The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 27 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL U-M LANDS INITIAL PORTAL COMMITMENTS OF 2025 CYCLE Transfer portal season got underway Dec. 9 with the official opening of the period, which is set to close Dec. 28. U-M was tabbed as one of the teams to watch in terms of aggression, and it landed its first commitment Dec. 13 in former Indiana wide receiver Donaven McCulley, who has one season of eligi- bility remaining. U-M offered the former Indiana quarterback/wide receiver during last winter's portal cycle, but he ultimately chose to stick it out under new head coach Curt Cignetti. Unfortunately, he was injured and seemed to be playing from behind on the depth chart, strug- gling to find a role in the offense. Mc- Culley had 2 catches for 21 yards and a touchdown on the season for Indiana. He played in four of the first five games for the Hoosiers before announcing his intention to transfer. During the 2023 season, he led the Hoosiers in catches (48), yards (644) and touchdowns (6) by a wide margin. McCulley, a big receiver at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, also threw a 44-yard touchdown in the 52-7 loss to the Wol- verines that year. The next flurry of commitments came Dec. 16 with a trio of pledges in Arkansas defensive backs and brothers TJ and Tevis Metcalf, along with Cal Poly offensive lineman Brady Norton. TJ racked up 57 tackles, 7 passes defended and 3 picks as a sophomore last sea- son, while Tevis played in 12 games as a freshman in Fayetteville, primarily as a special teamer. Both were three-star recruits in the 2023 and 2024 classes, respectively. Norton (6-3, 275) was the starting left tackle in all 11 games he played this season, allowing just 3 pressures and no sacks. Pro Football Focus rated him the No. 1 pass-blocking lineman in the FCS. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining. Michigan continues to comb the por- tal for potential veteran quarterbacks, which could headline the offseason ac- quisition cycle. Head coach Sherrone Moore detailed what they would like to add there during a December press conference. "There are a lot of positions that we're going to add in depth and add spots to help fill," Moore said. "We're definitely looking for a quarterback in the portal, and we'll go from there. "We want experience, a guy that's go- ing to be a great leader, great teammate, obviously have the ability to play, and he's got to be a great fit. That's going to be that one piece." LATEST ON DEPARTURES, NFL DRAFT DECLARATIONS In addition to portal season heating up from an additions standpoint, U-M is also experiencing some attrition via the portal. As of Dec. 17, 13 scholar- ship players have departed the program in quarterbacks Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal, running backs Cole Cabana and Tavierre Dunlap, wide receiver Tyler Morris, offensive linemen Ra- heem Anderson, Tristan Bounds, An- drew Gentry and Dominick Guidice, linebacker Micah Pollard, cornerback Myles Pollard, kicker Adam Samaha and punter Tommy Doman. Three underclassmen declared for the NFL Draft in defensive tackle Mason Graham, cornerback Will Johnson and tight end Colston Loveland. Offensive tackle Myles Hinton also declared for the draft even though he is out of NCAA eligibility. Running back Donovan Ed- wards revealed he will not play in the bowl game against Alabama. — Anthony Broome Pro Football Focus rated Cal Poly offensive lineman Brady Norton as the No. 1 pass-blocking line- man in the FCS. He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining at Michigan. PHOTO COURTESY CAL POLY ATHLETICS OFFSEASON MOVEMENT As of Dec. 17 NFL Draft Underclassmen (3) TE Colston Loveland DT Mason Graham CB Will Johnson Transfers In (4) WR Donaven McCulley, Indiana OL Brady Norton, Cal Poly S TJ Metcalf, Arkansas CB Tevis Metcalf, Arkansas Transfers Out (13) QB Alex Orji QB Jayden Denegal RB Cole Cabana (Minnesota) RB Tavierre Dunlap WR Tyler Morris OL Andrew Gentry OL Dominick Giudice OL Tristan Bounds OL Raheem Anderson LB Micah Pollard DB Myles Pollard K Adam Samaha P Tommy Doman (Florida)