Drake Nugent is one of the best centers in the country. Josh Wallace is part of the nation’s top-ranked defense. James Turner has been the reliable kicker all season.
Michigan is 13-0, ranked No. 1, and set to play Alabama in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl. That success is partly due to the transfers Michigan added in the offseason.
Michigan did not need to overhaul its roster last winter. The Wolverines had won two straight Big Ten championships and reached the playoff both years. If the team was a culinary creation, head chef Jim Harbaugh simply needed a dash of this, a pinch of that.
Michigan brought in 11 players through the transfer portal. Almost all of them have contributed in meaningful ways during games.
“All of those guys have been part of the culture,” Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore said about the transfers on his side of the ball. His words apply to everyone. “They’ve made it so easy for the transition from us to them and for them to us. Couldn’t ask for a better group of guys.”
Michigan’s offensive line was voted the best in college football the past two years, and six players with starting experience returned this year. Yet Michigan still sought reinforcements. Moore, the offensive line coach, told the group before the season it would take 10 players to achieve their goals.
Michigan added LaDarius Henderson from Arizona State and Drake Nugent from Stanford; both were team captains last season and have fit seamlessly at Michigan. Henderson has started eight games at left tackle and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection. So was Nugent, who’s one of three finalists for the Rimington Trophy, given to the country’s top center. Another transfer lineman from Stanford, Myles Hinton, has made five starts.
