Michigan Football: Wolverines after mammoth DT in transfer portal

Michigan football continues its quest to add a defensive tackle in the transfer portal and on Tuesday the Wolverines offered Jordan Whittley. 

After spring practices have concluded, a flurry of players have entered the transfer portal including Jordan Whittley on Tuesday, who got an immediate offer from Michigan football.

This could be a case where the Wolverines were monitoring the situation. Whittley is an interesting prospect. He’s going to be a seventh-year player next season and medically redshirted in 2020.

But in terms of big bodies, Whittley certainly fills that role. He’s listed at 6-foot-2, 330 pounds, which is exactly the type of body Michigan football needs in the middle. The Wolverines have Mazi Smith and Chris Hinton, but little other depth, especially at nose tackle.

Back in 2019, Whittley was dealing with injuries, but when he was on the field, was productive for Oregon State with 13 tackles, including three for loss in nine games.

Yet, according to Oregon Live, he has struggled with weight issues and didn’t take part in spring practices except for working out on the sidelines. He was also reported as out of the spring game due to COVID-19 related issues.

What are Michigan’s chances?

Whittley was offered by San Jose State when he was a JUCO prospect back in 2019 when Courtney Morgan was with the Spartans, so there could be a connection there or at least some familiarity.

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At the very least, Morgan gives Michigan more connections on the West Coast, and judging by how quickly the Wolverines pounced, I’d say they have a good shot here.

Over the last day, since Whittley entered the portal, Michigan remains his only offer and the fact is that the Wolverines have a glaring need at his position, meaning if he can stay healthy, he would get a chance for significant playing time.

Even though he’s 330 pounds, Whittley was formerly a running back. He’s also a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.

And with very few nose-tackle types available in the portal, Michigan really needs to close here because it cannot go into 2021 with its current depth chart at defensive tackle.

That’s not even saying Whittley would start or anything, but the depth is worrisome and the run defense could desperately use more 300-pounders.