Utah edge rusher John Henry Daley, one of the top defenders in the transfer portal, has committed to Michigan.
Daley tied for sixth in the FBS with 11.5 sacks this season and tied for fifth in tackles for loss with 17.5 despite missing the final two games with an injury. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound edge rusher considered Notre Dame and LSU before opting to follow coach Kyle Whittingham to Michigan. Lewis Powell, Daley’s position coach at Utah, has also been hired at Michigan in the same role.
Daley, who spent one season at BYU and two at Utah, will be a redshirt junior next season. He fills an immediate need for the Wolverines, who will be looking to replace both of their starting edge rushers in Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham. Assuming he’s fully recovered from the injury that sidelined him late in the season, he should be one of the top edge defenders in the Big Ten, providing a cornerstone for defensive coordinator Jay Hill.
(Getty Images via The Athletic) New Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham has lured defensive end John Henry Daley from Utah to Michigan.
Daley’s commitment Thursday night capped a busy day for Michigan in the transfer portal. Taylor Tatum, the No. 1 running back prospect in the Class of 2024, signed with Michigan after two seasons at Oklahoma, where he rushed for 278 yards and averaged 5 yards per carry as a freshman. Tatum finished with one carry in an injury-plagued sophomore season but should compete for carries alongside Jordan Marshall, Savion Hiter and possibly Justice Haynes, who has yet to announce his NFL decision.
Michigan also signed kicker Trey Butkowski, who was 20-for-23 on field goal attempts this season as a freshman at Pittsburgh. Butkowski immediately becomes the frontrunner to replace Dominic Zvada, Michigan’s kicker the past two seasons.
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