Michigan football transfer hot board, Dec. 14: Tracking portal pursuits for Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines football has been as active as ever in the transfer portal following the Dec. 5 open. The Maize and Blue landed former Arizona State offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson Dec. 6 and are seeking more talent.
Here, we break down Michigan’s transfer commits, offers and other players on the radar, and track where things stand as of Dec. 14.
COMMITS
OL LaDarius Henderson
Previous school: Arizona State
Breakdown: LaDarius Henderson met with Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and co-offensive coordinators Sherrone Moore and Matt Weiss, and made his pledge to the Maize and Blue shortly thereafter, making his announcement Dec. 6. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
The 6-5, 310-pounder has started 29 games and played 1,802 offensive snaps over the last three seasons, and was named a Sun Devils team captain in 2022. He’s expected to compete at left tackle for Michigan despite playing left guard each of the last two seasons. He started at left tackle as a freshman in 2019.
OFFERS
TE AJ Barner
Previous school: Indiana
Offers: UCLA, Pittsburgh, NC State, Illinois, Michigan
Breakdown: AJ Barner said other schools have shown strong interest, too. He took an official visit to UCLA already and is set to see Michigan this coming weekend.
The 6-6, 250-pounder was selected as a team captain in 2022, when he hauled in 28 receptions for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns in 10 games. He had multiple catches in eight games for the Hoosiers, who finished with 4-8 overall and 2-7 in the Big Ten. The Michigan transfer target played in 12 games with one start in 2021. He accumulated 14 catches for 162 yards and 1 score, catching 3 or more passes in each of the last three games.
RELATED: Former Indiana TE AJ Barner to visit Michigan
CB Tony Grimes
Previous school: North Carolina
Offers: Michigan, USC, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, others
Breakdown: Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh personally reached out to Tony Grimes, who’s seeing his recruitment blow up, and expressed his interest in bringing the talent to Ann Arbor. Grimes already took a visit to Texas A&M and is set to see Virginia Tech and USC this week. Entering his fourth season of college football, Grimes has two years of eligibility remaining. He’s the eighth-best cornerback in the portal, per On3.
The 6-0, 195-pounder notched 36 tackles and 7 pass breakups in 12 contests this past season. Grimes started all 13 games in 2021 and was named All-ACC honorable mentioned. He tied for fifth in the conference with 9 pass breakups, adding 47 tackles and 2 stops for loss. He was a five-star recruit and the No. 19 overall player in the 2020 class, per the On3 Consensus.
RELATED: Michigan, Jim Harbaugh interested in top player in transfer portal
CB Fentrell Cypress II
Previous school: Virginia
Offers: Michigan, Notre Dame, others
Breakdown: Other big-time schools are in the mix for Fentrell Cypress II, a former teammate of Michigan graduate center Olusegun Oluwatimi, including Ohio State, LSU, Texas and others, per our Chris Balas. He is a graduate transfer and has two years of eligibility remaining. On3 has him rated as the top overall player in the transfer portal.
He earned second-team All-ACC honors this fall after leading the conference with 14 pass break ups. His 1.56 passes defended per game ranked fourth nationally. Per PFF, he allowed just 18 receptions for 179 yards and no touchdowns on 40 targets in coverage on the year. He totaled 16 tackles, 1 pass breakup and 1 interception in 2021 and played in just three games prior to that season. Next year will be his fifth in college football.
RELATED: Michigan eyeing Fentrell Cypress II from the transfer portal
EDGE Josaiah Stewart
Previous school: Coastal Carolina
Offers: Michigan, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Mississippi State, Missouri, USC, North Carolina, Cincinnati, LSU
Breakdown: Michigan made Josaiah Stewart‘s top three list along with LSU and USC. He has two years of eligibility remaining and has a slew of Power Five offers. Michigan has an ‘in,’ with Stewart having attended Everett (Mass.) High with senior defensive back Mike Sainristil. We believe Michigan and USC have the edge over LSU at this point. He’s the third-best edge rusher in the portal, per On3.
The 6-2, 230-pounder had 10 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 2022, earning second-team All-Sun Belt honors. He generated 40 pressures, leading his team and ranking tied for 30th nationally among edge rushers. Stewart was even more productive as a freshman in 2021, leading the Sun Belt and ranking fifth nationally with 12.5 sacks. The former three-star prospect added 43 tackles, including 15.5 behind the line of scrimmage, with 3 forced fumbles. He led his squad with 41 pressures. He was named the 2022 Sun Belt Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after shining as a freshman.
RELATED: Michigan a finalist for former Coastal Carolina EDGE Josaiah Stewart
TE Josh Cuevas
Previous school: Cal Poly (FCS)
Offers: Washington, Utah, Nevada, Arizona State, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, West Virginia, Oklahoma State
Breakdown: Josh Cuevas redshirted in 2021, played a key role in 2022 and has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
He took an official visit to Washington over the weekend and is hoping to make an official trip to Michigan soon. He also wants to see Utah.
Cuevas hauled in 58 receptions, which ranked third among FCS tight ends, per PFF, for 663 yards (fourth) and 6 touchdowns (tied for fifth) this season. He also posted a 70.6 PFF run-blocking rating, which slotted third on his team. Cal Poly went 2-9 this past season and failed to make the postseason. The Los Angeles, Calif., native earned FCS Freshman All-American honors and was named third-team All-Big Sky.
RELATED: Michigan offers former Cal Poly tight end Josh Cuevas out of transfer portal
ON THE RADAR
CB Storm Duck
Previous school: North Carolina
Breakdown: It’s unclear who Storm Duck‘s suitors outside of Michigan are at this time, but we do know the Wolverines are monitoring him. A graduate transfer, Duck has one year of eligibility remaining. He’s the No. 7 cornerback in the portal, per On3.
Duck has racked up 103 tackles, 22 pass breakups and 5 interceptions in his four-year career. The 6-1, 200-pounder totaled 46 stops, 12 pass breakups and 3 picks and was named second-team All-ACC in 2022. He played in six games with four starts in 2021, registering 16 tackles and 1 pass breakup. He saw action in 13 games in 2019 and two outings in 2020, missing the final 10 contests with an injury. Duck was a three-star recruit and the No. 1,161 overall recruit in the 2019 class, per the On3 Consensus.
OLB Chief Borders
Previous school: Florida
Offers: Nebraska
Breakdown: Nebraska is the only offer that Chief Borders has reported on his Twitter account, though he told ThePortalReport.com that he also received early interest from Texas, Kentucky, California, Mississippi State, Washington, Western Kentucky and others, in addition to Michigan. The 6-4, 241-pounder is the No. 37 edge rusher in the portal, per On3.
Borders redshirted in 2021 and appeared in all 12 games during the 2022 campaign, mostly contributing on special teams. He totaled 3 tackles over 16 career outings with the Gators. The Carrollton, Ga., native was a four-star recruit and the No. 376 overall player in the 2021 class, per the On3 Consensus.
LB Ernest Hausmann
Previous school: Nebraska
Breakdown: Ernest Hausmann, who held a Michigan offer out of high school, took a visit to Iowa last weekend. He was also high on the Hawkeyes during his original recruitment in the 2022 class. He has three years of eligibility remaining after playing one season with the Cornhuskers.
Hausmann finished his freshman season with 54 tackles, 2 stops for loss, 1 sack and 1 fumble recovery in 10 games and 476 defensive snaps (12th-most on the team).
OFF THE BOARD
EDGE Dasan McCullough
Previous school: Indiana
Committed: Oklahoma
Breakdown: On3’s No. 1 rated edge rusher committed to Oklahoma Dec. 12. His brother, former Cincinnati cornerback commit Daeh McCullough, made his pledge to the Sooners at the same time.
DL Levi Bell
Previous school: Texas State
Breakdown: Michigan was monitoring Levi Bell, but he announced Dec. 12 that he will forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2023 NFL Draft.
