John Henry Daley. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Star DE John Henry Daley follows Kyle Whittingham to Michigan in transfer portal win for Wolverines

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Jan 8, 2026 8:59 PM ET

John Henry Daley has decided to follow his former head coach in the transfer portal.

Kyle Whittingham, of course, parted ways with the Utah Utes after a long and successful career as head coach in Salt Lake City.

He was a "free agent" when the Michigan Wolverines had to fire Sherrone Moore for cause, and they settled on Whittingham as the best replacement for the next era of Michigan football.

Now it's being reported that Daley, one of Whittingham's stars at Utah, will be following him east to play Big Ten football.

Daley announced that he was entering the portal a few days before it opened on Jan. 2. Now, he's announcing his intention to join the Wolverines:

Go Blue!!〽️ pic.twitter.com/hfJscm63Qa
— John Henry Daley (@JohnHenryDaley1) January 9, 2026

John Henry Daley was a superstar for Utah Utes

What are the Wolverines getting in Daley?

He was a superstar in Salt Lake City. This past season, the 6-foot-4, 255-pound redshirt sophomore who played well enough to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors as well as All-America honors.

He notched 48 tackles, including 17.5 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks for Utah in 2025. That's not bad for a former three-star recruit from American Fork, Utah.

Whittingham clearly knows how to use Daley optimally, and now the Wolverines are going to be the beneficiary of that relationship.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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