Sep 13, 2025; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; Utah Utes defensive end John Henry Daley (90) celebrates his sack in the first quarter against the Wyoming Cowboys at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

May 9, 2026, 2:25 AM CUT

Wolverines’ Newest Star in Contention To Win Major Award

Within months of joining the Michigan camp, defensive end (DE) John Henry Daley is looking to win big. This comes from ESPN, which is looking at Daley as one of the major contenders to win a postseason award.

Namely, the Ted Hendricks Award for Best Defensive End.

Last year, Rueben Bain Jr. from the Miami Hurricanes won this postseason award for the best DE in the country. And now, Daley seems to be rushing towards the same accolade, as per ESPN's Jake Trotter.

"If Daley continues putting up big numbers at his new school, he could become Michigan's first Hendricks Award winner since Aidan Hutchinson in 2021," stated Trotter.

The edge rusher seems to have impressed everyone after ranking seventh nationally last year with 11.5 sacks. After coming over to Ann Arbor from Utah with coach Kyle Whittingham, he seemed unstoppable.

NCAA, College League, USA Football 2023: SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs Northwestern DEC 23 December 23, 2023: Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham looks towards the field prior to the start of the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl featuring the Utah Utes and the Northwestern Wildcats at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. Christopher Trim/CSM. Credit Image: Â Christopher Trim/Cal Media Las Vegas Nevada United States of America EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx ZUMA-20231223_zma_c04_302.jpg ChristopherxTrimx csmphotothree214311

He was fourth with an edge pressure rate of 19.6%, and his average time to first pressure was 2.65 seconds. This exactly puts him on course to follow in Hutchinson's footsteps and win the Hendricks Award in 2027.

Understandably, there is a lot of hype around him. The DE is currently recovering from an Achilles injury and is expected to return around June. Michigan values its defense, and Daley is expected to solidify it even further.

Daley will definitely be desperate to start over after that injury put him on a road to recovery.

Daley Ready To Return On June 1st

John Henry Daley suffered an Achilles injury late in the Utah Utes' 2025 season. What followed was months of rehabilitation. He faced the U-M media for the first time last March, sharing about his impending return.

"I've already communicated it with coach Whit [Kyle Whittingham], but yeah, June 1 is when they're expecting me to be full go. Being able to participate in all the team activities, so yeah, should be really soon," Daley had predicted back then.

Now that time is slowly closing in, and we are less than a month away. Before his injury, Daley was playing as a redshirt sophomore. He appeared in 11 games, making 48 tackles, including 17.5 for loss (tied for best in the country), 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a pass breakup

Daley was unable to participate in the Wolverines' spring practice. However, he was visibly happy with his progress and seemed to be itching to get back to the field again.

"Physically, upper-body-wise, I'm probably the best I've ever been in my life. With regards to my injury, I've come along really well. Starting to jog and run right now. I'm feeling fantastic, and everybody is very optimistic about it," he said.

This confidence will be exactly what the Michigan Wolverines will count on ahead of the 2026 season.

Written by

Sourav Ganguly

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit