John Henry Daley, star Utah DE, picks Michigan football for transfer

4 days ago 2

One of the benefits of getting a coach who comes from another school – not to mention the bulk of his staff – is the potential to bring numerous key players along, too.

That's apparently the case for John Henry Daley, the star Utah edge rusher who entered the transfer portal after Kyle Whittingham stepped down at Utah – on Thursday, Jan. 8, he committed to Michigan football to play for Whittingham, the Free Press has confirmed.

The decision was first reported by On3.

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The redshirt sophomore had 48 tackles, including 17½ for loss (tied for best in the country), 11½ sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup in 11 games before a season-ending injry. Daley has already posted on social media that he'll be back from the injury in six months – in plenty of time for the start of the 2026 season.

When he was on the field, Daley was one of the best defensive linemen in the country, earning second-team All-American and All-Big 12 first-team honors.

Daley had several options during his few weeks in the portal, including BYU – where his father and three uncles (including current NFL quarterback Taysom Hill) played – as well as LSU and Notre Dame. But, ultimately, the Wolverines prevailed.

Ty Dieffenbach #7 of the Cal Poly Mustangs is chased out of the pocket by John Henry Daley #90 of the Utah Utes during the first half of their game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on September 6, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

In addition to Whittingham, U-M features Lewis Powell, who was recently named EDGE coach. Coupled with Lou Esposito, one of the top recruiters and an up-and-coming defensive line coach, the appeal for Daley was clear, as he can take another step in his game and, assuming a return from injury at full strength, possibly become an early NFL draft pick in 2027.

Michigan had several key defensive linemen to replace – Derrick Moore, Jaishawn Barham, Tre Williams, Damon Payne, Rayshaun Benny and Ike Iwunnah among them – and this is a major step in restocking the room.

Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: John Henry Daley, star Utah DE, transferring to Michigan football

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