The Michigan offense adds a veteran presence to Texas Tech transfer quarterback Alan Bowman, who announced his decision to commit to the Wolverines on Sunday.
Bowman entered the transfer portal on Jan. 25 and is a graduate transfer, so he will be eligible immediately in Michigan. He threw 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 just Cade McNamara, who threw 425 yards and five touchdowns last season and first-year entry JJ McCarthy, the No. 25-ranked rookie overall and the No. 2 quarterback with double class threat.
Let’s 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 78th in offensive fields per game and 44 in passes per game.
The Wolverines also joined the defense on Sunday when ESPN Junior 300 cornerback Will Johnson, the No. 29 general recruit, committed to the program.
Johnson is the principal recruit in the state of Grosse Point South in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He picked the Wolverines over Arizona State, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC, and is now Michigan’s top-ranked 2022 class commitment.
Johnson now follows in the footsteps of his father, Deon Johnson, who was also a Wolverines quarterback in the early 1990s.
Commitment is important to Michigan, as it adds an elite player to high school, a group that struggled in the 2020 season, but also because it looked at one point as if Johnson could bet on a different school. He’s a good friend of defensive back ESPN Jr. 300, Tomorrow Jackson, who committed to USC.
The two had said they wanted to be a pack, but Johnson went on his own and is now heading to Michigan. It looked like Ohio State had also picked up momentum at one point in its recruitment, especially with some uncertainty about Michigan’s defense when Jim Harbaugh fired Don Brown.
Harbaugh hired Mike Macdonald as co-defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens and also added Maurice Linguist of the Dallas Cowboys as the other co-defensive coordinator and assistant coach.
The linguist has had stays 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, Taylor Groves and athlete Kody Jones to the class. The Wolverines now have six total engagements with Johnson and Jones as the only two ranked in ESPN Jr. 300.