This offseason, Michigan Wolverines football landed three transfers — redshirt sophomore quarterback Alan Bowman (Texas Tech), seventh-year senior defensive tackle Jordan Whittley (Oregon State) and redshirt junior wide receiver Daylen Baldwin (Jackson State) — who have joined or will join the team ahead of the 2021 season. Bowman and Whittley have been on campus, participating in voluntary workouts, for several weeks, while Baldwin is set to begin his Michigan career July 7.
All three did see their names appear on The Athletic‘s list of the top 100 most impactful transfers of the 2021 offseason. And while none of the three additions were high-profile lands for Michigan that received a lot of fanfare, landing on this set of rankings isn’t insignificant, the site’s Max Olson and Bruce Feldman wrote.
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“We’ve consulted with coaches and staffers across the country in the process of building the list of the best transfers in the current portal cycle,” they explained. “The pool of quality transfers is so deep that more than 200 players were seriously considered for this project, and that number still increases each day. The resulting rankings are sorted based on their past production, projected role and feedback from their past or present coaches.”
Baldwin checked in as the No. 62 most significant transfer, while Bowman slotted in behind him at No. 68 and Whittley was ranked at No. 90.
All are capable of winning starting jobs at their respective positions, but none of them have been penciled in just yet. Much of that will be decided during fall camp, but here is a look at the potential impact each can make as it stands right now.
WR Daylen Baldwin
Baldwin was rather unknown a year ago, even to fans of FCS program Jackson State. He sat out the 2019 season due to transfer rules after making a minimal impact in two years at Morgan State, which was his only D-I scholarship offer out of high school.
But during the 2020 season, which was postponed to this spring, Baldwin became a breakout star, leading the Southwestern Athletic Conference in receiving yards (540) and notching 27 catches for seven touchdowns, earning the league’s Newcomer of the Year award and a first-team all-conference pick in the process.
While being briefly recruited by Michigan during his transfer recruitment, the Wolverines’ staff pitched him on the ability to play right away, and we expect him to do just that. While a starting role shouldn’t be ruled out, Baldwin will likely be a No. 2 guy to start, next in line at the outside receiver spot with a chance to take on a bigger role if he proves he can successfully make the jump from the FCS to the Big Ten.
QB Alan Bowman
Bowman is the wildcard in Michigan’s three-man quarterback battle. He has the most experience of the bunch, which also includes redshirt freshman Cade McNamara and true freshman J.J. McCarthy, but he has battled injuries throughout his career and has to pick up U-M’s playbook quickly if he wants to see the field.
McNamara was named Michigan’s starter coming out of the spring, and it’s his job to lose in the fall, but he’s no shoe-in. Bowman, who finished his Red Raider career with 5,260 yards and 33 touchdowns, could surge, and McCarthy, one of the nation’s top 2021 recruits, is improving by the week.
Among the three transfers, Bowman’s impact could vary the most — mostly due to the nature of his position. If he starts, he will clearly be the No. 1 impact transfer. If he is the backup or third-stringer, he’ll be last on this list.
DT Jordan Whittley
Whittley’s career has been riddled with health issues, including a tumor found near his heart that held him out of last season. In 2019, the last season in which he played, he notched 14 tackles, including 3.5 stops for loss, in 237 defensive snaps out of a possible 919, never playing more than 31 plays in a single game for the Beavers.
Michigan needed help on the interior of its defensive line, especially after finishing 79th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game last season (177.2), and Whittley, at the very least, should provide some depth. He’ll compete at nose tackle along with redshirt freshman Mazi Smith and redshirt junior Donovan Jeter.
Due to the fact that there are questions surrounding his conditioning and health, Whittley checks in third among the Michigan players on The Athletic‘s rankings, and that looks about right to us.
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