Michigan transfer target Joey Slackman talks top five schools, visits, more
Michigan football is in on one of the hottest commodities in the NCAA transfer portal, former Penn defensive tackle Joey Slackman, and the Wolverines are set to host the 6-4, 300-pounder for a visit this weekend.
Slackman, who has offers from 25 different FBS schools, was offered by the Wolverines Nov. 28. He entered the portal Nov. 20, after four seasons at Penn. He’s the No. 28-ranked overall player and second-best interior defensive lineman in the transfer portal, according to On3.
Slackman visited Wisconsin the first weekend of December and Florida this past weekend. He told On3’s Gators Online Dec. 10 that he hopes to make a final decision “in the next week and a half or so. Definitely by then.”
RELATED
• Michigan opponent scout: Observations from watching Alabama’s 34-24 loss to Texas
• Michigan football leads for transfer cornerback Upton Stout, who’s currently in Ann Arbor
The Commack, N.Y., native is also scheduled to see North Carolina and Virginia Tech, but noted that he’s “taking it day by day,” acknowledging that those could be canceled if he feels strongly enough about a particular school.
“Florida is up there. I have other visits scheduled for the end of the week. I’m scheduled to go to UNC, Virginia Tech, Michigan,” Slackman told Gators Online. “I’m looking at a couple other schools. I went to Wisconsin last week. Still kinda keeping my options open for now. I narrowed it down to those five, but I’m open to communicating with everyone right now. I’m still not really sure where I want to end up yet.”
Slackman is also juggling final exams this week.
“I’m being pretty meticulous about where I’m trying to visit,” the Michigan target said. “I don’t really want to visit too many places anyway, because it’s a pretty speedy process for me. I’m not really used to this kind of thing, but it’s been really cool. We’ll see how things work out by the end of the week.”
Slackman was recruited to Penn as a wrestler, before walking onto the football team in 2021. He wasn’t recruited out of high school, but he’s getting to go through a high-profile recruitment now.
“It really is surreal,” Slackman said. “It’s a childhood dream come true. I was a wrestler going into Penn. I wasn’t a football player first. The recruiting process out of high school was very different, so I’m not used to this kind of thing. I’m trying to stay in the moment and appreciate everything, enjoy it — and I’m grateful to be here.”
The Michigan target has been wearing a sling on his left arm, having suffered an injury at the tail end of the Penn season.
“I had surgery on my bicep. I tore it in our second to last game,” Slackman revealed. “I had surgery three weeks ago, but I should be clear for spring ball, though.”
Over the last three seasons at the FCS level, he racked up 115 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 3 pass breakups, 2 forced fumble and a blocked kick.
Slackman registered 50 tackles, including 12 behind the line of scrimmage and 4 sacks, with 1 pass breakup this season. His 90.1 overall Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade led all FCS defensive tackles, as did his 92.8 run-defense rating. He posted 18 pressures as a pass rusher, which was tied for 36th among FCS interior defensive linemen. Penn posted a 6-4 overall record and 3-4 mark in the Ivy League.
A first-team all-conference selection, Slackman was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year on Dec. 11 — becoming the first Quaker to win the award since 2015.
He was named All-Ivy honorable mention in 2022, when he totaled 49 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 4 quarterback hurries and 2 pass breakups, both of which led to interceptions. He started all 10 outings. He played in nine clashes the prior year, finishing with 16 tackles, including 3.5 for loss.
