Analyst Identifies Michigan's Biggest Transfer Portal Additions

New Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff brought in 19 players from the transfer portal during the Jan. 2-16 window to bolster the Wolverines' roster for the 2026 season and beyond.

On a recent episode of Rivals' The Inside Scoop, Josh Newberg brought in The Wolverine's EJ Holland to discuss some of the Wolverines' biggest portal additions during the cycle.

Salesi Moa

Michigan received a commitment from Moa late last week, coming over from Utah to join Whittingham and the Wolverines.

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.

Holland broke down Moa's game while saying he is the Wolverines' biggest addition out of the 19.

"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

Outside of the Moa addition, Holland said Utah transfer cornerback Smith Snowden was another key addition for the Wolverines.

Snowden committed to Michigan last Tuesday.

"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.

Smith Snowden scores touchdown — Nov 29, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Utah Utes cornerback Smith Snowden (2) 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."

Much needed additions at linebacker

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 (Salesi's older brother) 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."

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