Michigan Wolverines boost future of the offensive line with intriguing FCS transfer portal target
The Michigan Wolverines scored a big win in the transfer portal on Monday evening, as Cal Poly offensive tackle Brady Norton committed to the Wolverines. According to On3's Industry Consensus Ranking, Norton was the No. 129 overall player and No. 12 interior offensive lineman in the transfer portal. I'm not sure why they had him […]
The Michigan Wolverines scored a big win in the transfer portal on Monday evening, as Cal Poly offensive tackle Brady Norton committed to the Wolverines.
According to On3's Industry Consensus Ranking, Norton was the No. 129 overall player and No. 12 interior offensive lineman in the transfer portal. I'm not sure why they had him rated as an interior lineman when he's been a tackle throughout college, but I digress.
The 6-foot-3, 275-pounder has three seasons of eligibility remaining after spending two at Cal Poly, redshirting in 2023 and starting in 2024. He’s appeared in 14 games with 11 starts.
Norton's arrival stemmed the tide of departures from the Wolverines' offensive line. Four offensive linemen have already entered the transfer portal in Raheem Anderson, Dom Giudice, Andrew Gentry, and Tristan Bounds. Additionally, left tackle Myles Hinton and left guard Josh Priebe are NFL-bound.
Michigan Wolverines offense gets early Christmas present, nabbing highly-coveted transfer receiver
The Michigan Wolverines landed a big splash in the transfer portal Friday evening. Indiana transfer wide receiver Donaven McCulley announced his commitment to Michigan out of the portal. The Wolverines have been pursuing McCulley for months, ever since he first entered the portal in October. He visited Michigan twice, including right after their upset victory […]
It will be interesting to see where Norton lines up for the Wolverines. He has played both tackle spots, but with Evan Link manning right tackle, Norton might stick at left tackle, where he played all 2024.
Greg Crippen and Giovanni El-Hadi will return to their center and right guard spots, respectively. Norton could, theoretically, kick inside to the left guard spot and let Jeffrey Persi play left tackle. However, I can't imagine that would be a strategy the Wolverines would willingly endorse.
As it stands right now, the Wolverines' offensive line for 2025 looks something like this:
LT: Brady Norton
LG: ???
C: Greg Crippen
RG: Giovanni El-Hadi
RT: Evan Link
This likely won't be the last move the Wolverines make on the offensive line. They need plenty of reinforcements to replenish their offensive line at the top and their depth. It was important for Michigan to land Norton, a player who has multiple years of eligibility, as most of their offensive line is running out of years in college football.
However, this is a great start for Michigan as they look to capitalize on their momentum at the end of the season and turn their dismal 2024 offense around in 2025.
