Michigan lands a huge albatross from transfer portal

The Wolverines just landed one of their biggest transfer portal additions of the offseason, successfully reeling UMass grad Josh Wallace to Michigan.

The Michigan Wolverines were heavily touted to land cornerback Josh Wallace this summer, and now they officially have.

The UMass grad transfer announced his commitment to the Wolverines on Wednesday morning and will be Michigan’s ninth transfer portal acquisition so far this offseason.

The 6-foot, 190-pound defender was a four-year starter and also received warm interest from Virginia Tech, Penn State, Oklahoma, and several other schools. Wallace picked the Wolverines out of the bunch, a not-too-surprising decision that may have been influenced by his UMass head coach, Don Brown, who used to be a defensive coordinator at Michigan.

Wallace’s old school shared plenty of other ties to Ann Arbor — UMass offensive coordinator Steve Casula served as an analyst at Michigan and outside linebackers coach Mike McCray played at Michigan for three seasons — but this was ultimately Wallace’s choice in the end.

The Wolverines have been looking for a second starting cornerback alongside Will Johnson this upcoming season, and Wallace could be their answer.

https://twitter.com/Joshwallace_12/status/1666429817724477441

Josh Wallace commits to Michigan, provides major boost to defense

The two-time captain at UMass arguably posted his best season in his senior campaign, racking up 41 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, and eight pass breakups. Michigan has a thing for going after former team captains, as Wallace will be the fifth former captain the team has added through the transfer portal since December of last year.

Wallace is set to compete against Amorian Walker for that coveted No. 2 cornerback spot. Behind those two, depth corner pieces like Ja’Den McBurrows or Jyaire Hill could also snag an opportunity to earn starting snaps.

Wallace’s leadership and production from his time at UMass should give him an advantage on the roster, and even if he doesn’t grow into a full-time role in Week 1, he still can make an immediate impact and represents a monumental win for the Wolverines who just lost experienced starters D.J. Turner and Gemon Green at the position.

Michigan has wasted no time luring big fish in the transfer portal this offseason: the program shored up nearly every position of need by adding three offensive lineman, an inside linebacker, an edge rusher, tight end, backup quarterback, and kicker.

Wallace is just the latest high-profile addition to the Wolverines’ championship-contending roster, and he most likely won’t be the last.