The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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22 THE WOLVERINE ❱ DECEMBER 2025 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE F rom a young age, sports were going to be the path for Tar- rus Metcalf Jr. That much was decided. He just didn't know which one, or where he'd end up, but they've taken him from Birmingham, Ala., to Ann Arbor, and the hope is that journey will continue beyond college. "The baby picture I always have with me is me holding the football," Metcalf told The Wolverine. "Every time I look back on that picture, I'm like, 'Man, I came a long way.'" The son of a former Ole Miss football player with the same name, "TJ" has been honing his craft for some time. "I think I started playing when I was 4," Metcalf said. "I started training with my dad when I was 2 or 3. He liked to do certain types of movements with me, have me play catch, stuff like that. "I was also a baseball, basketball and track kid. I did everything. In my early stages, basketball was my main sport, and then I just grew into being a football player after I started getting offers and stuff like that. "With all the sports, I always trained like I was going to the league in which- ever sport that I was going to do. I just feel like football took over when I got to high school. I started noticing that I'm making more plays." Growing up in a football family, Met- calf and his younger brother, Michigan sophomore defensive back Tevis, be- lieved there was a path to playing at a high level. Not only did his father play at Ole Miss, but so did Tarrus Sr.'s cousin, Terrence, and his son, DK Metcalf, a two-time All-Pro wide receiver now with the Pittsburgh Steelers. "Me and my brother always looked up to him when we were kids and even now, him being in the NFL doing great things, having a great career," TJ said of DK Metcalf. "We always just looked up to it, and seeing him do it, obviously that makes us want to follow in those footsteps in some type of way to get to the next level and continue having Metcalfs in the league." Under former head coach Sam Pitt- man, who was fired this season, Arkan- sas offered scholarships to both TJ and Tevis. Older by one year, TJ enrolled first and played right away, appearing in 12 games as a freshman. A year later, Tevis joined him in Fayetteville for the 2024 season. TJ had a breakout campaign, re- cording 57 tackles, 10 pass breakups, 3 interceptions and a forced fumble. Tevis, meanwhile, was a special teams con- tributor and burned his redshirt. "When [Tevis] enrolled at Arkansas, it was like, 'All right, we're about to do this for real this time' on one of the biggest stages," TJ said. "It was really amazing." 'BEST DECISION OF OUR LIVES' Last December, TJ and Tevis were both in the transfer portal and took a visit to Michigan, which recruited both out of high school. The brothers struck up a great relationship with the coaches, who were the first to contact them once they entered college football's version of free agency, and they transferred to U-M. "Michigan was the only visit I took," Metcalf noted. "Making the decision to come here, it was just like, 'All right, now we know what we've got to do. Now we know it's time. We've got to find some type of way to make this decision be the best one of our lives and be able to put our family in the right position and take care of them for life. "I feel like us being here at Michigan, we very much have the oppor- tunity to do that. Michigan has done a great job with the both of us so far." T h e Wo lve r i n e s have a chance to accomplish some- thing special at the end of this season, with all of their lofty goals still there for the taking. In mid- November a year ago, both Arkansas and Michigan had at least four losses, well out of the race for a College Football Playoff spot. "At Arkansas, we didn't really have the seasons that we expected," Metcalf said. "When I first got there, they were coming off a bowl win against Penn State. We had hope going into those years, but coming here was like, 'All right, now we actually have a chance to do something special.' "In high school, I was being recruited by Michigan, and after my freshman year they won the natty, and that was like, 'Dang. That's something.' I wanted to be in that position where I could do it, as well." 'SMOOTH' TRANSITION AND OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD Metcalf is a deep safety, but Michigan had a lot of depth at that spot. There was an opening at the starting nickel spot, though, and that presented the chance for the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder to start and have a huge role on the 2025 defense. "I didn't necessarily expect it, but I Metcalf, a junior transfer from Arkansas, has been highly productive at nickel back for U-M, posting 39 tackles, 2.5 TFL and an interception through the first 10 games. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL ALL ABOUT BALL TJ Metcalf Is Right Where He Needs To Be