Michigan Wolverines get promising news on key transfer portal addition as spring football approaches

Kyle Whittingham’s prized transfer portal win in edge defender John Henry Daley shared a positive injury update

Travis May — College Football Managing Editor
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The Michigan Wolverines are having to completely revamp their pass rush and a few other key areas on the roster as the Kyle Whittingham era begins in Ann Arbor.

One of the most important players that could make or break the 2026 college football season for the Michigan Wolverines is John Henry Daley, an edge rusher who came over from Utah with Kyle Whittingham via the transfer portal this offseason. Unfortunately, he ruptured his Achilles back in November, so he won’t be able to do much as spring football kicks off soon. The good news? He offered an injury update that Michigan fans should be excited to hear.

John Henry Daley’s recovery going “better than expected”

First off, for those unfamiliar with John Henry Daley, he is an absolute beast of a pass rushing force and Michigan is lucky to have him on their team in 2026.

Daley had lived completely under the radar for his first two collegiate seasons, playing less than 100 total snaps on defense, but then 2025 happened. Daley finally earned a full-time starting role and never looked back, tallying at least one sack seven games in a row to begin last fall for Utah. He slowed down a bit from there prior to rupturing his Achilles against Kansas State, but Daley tallied over 50 pressures, double-digit sacks, and blew up nearly 30 run plays for neutral or negatives gains in 2025 alone.

When Daley interviewed with The Wolverine recently, he shared how phenomenal the recruiting process was, and how special he already feels Michigan is to him, but most importantly (to fans) how quickly he’s recovering from his injury.

Daley said that his recovery is, “going better than expected,” and that, “Everybody’s blown away with the progress [he] has made so far.”

Initially, when Daley tore his Achilles, it was immediately assumed that it would be six or more months before he could do much of anything on a football field, let alone back to full speed. However, given the positive updates (from both Daley and apparently his surgeon), Wolverines fans can perhaps expect to see him out on the football in time for the summer activities. And wow, does Michigan need him back healthy as soon as possible.

The Wolverines just sent Derrick Moore, Jaishawn Barham, and TJ Guy off to the 2026 NFL Draft this spring — the team’s three most productive edge rushers from 2025. The team does return Cameron Brandt, but he is the only true edge defender on the 2026 roster that saw even 200 snaps of defensive action last year for Michigan. There could be major depth issues along the defensive edge, even after Daley returns from injury.

New Michigan head coach Whittingham will definitely need Daley to step up as the direct replacement for Derrick Moore this season (who himself tallied double-digit sacks last year). Brandt tallied just one sack on the season. Dominic Nichols managed one too. Outside of those two options and Daley, the Michigan defense is looking extremely inexperienced on the edges. The good news? Daley sounds like he’s well on his way to being back and healthy.

We’ll be back with more Michigan Wolverines coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news.

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