Former Indiana TE AJ Barner to visit Michigan this weekend
TheWolverine.com can confirm, per sources, that former Indiana tight end AJ Barner, who entered the NCAA transfer portal last week, will visit Michigan Wolverines football this coming weekend. Barner has two years of eligibility remaining after playing three seasons with Indiana.
Barner has already visited UCLA and reportedly received interest from Pittsburgh, NC State, Illinois and others, as well. He’s the ninth-best tight end in the portal, according to On3’s rankings.
The 6-6, 250-pounder was selected as a team captain in 2022, when he hauled in 28 receptions for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns in 10 games. He had multiple catches in eight games for the Hoosiers, who finished with 4-8 overall and 2-7 in the Big Ten.
• Michigan football transfer hot board: Tracking portal pursuits for Wolverines
He played 663 offensive snaps, the fifth-most on his team, and was targeted 50 times (third most).
The Michigan transfer target played in 12 games with one start in 2021. He accumulated 14 catches for 162 yards and 1 score, catching 3 or more passes in each of the last three games.
He made 3 games, primarily on special teams, in 2020, registering 4 tackles.
Prior to arriving at Indiana, Barner was a three-star recruit and the No. 1,169 overall player in the 2020 class, according to the On3 Consensus. The Aurora (Ohio) High product had offers from Akron, Ball State and Eastern Kentucky, in addition to Indiana.
Michigan saw senior tight end and team captain Erick All enter the transfer portal Dec. 5, following four seasons with the program. The Maize and Blue have six scholarship tight ends expected to be on the roster next season, headlined by freshman Colston Loveland.
While Loveland will undoubtedly be the leader at the position next season, with graduate Luke Schoonmaker set to head to the NFL, the Wolverines use multiple tight ends on most offensive plays (53.5 percent), so depth is needed.
Michigan has already offered another tight end in the transfer portal, former Cal Poly standout Josh Cuevas.
Cuevas hauled in 58 receptions, which ranked third among FCS tight ends, per PFF, for 663 yards (fourth) and 6 touchdowns (tied for fifth) this season. He also posted a 70.6 PFF run-blocking rating, which slotted third on his team. The Los Angeles, Calif., native earned FCS Freshman All-American honors and was named third-team All-Big Sky.
The Wolverines have already landed a transfer pledge from former Arizona State offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson. Michigan is also in the mix for former Coastal Carolina EDGE Josaiah Stewart, one of three finalists along with LSU and USC.
Stay tuned for more transfer portal, Michigan football, basketball and recruiting content at TheWolverine.com.
