Michigan Wolverines and Sherrone Moore are all in for a strong rebound after failing to defend their national championship. Naturally, the Wolverines have their eyes set on the recruiting front. Coach Moore has already sorted the long-standing QB drama, swooping in the one-of-a-kind, Bryce Underwood, against a whopping $10.5 million. The damage control of an upsetting 8-5 also includes a strategic addition in the coaching room: OC Chip Lindsey is already out on a journey to set a benchmark standard in the Michigan offense and makes the Underwood era an unforgettable epoch in its own right. But Moore is still falling short, it seems…

Lindsey and Moore are not leaving a single stone unturned in their hard pursuit of skilled players to surround their jewel aka Underwood—going out of their way to reignite old connections and relationships to grab potential targets and emerging talents. Because, as expected, Underwood won’t be able to do it alone at Ann Arbor. Even Tom Brady needed Gronk and Edelman. In essence, the wide receiver spot demands Moore’s highest attention, which was further discussed by some industry insiders…

On January 24, The Big Ten Huddle Podcast’s Jon “JR” Rhodes pointed out the red zone issues at length, and noted, ”Head coach Sherrone Moore has been busy. This offseason snagging some big name recruits and some big name transfers, but still has some room because there are still some glaring needs on this roster if Michigan wants to get back to the college football playoffs in 2025, and Michigan’s wide receiver room is pretty thin and they do not just win last year, but they’ve also had guys leave.”

Notably, Moore seems to be well aware of this and has already landed the first commitment out of the transfer portal, Donaven McCulley, on December 13 last year. He is the quarterback-turned-wide receiver who had been an asset for Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers. Moore also brought in Anthony Simpson, who had a remarkable career at Arizona and UMass—where he appeared in just three games during the 2024 season. Simpson had 57 catches for 792 yards at UMass in 2023. In his career at Arizona and UMass, he put together 1,434 total yards.

JR deemed these as good moves to start with but still stated, ”They’re still lacking that go-to receiver on the outside. Michigan might not have any interest, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go after the former Texas wide receiver, Johntay Cook II. Listen to me for a second. Cook left the Washington program and is now available again in the transfer portal. Finding this new school or finding a school that needs a number one option and has a strong culture to help Cook could just be exactly what he needs.”

Cook moved on from Sarkisian and Texas in early November after mounting eight receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns. After an extremely short stint at Washington, the DeSoto (Texas) High School alumni is again making noise at the portal as one of the hottest WR commodities. His numbers and intangibles would be a good promise to Moore’s premium offense. However, a Sports Illustrated report from January 15 indicates that the 20-year-old might be heading toward the Oregon Ducks.

And this isn’t even the first time Cook has been associated with the Ducks. Before he made his transfer to the Huskies, Cook’s suspicious social media activity in November last year piqued the community’s interest. The WR had reportedly changed his Instagram profile picture to a photo of himself in Oregon gear, taken during an official visit in 2022. Now that Cook is free again, Sherrone Moore might have some tough competition in securing him.

”Other names like Notre Dame’s Jayden Thomas and Deion Colzie have been floated around as potential fits, but in my opinion, neither of them fits that number one option role,’‘ JR added. Despite not going down with the top tier, it’s safe to say Moore has at least some good guys on his bucket.

As for Thomas—who spent the last four seasons with The Fighting Irish—he’s reportedly set to visit the Auburn Tigers campus in the coming weeks, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.

But whether it would make justice to a recent Bryce Underwood threat is a question to be asked…

Is Bryce Underwood’s stardom at stake?

Bryce Underwood has already started practicing to be the best for the Wolverines in the coming season. He is showing every sign of the showstopper in the making. But wait, Michigan’s other top recruit is also catching some eyes. If the Wolverines swoop CJ Sadler in, they would have a double benefit. As per the 247Sports composite, Sadler flexes a 78th national rank and a few dozen offers on his table.

Sadler led Cass Tech to a state title. With a heck of 51 receptions for 1,043 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior under his belt, The Michigan High School Football Player of the Year is showcasing strong command over his craft and a potential pain in the neck for the ultimate Michigan mogul, Bryce Underwood.

Like Charles Woodson and Jabrill Peppers, Sadler intends to make contributions from both sides of the ball. Well, college football is not the NFL. So, he can at least try his hand at offense and defense at a time. He has the element in him to excel as a rare breed. He last visited Ann Arbor this past fall, and it chances are high that we get to see him back on campus sooner rather than later.

According to Michigan insider Aidan Sen, the program is chasing CJ as a pass-catcher, his main area of action. But with his lofty two-way goals, do we get an early Mike Sainristil clone vibe? Well, not sure, but he’s shaping up.