Potential of the transfer portal on the 2020 roster
Still a lot of interesting football left to play this season, but it was mentioned that Michigan offered a JUCO cornerback over the weekend (which sounds like now, may not actually be the case). In any event, I wanted to take a quick look at the transfer portal for the 2020 season and see if this might be a way to patch some of the holes that occurred from some misses on the recruiting trail.
Michigan has taken and pursued a few 5th year guys, but to date have not utilized the transfer portal much for guys with multiple years of eligibility to address the roster.
Do you think this is the year they should take a look, especially given the current depth situation at cornerback and defensive tackle? Here's a few players that might be intriguing:
Mannie Netherley: Cornerback, LSU - Class of '17 | 4*, #251 overall 24/7 (WR)
Devin Bush (hah): Cornerback, Arkansas - Class of '19 | 4*, #260 overall, #28 CB 24/7
Ken Montgomery Jr: Cornerback, Maryland - Class of '18 | 4*, #359 overall, #33 CB 24/7
Karter Johnson: SDE, TCU - Class of '19 | 4*, #360 overall, #26 DT 24/7
Robert Porcher IV: DT, Virgina Tech - Class of '17 | 3*, #656 overall, #41 WDE 24/7
If it can be layered in properly, the portal seems like a great tool to utilize in February to help mitigate any of the recruiting misses from the most recently finished recruiting cycle. Without an eligibility waiver, these guys obviously wouldn't be able to make an impact on the 2020 season.
Still, I wouldn't mind seeing the staff make use of this resource in recruiting so some of the position groups don't fall off a cliff like they have in the past if we strikeout on our top prep targets.
Interested to get the boards thought - or just neg the shit out of me lol, either way. My first attempt at a post, so I'll see how it goes.
November 18th, 2019 at 11:38 PM ^
Weren't they in on Porcher for a while?
And if we can get another Danna, hecksa yeah.
November 19th, 2019 at 10:49 AM ^
Robert Porcher as in YTRP?
November 19th, 2019 at 11:32 AM ^
Has to be...right?
November 19th, 2019 at 11:43 AM ^
YTRP'sSon
November 18th, 2019 at 11:46 PM ^
Highly doubt it. For the most part, transfers are damaged goods. The exception is quarterbacks, which could be a very possible option depending on CJ Stroud
November 18th, 2019 at 11:58 PM ^
I do agree with you to some degree, you're going to find guys in the portal that have character issues, or just don't have the attitude it takes to perform at the high P5 level and just haven't realized that's on them, not the football program they're at.. but not always the case.
I wouldn't necessarily call our guys damaged goods that are in the portal (J'Marick Woods, Keith Washington, Benjamin St. Juste, etc.). I think more likely, they looked at the depth chart and realized, they aren't getting on the field. The other thing you see is guys that committed to a program that cratered, and they want to go somewhere where they can win some games.
Definitely agree you're going to have to vet carefully, because you will come across some guys who's attitudes aren't going to allow them to contribute positively to a program. Would be interesting to know if some programs create a recruiting analyst position responsible for evaluating the transfer portal for potential contributors to the team.
November 19th, 2019 at 12:05 AM ^
Yea but Michigan is a caliber of program that sends guys to Minnesota and West Virginia, not vice versa. If a guy isn't good enough to play for a big program, probably isnt good enough to play for Michigan. And Keith Washington wasn't a depth chart thing.
November 19th, 2019 at 12:12 AM ^
Mike Danna?
Probably won't find a CeeDee Lamb in the portal, but there are plenty of high quality transfers out there. I'd pay attention to see if there is any fall out from off-season coaching changes.
November 19th, 2019 at 12:40 AM ^
Danna was a very rare exception. He probably could (should?) have gone to the NFL and yet he risked coming to Michigan knowing he might not even start. Very few guys will take that kind of chance when they could probably make an NFL practice squad or better.
It certainly is worth checking the portal and kicking the tires on some guys that might be exceptions to the rule that transfers usually are damaged goods but it's also not worth getting hopes up if you're a program like Michigan.
Ohio State is starting two transfers on offense this year, one on the interior line which is, like DE for Danna, a position that you wouldn't expect a guy to be good enough at a program like OSU. The margin is so thin between being NFL ready and being useful at a top program.
November 19th, 2019 at 8:49 AM ^
Jonah Jackson OG was a Rutgers grad transfer. I believe he made a 3rd team Big Ten list last year. Has been a good player this year.
Justin Fields is our Shea Patterson. We were fortunate to land him.
November 19th, 2019 at 12:43 PM ^
I agree that we should be recruiting and developing our QBs, but JH's track record at Michigan for QB development, whether directly or through other coaches, is not very good.
I say get the best QB on the field we can, through whatever means we have. Hell, Russell Wilson was a transfer....
November 19th, 2019 at 9:06 PM ^
TF you talking about—JH coached Ruedock into the NFL, Wilton was leading the big ten in QB rating when he was hurt against Iowa and never recovered fully, Shea has been slow, but improving of late (doesn’t help that he’s had 3 offenses in 3 years). Jury still out on McCaffrey and Milton. No one could have helped o’Korn.
November 19th, 2019 at 1:25 PM ^
Again, Grad Transfers and QBs are not the same as regular transfers. JJ is a GT, Shea and Fields are QB transfers
November 19th, 2019 at 1:24 AM ^
Mike Danna is a rare grad transfer up. And he's a depth guy because the recruiting at his position was poor in the years prior. Ohio State has a guard, Alabama has a WR, that's normal. Grad Transferring up is different than transferring. Transfers, outside the QB position, are very damaged goods that rarely work out as well.
November 19th, 2019 at 1:35 AM ^
The opposite of damaged goods is true of Mike Danna.
I think I read Danna thought he'd get noticed more by the pros if he did well at Michigan that has been a D Lineman factory.
And he's doing so great! Man, I love him!
November 19th, 2019 at 6:46 AM ^
Agreed. Danna may not be a star, but he's that solid contributor that every team needs. The only thing wrong with him is that we can only have him for one year.
November 19th, 2019 at 1:33 AM ^
I wondered about Abrey Solomon wanting to leave Michigan. I talked to a friend at work about how Nick Saban wanted him very badly, and it was a big victory for Michigan to get him instead. I told him Nick Saban wanted him so bad that he spent the last Thursday evening before signing day at Solomon's house waiting for him to come home. I had read Solomon knew Saban was at his house, so he stayed away until late. Solomon's mom spent the night keeping Saban company. Right away my friend said, "He wanted to stay away from Alabama because Nick Saban would have worked him too hard, and expected too much". It struck a note with me that it could be true, because Solomon did not live up at all to expectations at Michigan, and he isn't doing much at Tennessee too.
Like you say, QBs might work out great, like Joe Burrow and Justin Fields. But everyone else, it's meh, maybe no.
November 19th, 2019 at 7:04 AM ^
Yeah, because jim harbaugh is known for running a country club?
Your friend is a moron.
November 19th, 2019 at 7:58 AM ^
Just the friend? Creature appears to agree with the hearsay and innuendo.
At every level of sports there are some kids that work harder as the competition improves while others rest on past successes (and fail).
November 20th, 2019 at 12:37 AM ^
Oh that I could see you call my friend a moron to his face. But if you saw him you never would.
November 19th, 2019 at 7:50 AM ^
I like the version of the story you could tell where he's a hero for making Saban stay up all night and proving so faithful to Michigan. Not the one you told with the bogus morality tale tossed in at the end.
November 20th, 2019 at 12:30 AM ^
Saban didn't stay up all night. And it's not made up. Look it up for yourself.
Actually I'm not following what you're saying.
November 19th, 2019 at 9:08 AM ^
Old age thinking. Transfer portal is growing in numbers each successive year and many players are high caliber - like Justin Fields, Jalen Hurts, Aubrey Solomon....
November 19th, 2019 at 1:22 PM ^
You notice the part where I said that Quarterback is the exception to the rule? Aubrey Solomon has 4 TFLs and 2 sacks this year, he's far from an irreplaceable superstar. People transfer for a reason, Grad Transferring is different than regular transfers.
November 19th, 2019 at 10:57 AM ^
I wouldn't consider a player like Devin Bush (2019) to be available because he is damaged goods. He's a freshman that had the foresight to get out of Arkansas before he became damaged goods.
November 19th, 2019 at 1:23 PM ^
I would call leaving your program 6 games into your freshman year being "Damaged Goods"
November 18th, 2019 at 11:51 PM ^
Any USC guys available? I have been really impressed with Josh Imatorbhebhe for Illinois. USC always seems to have a stacked roster and inexplicably lose 4-5 games.
November 19th, 2019 at 12:02 AM ^
Looks like a couple: one of the kids is on his way to Oregon already
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Season/2020-Football/TransferPortal/
November 19th, 2019 at 9:39 AM ^
They will all be staying after Urban is hired as the new coach.
November 19th, 2019 at 12:55 AM ^
I dont know anything about IV, but Robert Porcher III was one hell of a player for the Lions back in the day. Very effective but underrated pass rusher.... long forgotten unfortunately.
November 19th, 2019 at 3:46 AM ^
Long forgotten... by who? He was a former 1st rounder and big part of their defense for years.
November 19th, 2019 at 6:06 AM ^
Never heard of him
November 19th, 2019 at 10:04 AM ^
I didn't forget him. In fact that's the first thing I thought of when I saw the name in the OP.
November 19th, 2019 at 8:00 AM ^
Is he in a time portal headed back to college?
November 19th, 2019 at 8:11 AM ^
I have not forgotten Robert "Every Other Play" Porcher.
November 19th, 2019 at 10:17 AM ^
offsides. number 91. defense. 5 yards...
November 19th, 2019 at 1:23 AM ^
EDIT HERE: re-reading this, it looks like I was a bit harsh. So I backspaced it out.
November 19th, 2019 at 3:28 AM ^
See a lot of southern schools on that list. It’ll be tough to lure any of them up north
November 19th, 2019 at 4:22 AM ^
For the record, Sam Webb said Michigan did NOT offer the JUCO as previously reported.
November 19th, 2019 at 6:29 AM ^
We need more Bush.
November 19th, 2019 at 8:08 AM ^
Take it for what it's worth but Sam just said Isiah Todd's mom says he will sign with Michigan in the spring.
November 19th, 2019 at 9:02 AM ^
This is indeed great news. Hopefully VAGNER returns.
November 19th, 2019 at 8:48 AM ^
Did we recruit any of those guys out of high school? If not, why bring them up? Are they trying to transfer up after blowing up? Or are they just guys we didn't recruit the first time around who now have an additional red flag, in that they're leaving their first program early?
I am fully in favor of recruits being allowed to transfer, but I think you have to treat being in the portal as a red flag for most players. Maybe they couldn't get on the field where they are despite trying. Maybe they bailed without trying. Or maybe they have a problem at their current program not related to the depth chart. If a top program is going to take a guy out of the transfer portal, they've got to figure out what the problem was, and be convinced it isn't going to follow them to the next stop. That's a steep hill to climb.
[Just moving my comment over here from the diary version of this post.]
November 19th, 2019 at 9:53 AM ^
GRAD transfers seem to be just depth guys, with the exceptions of Jake Rudock and Danna. I can count on one hand the amount of juco guys Michigan has taken as far as I know (Russell Shaw and Austin Panter). Way more guys transfer away from Michigan than to Michigan, though a good corner next year would be nice.
November 19th, 2019 at 10:05 AM ^
I put my wife in the transfer portal
She likes it
November 20th, 2019 at 3:54 AM ^
Is your wife a sport, ay?