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Michigan linebacker Joey Velazquez enters transfer portal

Anthony Broomeby:Anthony Broome•12/28/23•

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John Fisher via Getty Images.

Michigan Wolverines graduate linebacker Joey Velazquez entered the transfer portal on Thursday afternoon, first reported by On3. The departure is the second of the day for the Wolverines after freshman cornerback Cameron Calhoun entered the portal earlier in the afternoon.

Velazquez, a Columbus, Ohio native, did not appear in a game this season for the Wolverines. During his Michigan career, he appeared in 20 games primarily as a special teams contributor. He was recruited to Ann Arbor to play the VIPER position in former coordinator Don Brown’s system. He was a three-star prospect and the No. 1,076 player in the country in the 2019 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking.

Velazquez was also a member of the Michigan baseball team that has the distinction of winning Big Ten Championships in each sport. Last season on the diamond, he appeared in 48 games with 38 starts, hitting four home runs with 36 hits on the year.

“We liked how versatile he was, and our first thought was how he was a better version of Jordan Glasgow from what we saw athletically,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said after he joined the program. “And Glasgow has made himself a heck of a special teams player and viper.

“Joey came to our camp and competed like the dickens, and was also at our Cincinnati satellite camp. He had a double-header in baseball that day, had the game-winning hit and came back to the camp and won the MVP of the defensive backs. I love two-sport athletes.”

Velazquez’s departure comes as Michigan’s Rose Bowl prep is underway in Pasadena having arrived on Tuesday afternoon.

Michigan and Alabama’s matchup in the Rose Bowl is set for Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. ET with the Wolverines set as a 1.5-point favorite. The winner will head to Houston on Jan. 8 to play in the College Football Playoff national title game against either Texas or Washington, who play in the Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m. on New Year’s Day. Both games will be broadcast via ESPN.

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