A second Michigan defender is considering an offseason transfer, paving the way for a two-man clash for the starting position this fall.
Joe Milton, who started the 2020 season as a starting quarterback for the Wolverines, put his name on the NCAA transfer portal, he announced on Thursday.
In a post on social media, Milton said he would join as a transfer graduate – guaranteeing immediate eligibility in 2021 – and with three years of eligibility.
“I want to thank coach (Jim) Harbaugh for giving me the opportunity to play in a program with a lot of tradition,” wrote Milton. “I have ties with my brothers that will last forever.”
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A message to Milton seeking further comment was not immediately returned. But the 1.8m-tall, 100-pound quarterback’s decision is significant for Michigan’s offseason competition in position. Milton was expected to compete for the starting position with Cade McNamara, a redshirt freshman who defeated Milton last fall for the role, and freshman JJ McCarthy.
Milton seemed to regress as the season progressed – completing 74.6% of his 525 yard passes and a touchdown in Michigan’s first two games, only to throw four interceptions and watch his hit percentage drop off a cliff in the next four. In January, Milton displayed a plaster cast on his hand that he threw in a post on social media, suggesting that he may be dealing with an injury.
A former four-star recruit, the native of Pahokee, Florida, appeared in four games as a freshman in 2018. Milton’s fixtures used to be late in games already decided, while he worked to improve his accuracy and touch.
Teammates and coaches have always praised the strength of Milton’s arm and the ability to play football over long distances, creating an aura about him that lasted through 2019 until last spring. With the off-season limited due to the continuing pandemic of COVID-19, Harbaugh and the technical team chose to start Milton as a defender, relying on his athletic build, arm strength and maturity (he was one year ahead of McNamara) to take him to the top.
Milton joins fellow Michigan quarterback Dylan McCaffrey to enter the transfer portal this off-season, after McCaffrey chose not to play the 2020 season with the goal of transferring. McCaffrey recently announced plans to move to the University of Northern Colorado, an FCS school trained by his father, Ed.
The Wolverines now have three scholarship quarterbacks on the list: McNamara, the red-shirted freshman Dan Villari, and McCarthy, a former five-star recruit.