Reece Atteberry announcement that he is leaving Michigan now another significant issue for team…..

Tuesday afternoon, the Michigan football team saw its first scholarship football player enter the NCAA Transfer Portal since Jim Harbaugh’s departure as head coach. Defensive lineman Reece Atteberry, who switched to defensive line after three years as a reserve offensive lineman, entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer.

Atteberry becomes the seventh scholarship player on Michigan’s 2023 roster to enter the portal this offseason. He joined tight end Matthew Hibner, offensive lineman Noah Stewart, cornerback Amorion Walker, wide receiver Darrius Clemons, cornerback Cameron Calhoun and running back CJ Stokes.

Despite only switching to defense shortly before the season began, Atteberry actually played the seventh-most snaps among defensive tackles last fall, with 43 defensive snaps and 14 game appearances and finishing with three tackles. With Kris Jenkins and Cam Goode graduating and moving on from the Wolverines, Atteberry would have had a shot at a two-deep role. Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Rayshaun Benny are clear-cut starter-caliber players, but behind them would have been fairly open, with rising sophomore Trey Pierce the next in 2023 snaps.

Still, Atteberry has paid his dues in Ann Arbor, working his way toward just outside the offensive line’s two-deep over his first three seasons in Ann Arbor, appearing in 12 games over the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons. The former three-star recruit out of Aurora, Colorado is listed at 6-foot-5, 309 pounds and appears to have two years of eligibility remaining, with the 2020 season not counting toward eligibility and a redshirt from appearing in only three games in 2022.

It’s unclear whether Atteberry will seek to play offensive or defensive line at his next stop, or if the position switch played a role in his decision. Thus far, Atteberry has played 91 offensive snaps, 43 defensive snaps and 127 special teams snaps in his career.