The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532537
MARCH 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 63 On3 ranked Norton as an interior lineman, but he says that the coaching staff intends to play him at tackle. "You get that gut feeling when you know you are home, and I got that gut feeling," Norton said of his visit to Ann Arbor. DAMON PAYNE JR. • DL GR. • 6-4 • 313 ALABAMA • BELLEVILLE (MICH.) HIGH On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 19 DL On3 Industry Ranking (2021): HHHH, No. 49 overall, No. 7 DL While Payne wasn't a starter or all-conference player in Tuscaloosa, he's still a significant pickup for the Maize and Blue, who lost star defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant to the 2025 NFL Draft. Payne ranked fourth and third in defensive snaps among Alabama interior linemen in 2023 and '24, respectively, playing a role similar to that of Michi- gan graduate Rayshaun Benny. He was a valuable player on the Crimson Tide defense. Payne can contribute at Michigan even though he hasn't made the splash plays that Michigan fans are accustomed to seeing from Graham and Grant. He's logged 558 defensive snaps in his career but only made 2 tackles for loss and a half-sack. In addition, he has just 9 pressures on 269 pass-rush snaps. He registered 3 pressures in 2024. "Payne has been pretty sound in run defense in his Alabama tenure," Bama Online's Charlie Potter explained. "His most involved outings were against two teams who leaned on the run game — Vanderbilt [38 snaps] and South Florida [34]. "He hasn't been as much of a threat as a pass rusher, though I'm not sure how much he was asked to do that. But from a negative-play standpoint, he only generated 2 total tackles for loss and half of a sack in 32 career games played for the Crimson Tide." While U-M didn't land the in-state prospect out of high school, bringing him in this time around might be even more impactful given his experience and what the Wolverines need to replace. ANTHONY SIMPSON • WR GR. • 5-11 • 180 MASSACHUSETTS • BLOOMFIELD (CONN.) HIGH On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 94 WR On3 Prep School Rankings (2021): HHH, No. 6 overall, No. 1 WR Simpson has had a long, winding career in college football, and it appears it will end with the chance to make an impact at Michigan in 2025. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder entered the transfer portal Oct. 2, 2024, and finally landed at a new school, U-M, with a January commitment. The Hartford, Conn., native played for U-M's tight ends coach in 2023, when Steve Casula was the offensive coordinator at UMass. Simpson originally signed with Arizona in the 2020 recruiting class, but served primarily as a kick returner, averaging 19 yards on 18 attempts with a 39-yard long in 2022, following a redshirt year in 2021. He transferred to UMass and enjoyed a productive 2023 campaign, hauling in 57 catches for 792 yards and 3 touchdowns and rushing 11 times for 93 yards and a score. Simpson suffered an injury early in the 2024 campaign and then was an- nounced as no longer a member of the UMass program in late September, without explanation from then-head coach Don Brown. Soon after, Simpson entered the transfer portal to search for a new home. All told, Simpson has caught 68 passes for 910 yards and 3 touchdowns in his career, playing in 32 games. Simpson is mostly a slot receiver, taking 81.9 percent of his passing snaps at that position in 2023. However, he has shown he can be a downfield threat, with a 9.2-yard average depth of target that season. He averaged 8.5 yards after the catch per reception. TRÉ WILLIAMS • DT GR. • 6-3 • 310 CLEMSON WASHINGTON (D.C.) ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE HIGH On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 50 DT On3 Industry Ranking (2024): HHH, No. 148 overall, No. 9 DT During his time at Clemson, Williams suited up and made appearances in 44 contests with four starts, finishing his career with 35 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4 sacks and 2 passes defended. Injuries have been a hurdle in his career, mainly with his feet and shoulders. He medically redshirted during the 2023 season after shoulder surgery. Despite that, he was a priority addition to the transfer portal class. Williams is close with former Michigan safety Quinten Johnson, which made for a natural link to the Wolverines. U-M will lean on him to help fill the void in the defensive tackle rotation with Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant off to the NFL. "He's kind of similar to Graham, but not as established," his trainer Cory Johnson told The Wolverine. "Those are big shoes to fill. But Tré is up for the challenge. He's very athletic. He's also very powerful. He just needs an oppor- tunity to be in that type of situation. He's a very hard-nosed young man. He's going to give Michigan his all every snap, every practice and every game." ❑ Graduate defensive tackle Damon Payne Jr. will look to be an anchor for the Michigan D-line as it retools for 2025. The 6-4, 313-pound Alabama transfer played his high school ball at Belleville (Mich.) High. PHOTO BY CRIMSON TIDE PHOTOS/UA ATHLETICS