Indiana transfer WR Donaven McCulley has an opportunity to be a top target for Michigan this season. Here is his path to Michigan and his outlook for the 2025 season:
When the 2024 season ended, it was clear the Michigan Wolverines needed to address some offensive positions in the transfer portal. Michigan had one of the worst offenses in the country last year, and the lack of a passing game was a big reason why.
To try to improve the pass game, the Wolverines went out and brought in some new talent, and one of those players is wide receiver Donaven McCulley.
The story so far
McCulley was a four-star recruit in high school at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. However, McCulley was a quarterback at this point. He ended up committing to Indiana as a quarterback, but he eventually made the transition to wide receiver.
Before transferring to Michigan, McCulley spent four years at Indiana. He started four games at quarterback as a freshman and is one of only three players ever to start at quarterback as a true freshman at Indiana.
McCulley made the switch to wide receiver during his sophomore season, and he hauled in his first career touchdown reception in a game against Illinois. The 2023 season was a big one for McCulley, as he ended the year with 48 receptions for 644 yards and six touchdowns. He was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention.
Last season, McCulley appeared in just four games for the Hoosiers and had just two catches for 21 yards and a touchdown. He left the team just a few weeks into the season and decided to enter the portal and commit to Michigan.
Outlook for 2025 season
McCulley was recruited by Michigan for a reason. The coaching staff believes he can be key player for this offense. While quarterback play was a big issue last year, the talent at the wide receiver position was certainly a problem as well. Because of that, the opportunity will be there for McCulley to be a top receiver on this team.
Fans were hoping to see McCulley paired up with freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood during this year’s spring game, but they ended up being put on different teams. McCulley was with sophomore Jadyn Davis, and he had one reception for 25 yards.
McCulley and Underwood are good enough to form an elite connection that this Michigan team did not have last season. McCulley showed he can put up big numbers during his junior year at Indiana, and that was on a team that was one of the worst in the conference. With an elite quarterback like Underwood, the sky is the limit for a guy like McCulley.
The offense was the issue for Michigan last season, and if the unit was just okay, the team probably would’ve made the College Football Playoff. New additions like McCulley should help bring the offense back to a level that can compete for championships.