TJ Metcalf received an offer from Michigan out of high school, but he chose Arkansas. He excelled for the Razorbacks defensively last year, and he is now ready to make a similar impact for the Wolverines:
The transfer portal is a major part of the offseason in today’s era, and the Michigan Wolverines brought in a lot of intriguing talent this year. One new player is defensive back TJ Metcalf, who transferred in from Arkansas with his brother, Tevis.
TJ is one of many transfers who came to the program this offseason, and his Michigan career will begin in a little over a month. Without further ado, let’s take a look at his path to Michigan and his outlook for the 2025 season.
The story so far
Metcalf was a three-star prospect in the 2023 class. The Alabama native did have an offer from Michigan out of high school, but he decided to take his talents to Arkansas after playing high school football at Pinson Valley.
As a true freshman during the 2023 season, Metcalf made an instant impact. He was able to find the field in all 12 games and tallied 15 tackles and one fumble recovery.
After a promising freshman campaign, Metcalf came back ever stronger last season. He was a force for the Arkansas defense, finishing the season with 56 tackles, seven passes defended, three interceptions and one forced fumble.
Metcalf’s talent was on full display during a matchup against Auburn last season. He became the first player in program history to have two interceptions, two pass breakups and a forced fumble all in one game. He can do it all defensively.
Outlook for 2025
Metcalf is exactly the type of player you want to bring in from the portal. He is coming to Michigan with a lot of good experience, and he excelled at his previous stop. All in all, that is a perfect recipe for Metcalf to have a major role in Ann Arbor this fall.
As you can see from what he was able to do at Arkansas, Metcalf can flat out play. After losing talented players from the secondary like Will Johnson, Quentin Johnson, Aamir Hall and Makari Paige, there are some openings for new players to earn starting roles this season, and Metcalf should have a good shot at getting one of them.
The first two years of his career were incredibly promising, and seeing the leap Metcalf took last offseason should make Michigan fans optimistic about what they might see from him this year. Metcalf should be a major impact player for this defense.