Michigan’s offense is adding a veteran presence at quarterback in Texas Tech transfer Alan Bowman, who announced his decision to commit to the Wolverines on Sunday.
Bowman entered the transfer portal on January 25, and is a graduate transfer, so he will be eligible immediately for Michigan. He threw for 1,602 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season for Texas Tech and brings three years of experience to the table.
The Wolverines saw quarterback Joe Milton enter the transfer portal on February 18, after Dylan McCaffrey entered the portal on January 21. That left Michigan with only Cade McNamara, who threw for 425 yards and five touchdowns last season, and incoming freshman, J.J. McCarthy, the No. 25 ranked recruit overall and the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the class.
Lets get to work!! #GoBlue 〽️ pic.twitter.com/8k4c58obxK
— Alan Bowman (@alanbowman_) February 28, 2021
Bowman gives Michigan another option and some experience to help the offense that ranked 78 in offensive yards per game and 44 in pass yards per game.
The Wolverines also added to the defense on Sunday when ESPN Junior 300 cornerback Will Johnson, the No. 29 ranked recruit overall, committed to the program.
Johnson is the top in-state recruit from Grosse Point South in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He chose the Wolverines over Arizona State, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC, and is now the highest ranked commitment in Michigan’s 2022 class.
Johnson is now following in his father’s footsteps, Deon Johnson, who also played cornerback for the Wolverines in the early 1990s.
The commitment is important for Michigan as its adding in an elite player to its secondary, a group that struggled in the 2020 season, but also because it looked at one point as though Johnson could commit to a different school. He is good friends with ESPN Jr. 300 defensive back Domani Jackson, who committed to USC.
The two had said they wanted to be a package deal, but Johnson went on his own and is now headed to Michigan. It seemed as though Ohio State had gained momentum at one point in his recruitment as well, especially with some uncertainty around Michigan’s defense when Jim Harbaugh fired Don Brown.
Harbaugh hired Mike Macdonald as co-defensive coordinator from the Baltimore Ravens and also added Maurice Linguist from the Dallas Cowboys as the other co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach.
Linguist had stints 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 total commitments with Johnson and Jones as the only two ranked in the ESPN Jr. 300.