Tag: transfers

George Rooks, Ex-Wolverine

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.

LaDarius Henderson, Wolverine

Arizona State offensive guard LaDarius Henderson announced today that he would be spending his final year of eligibility in Ann Arbor.

Henderson was a 6’4″, 270 lb. offensive tackle prospect coming out of Waxahachie (TX) Waxahachie in the class of 2019. He was ranked as a 247 Composite 3-star and the #50 offensive tackle, and he picked ASU over offers from Boise State, Colorado State, and Illinois, among others. (Fun fact: While at Waxahachie, Henderson played for former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, who coached the program for three seasons before stepping down.)

Now listed at 6’5″ and 310 lbs., Henderson started thirteen games at left guard in 2021 – in fact, all but 12 of ASU’s offensive snaps – but only played in six games in 2022 due to injury. Overall, he has 29 career starts and was named a team captain this past season. He had accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Game, but instead it appears he will play for the Wolverines.

Michigan is losing at least two starters after this season in left tackle Ryan Hayes and center Olu Oluwatimi; but there’s a good chance that one or both guards, Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter, enter the NFL Draft in 2023. Henderson was ranked as an offensive tackle coming out of high school and played some as a backup tackle in 2020, but he’s more of a guard. My guess is that Michigan plans to bring him in to compete at the guard position.

A possible depth chart for 2023 could be (as the roster stands right now):

LT: Karsen Barnhart (RS Sr.), Jeffrey Persi (RS Jr.), Evan Link (Fr.)
LG: Trevor Keegan (RS Sr.), LaDarius Henderson (RS Sr.), Alessandro Lorenzetti (RS Fr.), Connor Jones (RS Fr.)
C: Greg Crippen (RS So.), Raheem Anderson (RS So.), Amir Herring (Fr.)
RG: Zak Zinter (RS Jr.), Giovanni El-Hadi (RS So.), Dominick Giudice (RS So.), Nathan Efobi (Fr.)
RT: Trente Jones (RS Sr.), Andrew Gentry (RS Fr.), Tristan Bounds (RS So.)

Louis Hansen, Ex-Wolverine

Second-year tight end Louis Hansen announced that he is entering the transfer portal. Hansen played in one game in 2021 and in two games during the 2022 season.

Hansen was a 4-star, the #11 tight end, and #257 in the 247 Composite during the 2021 recruiting cycle, with offers from Florida, Georgia, Ohio State, and Penn State, among others. The Needham (MA) St. Sebastian’s product committed to Michigan in April 2020 during the beginning of the COVID outbreak and was a vocal recruiter in the class, so it’s a bit surprising in retrospect to see him not stick around.

Here’s what I said about him when he committed (LINK):

“Overall, Hansen is a fine prospect. Is he a difference maker at the next level? I don’t believe so. Could he come in to Michigan and maintain the status quo? Sure. He could be Sean McKeon with a little better ball skills.”

However, Hansen has also played very little in two seasons, despite having good size and decent athleticism. He was buried on the depth chart this season even when Erick All and Luke Schoonmaker were hurt; and freshman Colston Loveland and walk-on Max Bredeson both passed him up for playing time. His size (6’5″, 245 lbs.) and athleticism do not appear to be the limiting factor, but he never got much practice buzz; I can only assume there were some habits that were just not in line with what the coaching staff sought.

Hansen is the first member of the 2021 recruiting class to depart, though there will surely be others, including this off-season. Jim Harbaugh spoke proudly in the pre-season about keeping that 2021 class together despite concerns about his job and the stability of the program. The class was never going to stay intact forever, but at least all those players lasted two seasons.

Erick All, Ex-Wolverine

Michigan tight end Erick All announced today that he was moving on from Michigan. The fourth-year player from Fairfield (OH) Fairfield had been a starter at tight end for 12 games and played in 35 overall, but he suffered a back injury earlier this season and missed most of the year while recovering.

I gave All a TTB Rating of 75 when he committed to Michigan (LINK). It’s funny that when I went back to read my scouting report on him in his commitment post, I said this:

“He seems to be at his best running crossing routes, which is great, because that’s where Michigan will have its most success with the tight ends.”

And the one play that stands out most for him in a Michigan uniform was the game-winning crossing route against Penn State:

Erick All has entered the transfer portal. Couldn’t have done it in 2021 without him pic.twitter.com/uCGKpvxfLn

— Barstool Blue (@BarstoolUofM) December 5, 2022

Overall, All made 54 catches for 565 yards and 2 touchdowns in his career. (For a reference point, Michigan just played Purdue, whose tight end Payne Durham has 56 catches for 560 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2022 alone.) All was Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2021, his best season, when he made 38 catches for 437 yards and 2 scores.

With All (and Louis Hansen) entering the transfer portal, Luke Schoonmaker making a run at the NFL, and Joel Honigford running out of eligibility, Michigan will go from a very proven tight end room in 2022 to a questionable depth chart in 2023. It’s always a strong tight end room at Michigan, but here’s the depth chart headed into next season with the player’s career reception total alongside:

• Colston Loveland (So.): 12
• Max Bredeson (RS Jr.): 5
• Matt Hibner (RS Jr.): 2
• Marlin Klein (RS Fr.): 0
• Zack Marshall (Fr.): 0
• Deakon Tonielli (Fr.): 0

The odds-on favorite to land All appears to be Iowa, where former Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara is headed.

Cade McNamara, Ex-Wolverine

Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara has entered the transfer portal. The class of 2019 signee won the starting job from Joe Milton in 2020 and held it through 2021, leading the Wolverines to a 12-1 record, a Big Ten championship, and the College Football Playoff.

Unfortunately for McNamara, his 2022 season started by losing his starting job to J.J. McCarthy in week two. As a backup in week three, he hurt his knee, which was followed up by knee surgery and ultimately an entry into the portal.

McNamara completed 267/431 passes (63.1%) during his career at Michigan for 3,181 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He ranks #14 all-time at Michigan in passing yardage despite starting for just over one season.

I gave McNamara a TTB Rating of 65 and assumed he would probably transfer after being stuck behind Dylan McCaffrey and/or Joe Milton. Obviously, I was wrong about the circumstances – and he deserved a higher TTB Rating – but it turns out he is transferring after being knocked down the depth chart, just not in favor of McCaffrey or Milton. The 2021 season was a pretty magical year and McNamara had some great performances, including against Rutgers in 2020, Penn State in 2021, and even Michigan State in 2021, despite the latter being a loss.

It’s hard to blame McNamara for looking for a new opportunity. He had the job and lost it, and his replacement is going to be around for another year or two. McNamara has two seasons of eligibility remaining, and with his resume, he could potentially go elsewhere and earn a starting job for the next two years. He could even end up still playing in the Big Ten; Iowa (Spencer Petras) and Purdue (Aidan O’Connell) both have quarterbacks graduating after this season.

Michigan is now down to McCarthy, walk-on Davis Warren, and redshirt freshmen Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal. The Wolverines appear not to be interested in taking a quarterback in the class of 2023. Unless they go after a player in the transfer portal, the depth will be rather thin in 2023 and, in my opinion, not very talented outside of McCarthy and Warren. However, some Michigan people seem to believe that it opens the door for an early contribution from Charlotte (NC) Providence Day quarterback Jadyn Davis, who is thought to be a Michigan lean.