Michigan brought in some key additions during the latest transfer portal window
Josh Newberg brought in The Wolverine's EJ Holland to discuss some of the Wolverines' biggest portal additions during the cycle.Moa was enrolled at Utah, but with Whittingham and other staff members coming to Ann Arbor, Moa, who can play both defensive back and wide receiver, decided to join them at Michigan.
"Big time addition, man," Holland said. "Two-way player who can do a lot of different things. You put him in the secondary and he can play corner, he can play nickel, he can play safety. Do it all guy. He wants to be a wide receiver. Utah initially recruited him as a wide receiver, and I think he's a guy who can come in and make an immediate impact in the slot or on the outside.""Smith Snowden was a big time addition," said Holland. "Cornerback from Utah, another versatile prospect—kind of like a Salesi Moa in a sense that he played corner, he played a little bit of receiver, he played nickel. There's a lot to like about him. He's an upper-classman, only one year of eligibility. Michigan needed some help in the secondary after losing some guys to the portal following the coaching change. Nov 29, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Utah Utes cornerback Smith Snowden intercepts a UCF pass and scores a touchdown during the second half at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images "I think Smith Snowden is a fantastic prospect, he's a great kid, he fits that Michigan mold. I think he can be a guy who, not only make an impact on the field but is a big time leader in the locker room."While the Wolverines didn't land any household names at the linebacker spot, they did fill some much needed holes with Cole Sullivan now at Oklahoma, plus Jimmy Rolder and Jaishawn Barham off to the NFL Draft. Despite not making a huge splash, Holland believes the staff brought in a couple of solid players at the position to help the position group overall in Nathaniel Staehling from North Dakota State and Aisea Moa from Michigan State and Max Alford from BYU. "Nathaniel Staehling might not be the biggest name, but he was an addition from a quality FCS program in North Dakota State," Holland said. "Had more than 90 tackles last year, was a team captain. He has one year of eligibility. Wouldn't be surprising to see him come in and compete for a starting job. "They added Aisea Moa coming over from Michigan State. He's more of a depth piece, but he understands the scheme, he played at BYU early on in his career under new Michigan defensive coordinator Jay Hill. They added Max Alford from BYU, another guy who understands the scheme. I think Staehling and Snowden, those were two really key additions for Michigan here in the transfer portal late to go along with the splash victory over Salesi Moa." Michigan State's Evan Boyd WR Aisea Moa, left, tackles Boston College's urbo Richard during the third quarter on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesSeth began writing on Michigan athletics in 2015 and has remained in the U-M media space ever since, which includes stops at Maize N Brew and Rivals before coming onto Michigan On SI in June of 2025. Seth has covered various angles of Michigan football and basketball, including recruiting, overall team coverage and feature/analysis stories relating to the Wolverines. His passion for Michigan sports and desire to tell stories led him to the sports journalism world. He is a 2020 graduate of Western Michigan University and is the former sports editor of the Western Herald, WMU's student newspaper.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
ME’s office identifies man found dead inside vehicle after West Side shootingThe Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified a man found dead inside a vehicle on the West Side.
Read more »
Family identifies man killed by car in Millcreek auto-pedestrian crashThe man killed in an auto-pedestrian crash in Millcreek has been idenfitied as 41-year-old AnthonyThe sister of the victim in the fatal Millcreek auto-pedestria
Read more »
100 vehicles pile up in Michigan crash as snowstorm moves across the countryMore than 100 vehicles smashed into each other or slid off the interstate in Michigan as snow fueled by the Great Lakes blanketed the state.
Read more »
Man behind deadly attack on Mormon church in Michigan called in other threats to 'divert' policeSenior Breaking News Reporter
Read more »
Michigan church gunman called 911 with bomb threat minutes before attack that killed 4, injured 8Gunman Thomas Jacob Sanford made his own call to emergency dispatchers minutes before he drove to a Michigan church in September.
Read more »
Michigan Football Ranked in Final 2025 AP Top 25 PollWhile the Wolverines ended 2025 on a bad note, Michigan remained ranked in the final one.
Read more »