Wolverine Digest

Michigan football trending to land key offensive target from transfer portal

This would be a big addition for the Wolverines on the offensive side of the ball
Seth Berry|
Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham speaks as he is being introduced on the floor during the first half between Michigan and USC at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026.
Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham speaks as he is being introduced on the floor during the first half between Michigan and USC at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines are continuing to search in the transfer portal to fill out their roster for 2026.

As coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff are hard at work, it looks like Michigan is primed to land Utah transfer tight end JJ Buchanan, as On3's Pete Nakos has logged a prediction for the former Ute to end up in Ann Arbor.

JJ Buchanan
Dec 31, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Utes tight end JJ Buchanan (81) celebrates after a reception against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the first half during the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Freddie Whittingham, Kyle's younger brother, comes over to Michigan for his first season as the tight ends coach as he spent 14 seasons as a member of the Utah staff, having coached Buchanan directly when they were both in Salt Lake City.

With Marlin Klein having entered the NFL Draft, being able to land Buchanan would be a big win for the Wolverine offense and new offensive coordinator Jason Beck.

Buchanan at Utah

During his freshman season at Utah in 2025, Buchanan hauled in 26 receptions for 427 yards and five touchdowns during the Utes' 10-2 regular season.

He saw action in all 12 of Utah's games this past season, making his first career start at Wyoming.

Buchanan led all freshmen in college football in receiving yards in 2025 and recorded multiple receptions in eight of his past nine regular season games.

His career-high game came against Kansas State, when he caught two passes for 74 yards against the Wildcats, including a 60-yard grab. Buchanan also tallied 65 yards and a score against Kansas, highlighted by a 58-yard reception.

JJ Buchana
Oct 25, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes running back Wayshawn Parker (1) celebrates a touchdown against the Colorado Buffaloes with tight end JJ Buchanan (81) during the first quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

In high school, Buchanan was regarded as a four-star recruit out of Coronado High School, ranking as the fourth-best prospect out of Nevada in his class.

Buchanan complied over 2,000 all-purpose yards during his final two seasons of high school football and was named the 2024 All-Conference Offensive MVP in a year where he had 1,023 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder has three years of eligibility remaining.

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Seth Berry
SETH BERRY

Seth 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.

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