Michigan was pretty active in the portal this time a year ago, adding several players that would eventually play a role this season. Some came in with great expectations, while others were expected to provide depth.
Today, we’ll be handing out grades for how each of Michigan’s portal additions fared during the 2025 season.
Incomplete grades
QB Mikey Keene, QB Jake Garcia, RB C.J. Hester, RB John Volker, WR Anthony Simpson, IOL Lawrence Hattar, LB Rocco Milia, LS Trent Middleton, K Beckham Sunderland
None of these players
will earn a grade for their performance since they didn’t see the field enough for us to make an adequate judgement. Perhaps the most notable of these players is quarterback Mikey Keene, who transferred in from Fresno State. He was expected to at least be competition for Bryce Underwood, but injuries kept him off the field this year.
WR Donaven McCulley: B
Donaven McCulley was the first addition Michigan made in the portal last offseason. He was billed as a big-bodied field stretcher and played that role at Michigan, but also showed he’s not so bad making plays after the catch. More than a handful of times, he could be seen making contested catches on the sidelines, which made him a good asset to a young quarterback like Underwood. However, he wasn’t the most consistent of players, as he’d have a big game and then seemingly disappear.
Ultimately, the expectations were a bit greater for McCulley coming into the year than what he showed, but he had a solid year nonetheless with 534 yards and three touchdowns.
S T.J. Metcalf: B+
Metcalf was a badly needed addition to the secondary thanks to some attrition in the offseason and Rod Moore’s injury that kept him out for much of the year. He helped lead a group that featured several underclassmen and finished third on the team in tackles with 51. He also broke up three passes and had an interception. His play was stronger at the start of the year, particularly against the run, but he’ll have another chance to prove himself next year if he opts to stay in Ann Arbor for his senior season.
CB Tevis Metcalf: C
After a big spring, we didn’t see the younger Metcalf on the field as much in the fall. He competed for reps at nickel, but ultimately didn’t see the field much with his older brother and a rotating cast taking more of the snaps. The potential seems like it’s there and he’ll have two more years of eligibility to try and crack the starting lineup, perhaps as soon as next year.
IOL Brady Norton: D+
Norton wasn’t expected to have much of a role coming into the 2025 season, but ended up cracking the starting lineup out of fall camp. However, his play was noticeably at a lower level than the rest of the offensive line and he ended up ceding his starting job before the end of September. He’s another guy that still has eligibility though and will look to give it another go in 2026.
DL Damon Payne and DL Tre Williams: C+
With Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant leaving in the offseason, Michigan had some big shoes to fill at defensive tackle. You never want to be the “guy after the guy,” but Damon Payne and Tre Williams did an adequate job this year. Pretty much the entire defensive line (except for Derrick Moore) struggled with rushing the passer, but Payne, Williams and the rest of the rotation did their part in building the run wall and forcing opposing offenses to be one-dimensional.
LB Troy Bowles: C-
Georgia transfer Troy Bowles was mostly a special teams contributor in 2025, but did get a good deal of snaps toward the end of the year when Cole Sullivan and Jimmy Rolder were hurt. Bowles struggled a bit, particularly in coverage, in those games, but he’ll be expected to play a bigger role next year with Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham set to graduate; Rolder has a decision to make as well.
RB Justice Haynes: A+
No doubt about it, Justice Haynes was the most impactful transfer this season and showed that right away. He was Michigan’s starting running back until getting hurt at Michigan State, going for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns, with 50-plus yard runs becoming a staple of nearly every game in the first half of the season. He definitely boosted his draft stock, but could be a candidate to come back for his senior year as well.
One of the reasons Michigan would like him back is the fact that he was able to produce like he did despite injuries limiting him to just seven games this year. Could you imagine what a group of Haynes, Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter could do together in a full season? We’ll wait and see if that comes to fruition.
CB Caleb Anderson: D
Michigan has added a veteran corner from a smaller school each of the past three years. A sixth-year senior, Caleb Anderson didn’t see the field as much as Josh Wallace or Aamir Hall did, and he wasn’t all that impressive when he was on the field. He was noticeably picked on by Julian Sayin and Ohio State in the final game of the regular season, a bitter ending to an underwhelming season for Anderson.
