Transfer portal defensive tackle sets Michigan visit
Michigan Wolverines football will get a visit from Kent State defensive tackle transfer CJ West beginning next Wednesday, sources told TheWolverine.com‘s EJ Holland.
Michigan offered West last week. A 6-foot-2, 315-pounder, West has also received offers from Texas A&M, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Colorado, Kansas State, Miami (Fla.), Rutgers, Indiana and LSU since entering the NCAA transfer portal April 16.
West spent four years at Kent State and has one year of eligibility remaining. He’s the No. 17 overall player and fourth-best defensive lineman among uncommitted prospects in the transfer portal, according to On3’s Rankings.
The Kent State standout has a connection with Michigan, having played high school football with former U-M quarterback J.J. McCarthy and current junior wide receiver Tyler Morris at La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy. West was also offered by Western Michigan as a high school recruit, when current U-M defensive line coach Lou Esposito was on staff with the Broncos.
West is coming off a standout 2023 season for the Golden Flashes, having registered 40 tackles, including 7 behind the line of scrimmage and 2 sacks, with 4 quarterback hurries and 1 forced fumble.
Playing 468 defensive snaps in 12 games, West led his team with an 85.9 overall PFF rating, which ranked sixth nationally and first in the Group of Five (minimum 400 defensive snaps). He also topped the squad with a 79.9 grade as a pass rusher, totaling 14 pressures.
Kent State finished 1-11 overall and 0-8 in the MAC for the season under first-year head coach Kenni Burns. Burns implemented the motto “grit” — ‘growing, responding, doing it with integrity and doing it together’ — which West took to heart.
“It’s pretty much putting that into what we do every day,” West said before last season. “So when the time comes, we can put that on tape and show everybody what we’re really about.”
West totaled 26 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack, which came against eventual national champion Georgia, in 10 games during the 2022 season. He totaled 8 stops for loss, 4 sacks, 1 pass breakup and a fumble recovery to go along with 43 total stops as a sophomore in 2021. West only played in one game, tallying 1 tackle, as a freshman in 2020.
A three-star recruit in the 2020 class, the Michigan target was the No. 1,319 overall player and 117th-best defensive lineman in the country, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
Esposito said earlier last week that Michigan would take a talented player if it can find one in the portal, and West fits the bill.
“It just goes into recruiting,” Esposito said. “It just opened up [Tuesday], and it’s like anything else: We have really good players here, so we’re fortunate in that way, but you’re always looking to upgrade the roster, in recruiting at any level, whether it’s a high school kid or a transfer kid. If you feel that he’s going to help you win, and there’s room for them, you want to upgrade your roster as much as you can.”
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