Michigan football adds 4 defensive backs via transfer portal in 3 days

Transfers from Albany, Tennessee, Michigan State, UNLV join defending national champs

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore. (David Dermer, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan football addressed one of the few weaknesses on its roster by adding four defensive backs in the transfer portal over three days.

The Wolverines brought back several key members of their national championship defense this season, including Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Josaiah Stewart, and Derrick Moore along the line and Will Johnson at cornerback.

But the secondary has been hit by some unexpected attrition. Star safety Rod Moore suffered what might be a season-ending injury and Keon Sabb transferred to Alabama.

That leaves plenty of question marks surrounding Johnson in the defensive backfield.

New head coach Sherrone Moore took some big steps toward addressing those issues late last week, when he landed four defensive backs out of the transfer portal between Thursday and Saturday.

The first commitment came from Aamir Hall, a cornerback out of Albany. He was ranked a three-star prospect in the transfer portal.

Next came former Tennessee and Louisville safety Wesley Walker and former Michigan State safety Jaden Mangham. They were both three-star prospects in the portal.

Finally, Ricky Johnson III, from UNLV, joined the Wolverines. He is also a three-star transfer.

Hall, Walker, and Johnson are all listed at 6-foot-1, and Mangham is 6-foot-2. It was a nice few days for Moore and Michigan, as the secondary added some much-needed depth and size.


About the Author

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.

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