Former Utah cornerback Casey Hughes to transfer to Michigan for final season

Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines have already taken in one transfer player — quarterback Shea Patterson — and most of the news the last week or so has been focused in on former Rice offensive lineman Calvin Anderson, who is looking into Michigan’s program for a graduate transfer.

But today, a different player announced officially his move to Ann Arbor.

Former Utah defensive back Casey Hughes announced on Twitter that he will be transferring to Michigan for his final season of college football.

Hughes is a 6-foot, 185-pound defensive back and primarily played corner and special teams throughout his first three seasons of college ball at Utah. After taking a redshirt his true freshman season in 2014, he saw very limited action on defense in 2015 and 2016. But he started 11 games at the corner position this past season and accounted for 35 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles and 1 pass breakup.

He will join a loaded secondary with the likes of Lavert Hill, David Long, Ambry Thomas, Tyree Kinnel and Josh Metellus. It is unknown still if Brandon Watson will return to the team for his fifth year, but with the addition of Hughes, and five defensive backs in the 2018 class, it doesn’t seem likely at this point that Watson will be back.

It will be interesting to see how Hughes will be used. The starting corner positions are pretty much on lock at this point, barring any injury, but the safety spot opposite Kinnel seems pretty open. Metellus and true freshman J’Marick Woods split time in the Outback Bowl, so bringing in a guy like Hughes at the very least will add to the competition and meritocracy that Harbaugh preaches.