Oak Lawn (IL) Brother Rice defensive tackle Roderick “Trey” Pierce committed to Michigan on Wednesday evening. The former Wisconsin commit picked the Wolverines over offers from Auburn, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and Texas, among others.
Nov 12, 2022; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Tavierre Dunlap (22) rushes in the second half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Former Nebraska linebacker Ernest Hausmann has committed to Michigan as a transfer. Transfer offers are a little bit iffy to track, but he was offered by Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Virginia out of high school.
Hausmann is a 6’2″, 220 lb. player who made 54 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack while starting seven games as a true freshman for the Cornhuskers in 2022. Despite being offered by the Wolverines out of school, chose his “home state” team for a year instead; Hausmann was actually born in Uganda but was adopted and moved to be with his adoptive family when he was five years old.
A.J. Barner – TE – Indiana: Barner is a 6’6″, 250 lb. starting tight end and captain from the Hoosiers. After spending three seasons in Bloomington, he has two seasons of eligibility left. This season he caught 28 passes for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns. Barner was a 3-star, the #51 tight end, and #1147 overall in the class of 2020. With Michigan losing Erick All (Iowa), Luke Schoonmaker (NFL), Louis Hansen (transfer), Carter Selzer (graduation), and Joel Honigford (graduation), they need some reinforcements at the tight end position.
Josaiah Stewart – OLB – Coastal Carolina: Stewart is a 6’2″, 230 lb. outside linebacker whom Michigan offered when he came out of high school in 2021. He went to Coastal Carolina and had an outstanding freshman season followed up by a pretty solid sophomore year. Now that he’s in the transfer portal, he has two years of eligibility remaining and appears to be choosing between Michigan and USC.
Second-year defensive lineman George Rooks has entered the transfer portal. Rooks played in six games this past season and three in 2021. He made 1 tackle and 1 fumble recovery in his career as a Wolverine.
Rooks was a class of 2021 signee and part of a much needed influx of defensive linemen. Coming out of Jersey City (NJ) St. Peters Prep, he was a 4-star, the #35 defensive lineman, and #271 overall. I gave him a TTB Rating of 80 (LINK) and here was my overall summation of his talents:
Overall, Rooks has a nice set of athletic skills but is held back by a little bit of a tendency toward finesse when taking on blockers. I believe he will make a move to the interior of the defensive line, and it will take some time to bulk up. I see him as an eventual 290- to 295-pounder playing 3-tech (outside shoulder of the guard) or 4i (inside shoulder of tackle). With proper development, he could become a quietly solid player in the mold of Matt Godin.
Listed at 6’5″ and 278 lbs., Rooks never reached the weight that I expected from him. Obviously, he never made much of an impact at Michigan, but based on what I’ve seen, I think he could still be a quality player for someone down the road.
Rooks is the second player from the 2021 class to announce an entry into the transfer portal, following tight end Louis Hansen.
Max Anderson – OT – Frisco (TX) Reedy: Anderson is a 6’5″, 300 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, LSU, Penn State, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #8 offensive tackle, and #182 overall.
Aydin Breland – DT – Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei: Breland is a 6’5″, 290-pounder with offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M, and USC, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #11 defensive lineman, and #79 overall.
Brandon Davis-Swain – DE – West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield: Davis-Swain is a 6’4″, 240 lb. edge player who decommitted from Notre Dame. He’s a 4-star, the #12 defensive lineman, and #91 overall in the 2024 class. Iowa, Ole Miss, Penn State, and USC are some of the other schools that have offered. Davis-Swain had a semi-secret visit to Michigan this off-season, and he’s a teammate of 2023 Michigan commits Amir Herring and Semaj Morgan.
