The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MARCH 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 61 season. He preserved his redshirt by making less than five game appearances. The Tampa, Fla., native saw action in five games as a freshman in 2023, total- ing 5 tackles. While Bowles only has 46 defensive snaps in college football under his belt, his lack of playing time may have more to do with the amount of talent Georgia possesses at linebacker than what the 6-foot, 220-pounder can do. That posi- tion room was crowded. That said, it's not as if Bowles — the son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles — doesn't have some work to do and improvement to make at Michigan, especially in the strength and conditioning department. The Wolverines' six non-freshman scholarship linebackers on the 2024 roster aver- age a listed weight of 234.8 pounds — 14.8 pounds more than Bowles' listed weight on the Georgia roster. "His size is definitely on the smaller end of things," DawgsHQ's Palmer Thombs said. "There were thoughts that he might actually fit in better as a safety/STAR at the collegiate level considering he demonstrated that type of skill set at the high school level." LAWRENCE HATTAR • OG GR. • 6-5 • 335 FERRIS STATE • CHURCHILL (MICH.) HIGH On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 49 IOL On3 Industry Ranking (2024): HHH, No. 448 overall, No. 48 IOL The Division II national champion had interest from Pittsburgh, Kansas State, North Carolina and others before staying close to home and picking the Wol- verines. He appeared in 27 total games at Ferris State and comes to Ann Arbor with one season of eligibility remaining. The program has a few connections to Ferris State, headlined by tight ends coach Steve Casula and defensive line coach Lou Esposito. Both coached under Tony Annese at the Division II powerhouse. Hattar, who played left guard, helped the Bulldogs to a 2024 national cham- pionship win in blowout fashion, handling Valdosta State, 49-14, in McKinney, Texas. He was part of two national title squads in three seasons, with the first coming in 2022. Hattar's play earned him first-team All-America honors this season from the AFCA. He was also tabbed a first-team All-American and a member of the Elite 100 Team by D2Football.com in addition to first-team all-conference honors in the GLIAC. The Livonia, Mich., native had plenty of interest, but the opportunity to come home was too good to ignore. "I fell in love with it and decided it was home," Hattar told The Wolverine. "I picked Michigan because it's close to home. I grew up watching Michigan football. I just love the way they play up front." JUSTICE HAYNES • RB JR. • 5-11 • 210 ALABAMA • BUFORD (GA.) HIGH On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHHH, No. 29 overall, No. 3 RB On3 Industry Ranking (2023): HHHH, No. 33 overall, No. 2 RB Michigan fans are familiar with Haynes, who showed promise in the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal in 2023, rushing 4 times for 31 yards with an 11-yard long. He went on to have a breakout sophomore season in 2024, ranking sixth in the SEC with 5.7 yards per carry and totaling 448 yards and 7 touchdowns. Bama Online's Charlie Potter pointed out that there's plenty of "tread on the tires" for Haynes, since he only has 104 career rush attempts. His limited opportunities this past season had to do with playing alongside a running quarterback in Jalen Milroe and splitting backfield reps with fellow running back Jam Miller. "I think they were just trying to figure out the backfield in general, in terms of what to do, and I think that's why some fans were probably a little surprised that Justice entered the portal. With Jalen moving on and turning pro, you eliminate the running quarterback from the offense next year, so a lot of those carries return to the running back room," Potter noted. "But I get it, because Jam Miller is coming back." But the flashes were there, especially in a 34-0 win over Missouri in which Haynes rushed 8 times for 79 yards and a highlight-reel score. "We saw him really lower his pads and welcome contact, bounce off a would- be tackler and then just outrun the rest of the defense for a touchdown," Potter explained. "That is what he can be; it's just that wasn't there as much as some expected this fall." Concluded Potter: "He's SEC-starter level; that's what he is. He's a good dude. He comes from a good family." MIKEY KEENE • QB GR. • 5-11 • 200 FRESNO STATE • CHANDLER (ARIZ.) HIGH On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 199 overall, No. 22 QB On3 Industry Ranking (2024): HHH, No. 891 overall, No. 71 QB Keene spent the first two seasons of his college career at UCF and worked with U-M offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Chip Lindsey in 2022, throwing for 647 yards with 6 touchdowns and 1 interception in their lone season together. He spent the last two seasons as the starter at Fresno State and has racked up 8,245 yards and 65 touchdown passes in his career. U-M prioritized Keene as a veteran with experience to pair with No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood, and the two are expected to battle it out for the starting job this fall. "Michigan speaks for itself — just the identity and program that it has been," Keene said. "Michigan is one of those programs that's always going to be in contention for a national championship regardless of what happened the year prior. Coach Lindsey being here and the prior relationship I had with him was very appealing to me. It was a good situation for both parties. "They had what I was looking for — a chance to compete for the starting job and play some big-time football. They were looking for a veteran guy with one year left, so it all aligned. It felt like home on my visit. I wanted to get it done, so I made the commitment." DONAVEN MCCULLEY • WR GR. • 6-5 • 195 INDIANA • LAWRENCE (IND.) NORTH On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 52 WR On3 Industry Ranking (2024): HHH, No. 207 overall, No. 41 WR McCulley stands 6-foot-5 and fills a major need on offense in terms of a big- bodied wideout. During the 2023 season, he led the Hoosiers in catches (48), yards (644) and touchdowns (6) by a wide margin. McCulley also threw a 44-yard touchdown pass in the 52-7 loss to the Wolverines during the 2023 campaign. He was limited to 2 catches for 21 yards before shutting it down in 2024. His interest in the U-M program dates back to last year's portal cycle, when he eventually stuck it out and returned to Indiana. Head coach Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines went into the offseason prioritizing size, which was lacking from the roster last year. The hope is that McCulley can tap back into the type of production he accumulated during the 2023 season. "They were just telling me that they needed a big X receiver — somebody with experience who could come in and help the offense in a significant way and be a huge part of the offense," McCulley said. "Kind of like a Nico Collins