Former Utah TE JJ Buchanan has committed to Michigan Football out of the transfer portal, rejoining head coach Kyle Whittingham in Ann Arbor: …
The Wolverines added a high-quality player at a position of need, as former Utah tight end JJ Buchanan has committed to Michigan through the transfer portal.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Henderson, Nevada native was a four-star recruit coming out of high school in the 2025 class. He played in all 13 games for the Utes as a true freshman this past season, catching 26 passes for 427 yards and five touchdowns. He saved his best game of the season for last, putting up a four-catch, 76-yard and one-touchdown performance in the Las Vegas Bowl against Nebraska.
Among P4 freshmen WRs & TEs, Utah TE JJ Buchanan ranked:
-16th in receptions (26)
-15th in receiving yds (427)
-5th in TDs (5)
-5th in yds/reception (16.4)
-1st in contested catches (10, PFF)Now in the transfer portal, Michigan will pursue him stronglypic.twitter.com/Ge22YpxGPu
— Zach Shaw (@_ZachShaw) January 7, 2026
Given the fact that Marlin Klein declared for the 2026 NFL Draft and Brady Prieskorn entered the transfer portal — and four-star recruit Matt Ludwig backed out of his letter of intent — Michigan was in dire need of another player at the tight end position this offseason.
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But Buchanan is not just another body in the room — he is an excellent addition with high upside that has experience under head coach Kyle Whittingham. He has some work to do in the blocking aspect of his game (59.7 run blocking grade on PFF this past season), but he should still be able to push Hogan Hansen, Zack Marshall and Deakon Tonielli for immediate playing time.
Buchanan will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Source: Utah News