Michigan lands four transfer defensive backs in three days

Sherrone Moore entered the spring portal window unproven.

The first-year Michigan head coach did not have the chance to recruit the portal when he took over for Jim Harbaugh in January. His top duty at the moment was keeping the roster together. With Harbaugh’s exit to the NFL, a 30-day portal window opened for the Wolverines.

But over the last three days, Michigan has landed four defensive backs. Two cornerbacks and two safeties. Credit goes to Moore, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan. The Wolverines were clearly in the market to add a safety with Rod Moore recovering from surgery. It remains unclear if he will make a return for the 2024 season.

Transfer safeties Jaden Mangham (Michigan State) and Wesley Walker (Louisville) should fill that need. Over two seasons with the Spartans, Mangham tallied 73 total tackles and four interceptions. Michigan was not the clear-cut leader for the entire recruitment. The Wolverines held off Nebraska on the final day.

Walker brings plenty of experience from previous stops at Georgia Tech and Tennessee. He’s tallied 184 tackles and 11 for loss in 45 career games. Landing the 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety meant beating out LSU, which was supposed to host Walker this weekend.

Michigan has one of the top cornerbacks in the sport in Will Johnson. He could be a top-five draft pick in the 2025 NFL draft. But there was a need to add depth at the position and for a clear No. 2. The Wolverines went out and landed Aamir Hall (Albany) and Ricky Johnson (UNLV).

An FCS All-American in 2023 at Albany, Hall posted 57 total tackles, five interceptions and 13 passes defended along with a forced fumble. He graded out at 85.7 overall on Pro Football Focus with an 88.3 coverage grade.

Johnson committed to Washington State in late April but ultimately flipped to Michigan on Saturday. He’s tallied 78 career total tackles, four tackles for loss and four interceptions.

When the spring window opened, Sherrone Moore kept his plans close to the vest. “I’m not going to get into all of the particulars,” he said. “But we’ll see how we progress. Excited for the ability of this team.”

Michigan clearly addressed its area of concerns in the secondary.