction to Michigan edge rusher TJ Guy after the game.

For posterity, Guy played 26 snaps according to PFF, and though he said he had five tackles, he was credited with just two. However, Guy graded out with a 78.3 grade in The Game — his second-highest of the season and third-highest grade he’s had in his career.

Supposedly, he faced some backlash to his postgame celebration, with some indicating that he was doing something different. However, on Thursday, he shared what he was actually doing.

“I just want to clarify, I wasn’t doing no inappropriate gestures with my body parts!” Guy said. “I was doing the spank the belt. I’d seen something that said I was doing something that I was definitely not doing! I just wanted to say that.”

When it comes to the aftermath of The Game and his postgame celebration, Guy notes that the part he thinks of most is not necessarily what happened while still on the field in Columbus, but what happened after — seemingly from Ohio State fan hate.

“The DMs was fun,” Guy said. “The Twitter was fun. Everything was real fun about that, for sure.”

Guy has yet to announce his decision to return or not in 2025 but all signs point to him likely coming back. He has one more game this season, in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama.

Browns beef up defensive interior with elite Michigan man in new mock draft

Mason Graham would be a slam dunk pick for the Browns

The Cleveland Browns may turn to another defensive tackle to pair with Mike Hall Jr. early in the 2025 NFL draft, and Michigan’s Mason Graham has been commonly right in their crosshairs in mock draft exercises.

He and Missouri’s Luther Burden III tend to be the most common pairings with Cleveland early on.

That was no different in a new mock draft done at Daft on Draft. In their latest full first round mock draft, the Browns landed Graham to bulk up their defensive interior that consists mostly of aging veterans outside of Hall Jr. Here is what Daft on Draft had to say on the selection with pick No. 7:

“The Cleveland Browns could not have imagined a worse season for having the highest-paid roster in the NFL. Sitting with a top-10 pick with their first first round pick in three years, they somehow get a blue-chip player to fall in their laps.”

Sitting in the top-10, the Browns should not focus on a particular position but rather take a blue chip player if he falls in their laps. Graham is one of perhaps four blue chip players who could get knocked down the board by quarterback-needy teams.

It would be a home run pick if Graham found his way to Northeast Ohio.

Alabama DT Damon Payne commits to Michigan football after all

The drama is over! #GoBlue

It was a crazy day in terms of transfer portal recruiting for Michigan football. The Wolverines had appeared to have gotten a commitment and a signing from former Belleville (Mich.) five-star defensive tackle Damon Payne — who has been at Alabama since 2021 — but that’s when things went haywire.

Payne had signed with the Wolverines, it was reported by multiple outlets. However, some in his circle indicated that wasn’t actually the case. He got his signing voided and appeared to still be on the open market.

But later on Wednesday, Payne took to his Instagram to announce he is indeed committing to the maize and blue.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDvspYqR9A4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Payne is the fifth transfer portal commit for Michigan football this cycle, joining Indiana wide receiver Donaven McCulley, Arkansas defensive backs TJ and Tevis Metcalf, and Cal Poly offensive lineman Brady Norton.

Here is how he ranked originally as a recruit:

* Ovr Pos St
247Sports Composite 5 24 7 1
On3 Industry Ranking 4 49 7 2
247Sports 4 39 9 2
On3 4 167 17 4
ESPN 4 26 3 1
Rivals 4 39 2 1

Payne has one year of eligibility remaining.

Another QB target emerges for Michigan football in transfer portal

The plot thickens! #GoBlue

A familiar face is coming to Ann Arbor, but with the potential of wearing maize and blue instead of the road whites.

The last time quarterback Mikey Keene came to The Big House, it was in Fresno State’s 30-10 loss to Michigan football in the 2024 season opener. But according to 247Sports’ Sam Webb and Matt Zenitz, Keene will be coming back to campus as a potential transfer portal target for the maize and blue.

Keene recently entered the portal, and according to the 247Sports duo, he will take a visit this weekend to campus to explore the opportunity.

This isn’t completely out of nowhere. While Baylor quarterback Dequan Finn and Nevada signal caller Brendon Lewis are potential targets, Keene actually has familiarity with new Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. He was on the UCF roster as a backup in 2022 when Lindsey was overseeing that offense.

In 2024, Keene played in 12 games and completed 70.5% of his passes for 2,892 yards with 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.