Michigan’s offense is adding a veteran presence to Texas Tech transfer quarterback Alan Bowman, who announced his decision to commit to the Wolverines on Sunday.
Bowman entered the transfer portal on Jan. 25 and is a transfer graduate, so he is immediately eligible for Michigan. He threw for 1,602 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions for Texas Tech last season, bringing three years of experience to the table.
The Wolverines saw quarterback Joe Milton enter the transfer portal on Feb. 18, after Dylan McCaffrey entered the portal on Jan. 21. That left Michigan with only Cade McNamara, who threw for 425 yards and five touchdowns last season, and the incoming freshman JJ McCarthy, the No. 25-ranked recruit overall and the No. 2 double threat quarterback in class.
Let’s get started !! #Go blue 〽 pic.twitter.com/8k4c58obxK
– Alan Bowman (@alanbowman_) February 28, 2021
Bowman gives Michigan another option and some experience to help the offense that was 78th in offensive yards per game and 44 in pass yards per game.
The Wolverines also joined the defense on Sunday when ESPN Junior 300 cornerback Will Johnson, the No. 29 overall recruit, committed to the program.
Johnson is the top recruit from Grosse Point South in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He picked the Wolverines over Arizona State, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC, and is now the highest-ranked bet in Michigan’s 2022 class.
Johnson is now following in the footsteps of his father, Deon Johnson, who also played cornerback for the Wolverines in the early 1990s.
The dedication is important to Michigan because it adds an elite player to its high school, a group that struggled in the 2020 season, but also because at one point it looked like Johnson might commit to another school. He is good friends with ESPN Jr. 300 defensive back Domani Jackson, who is committed to USC.
The two had said they wanted to be a package deal, but Johnson went alone and is now on his way to Michigan. It seemed that the state of Ohio had also gained momentum at some point, especially with some uncertainty about Michigan’s defense when Jim Harbaugh fired Don Brown.
Harbaugh hired Mike Macdonald as co-defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens and also added Maurice Linguist of the Dallas Cowboys as the other co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach.
The linguist has worked with the Dallas Cowboys, Texas A&M, Minnesota, Mississippi, Iowa State, and Buffalo, and is known as an excellent recruiter.
Since hiring Linguist, Michigan has added Johnson, Safety Taylor Groves and athlete Kody Jones to the class. The Wolverines now have six aggregate alliances with Johnson and Jones as the only two ranked in the ESPN Jr. 300.