Michigan cornerback DJ Waller enters NCAA transfer portal
Michigan Wolverines sophomore cornerback DJ Waller has entered the NCAA transfer portal, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. This is the first transfer post-spring football for U-M, and a bit of a surprising one.
He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Waller was expected to compete for the No. 2 cornerback job this season next to star Will Johnson, along with classmate Jyaire Hill and senior Ja’Den McBurrows. At 6-3, 205, he had the size and athleticism the staff was looking for at the position.
With depth questions at cornerback and safety, this could be a move that prompts action in the transfer portal for Michigan. Last season, it brought in UMass defensive back Josh Wallace to fill out its No. 2 job, who started all 15 games with 33 total tackles, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble with four passes defended.
Waller was a three-star recruit and No. 684 prospect in the country in the 2023 class, a recruiting win for the Michigan staff in the state of Ohio. Last season, he played in 11 games with 12 tackles and a pass defended in 123 snaps played, which was sixth among Michigan corners.
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“I think all the corners are doing a good job now,” new defensive backs coach Lamar Morgan said this spring during a press conference. “You’ve got Sug Hill, he’s doing a good job. DJ Waller, (Kechaun) Harris. We’ve just been trying to throw a lot of guys with the ones and twos and rolling reps. That’s what I believe in. You can’t tell guys you will give them an opportunity and then never get reps at it. Just trying to get the guys as much reps as they can, being able to have a big sample of what these guys have done all spring and once it gets down to fall camp, summer and all that, we can make an adjustment of who we can put out there on the other side of Will.”
Waller attended Cheney High School in Youngstown, Ohio and helped his team grab a 10-2 record and playoff appearance, which was his team’s first 10-win season in more than two decades. He had 47 tackles as a senior with seven tackles for loss, one sack and one interception. Waller also played receiver with 215 yards and a pair of touchdown receptions.
TheWolverine.com will have more on this development and other transfer portal moves in the days and weeks to come.
