Michigan football offseason tracker (Dec. 20): Coaching moves, transfer portal, NFL Draft, more

The Michigan Wolverines are into the first full offseason under head coach Sherrone Moore coming off a 7-5 campaign. Highlights from the first year on the job include rivalry wins over Michigan State and Ohio State and signing the nation’s No. 6 recruiting class (and counting). However, plenty of moves are on the way in terms of the transfer portal, NFL Draft decisions and more

Below is a tracker of the action that has occurred to this point, which will be updated as more developments come through.

Coaching moves

Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell: OUT
Michigan fired Campbell on Dec. 3 following his first season in his role and third at U-M overall, after finishing 128th out of 133 teams in total offense at 294.2 yards per game, 130th in passing yards (113.6 ypg), 70th in rushing yards (160.7 ypg) and tied for 114th in points per game (22.3).

Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Chip Lindsey: IN
The Wolverines hired Lindsey, who had spent the last two seasons at North Carolina, as their offensive coordinator on Dec. 10. Over the last two years, UNC finished 7th and 37th in total offense, respectively, and did it in different ways. TruMedia had UNC as the 18th-best team in the country over the last two years in explosive play rate under Lindsey’s leadership. Prior to his time at North Carolina, he oversaw offenses that averaged at least 30 points per game in 8 of 11 seasons.

Transfers in (5)

Indiana WR Donaven McCulley
During the 2023 season, he led the Hoosiers in catches (48), yards (644) and touchdowns (6) by a wide margin this season. McCulley also threw a 44-yard touchdown in the 52-7 loss to the Wolverines last year. He was limited to 2 catches for 21 yards before shutting it down this year. His interest in the program dates back to last year’s portal cycle, where he eventually stuck it out and returned to Indiana.

Cal Poly OL Brady Norton
The 6-foot-3, 275-pounder has three seasons of eligibility remaining after spending two at Cal Poly, redshirting in 2023 and starting in 2024. He’s appeared in 14 games with 11 starts.

Alabama DT Damon Payne
This season, Payne had 14 tackles and a fumble recovery in eight games played. He redshirted in 2021 before playing in six games in 2022, and then emerged as a rotational piece in 2023 for an Alabama team that lost to Michigan in the Rose Bowl semifinal of the College Football Playoff.

Arkansas S TJ Metcalf
A 6-foot-1, 200-pounder, TJ racked up 57 tackles, including 1 for loss, 7 pass breakups and 3 interceptions as a sophomore, appearing in 12 games with 11 starts for the 6-6 Razorbacks. He is one of 35 Power Conference safeties with 3 or more interceptions this season. He saw action in 12 outings as a freshman in 2023, posting 15 tackles.

Arkansas CB Tevis Metcalf
Tevis played just 15 defensive snaps in two games as a freshman, but the 5-foot-10, 192-pounder did play in all 12 contests on special teams, featuring on the kick return, kick coverage and punt return units, among others.

Staying

Junior K Dominic Zvada
Zvada was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media, finished the regular season 17-of-18 on field goal attempts and 7-for-7 on attempts from 50-plus yards, including a long-distance make in the 13-10 upset win over the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Zvada also made 25 of his 26 extra point attempts on the year after transferring in from Arkansas State.

NFL Draft

TE Colston Loveland
Loveland set the program record for receptions by a tight end in Michigan history this season with 56 grabs for 582 yards and 5 touchdowns in 10 games played. The third-year pass catcher missed the USC and Ohio State games – both Michigan victories – due to injuries. He led the team in receiving in every game he played this season.

DT Mason Graham
Graham has appeared in 39 games at Michigan with 27 starts at defensive tackle, earning a starting role in base packages his freshman season in 2022 while emerging as a stalwart up front for the Wolverines. He was an All-American last year and is a two-time All-Big Ten selection, earning first-team honors this year from both the coaches and media.

CB Will Johnson
Johnson played in 32 games with 22 starts over three seasons at Michigan. The former five-star recruit is a two time All-Big Ten selection (consensus first team in 2023 and second-team by the media in 2024). He earned first-team All-America honors from Sports Illustrated as a sophomore in 2023, and was the Defensive MVP of the national championship game, helping lead the Maize and Blue to their 12th title in history and first since 1997.

Transfers out (13)

Junior QB Alex Orji
This season, Orji played in 10 games, completing 23 of 44 passes (52 percent) for 148 yards and 3 touchdowns with an interception. He also rushed 53 times for 260 yards and a score.

Junior QB Jayden Denegal
A 6-5, 235-pounder, Denegal played in one game during mop-up duty in 2022 and six more last season, completing 4-of-5 passes with one touchdown. He also ran four times for 10 yards to earn his second varsity letter, but he didn’t register any statistics this year.

Sophomore RB Cole Cabana
During the 2023 season, the Dexter, Mich. native only saw two carries on the season, amassing six yards for the Wolverines. He didn’t see the field in 2024.

Senior RB Tavierre Dunlap
Dunlap had 22 carries for 138 yards in his career, one of which came for 20 yards and his only touchdown in the Maize and Blue this season. He will have one season of eligibility remaining at his next destination.

Junior WR Tyler Morris
The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder has one year of eligibility remaining, after playing three seasons at Michigan. He appeared in 35 games with 12 starts as a Wolverine.

Senior OL Raheem Anderson
Anderson played in 16 career games as a Wolverine, mostly as a reserve before having a special teams role this season. He was in the battle for the starting center job in fall camp, but fell behind classmates Greg Crippen and Dominick Giudice in the pecking order.

Senior OL Tristan Bounds
The 6-foot-8, 305-pounder saw action in two contests this season, at Indiana Nov. 9 and against Northwestern Nov. 23. He logged one offensive snap on the season, which was a touchdown by running back Tavierre Dunlap, the first of the ball-carrier’s career. Bounds only recorded 41 offensive snaps in his career. Bounds played in one game in 2023, three in 2022 and one in 2021.

Senior OL Dominick Guidice
The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder spent four seasons with the Wolverines, playing in 18 games with five starts at center.

Junior OL Andrew Gentry
The 6-foot-7, 327-pounder out of Littleton, Colo., appeared in 26 games with two starts in three seasons in Ann Arbor. The 23-year-old has two years of eligibility remaining.

Junior LB Micah Pollard
This year, Pollard was limited to two contests – the Fresno State and Texas games – before appearing on the availability report the rest of the season with an undisclosed injury designation.

Junior CB Myles Pollard
Pollard appeared in just 10 outings over the last three seasons, playing a reserve role throughout the entirety of his career.

Sophomore K Adam Samaha
In two seasons with Michigan, Samaha saw limited playing time and took a redshirt for the 2023 season, making an extra point in his appearance that season. He has not yet attempted a field goal.

Senior P Tommy Doman
Doman has served as the primary punter for Michigan the past two seasons, winning a national title with the Wolverines in 2023. He has a career punt average of 43.4 yards.