Michigan DE John Henry Daley Talks Kyle Whittingham & More with Rich

John Henry Daley is one of the most coveted edge rushers to move through the transfer portal, he is fluent in Portuguese, and by the end of his visit with Rich he had been personally coached on how to insult Ohio State.

That last part took two takes.

Daley grew up in Moorpark, California, before his family moved to Utah in middle school. His dad and a stack of uncles played, and an older brother set the tone. He started playing around sixth grade, moved to edge in eighth or ninth, and knew it was serious by the end of his sophomore year of high school. "I just love competing," he said.

The player he wanted to be was J.J. Watt, back-to-back 20-sack seasons and all. Rich had to break the news that Watt is a Wisconsin Badger and will not be rooting for Daley in every game now. "That's all right," Daley said.

The most unusual part of his résumé has nothing to do with football. Daley left for a two-year mission in Brasília, Brazil, straight out of high school at 18.

"I preached the gospel," he said. "Taught people about Jesus Christ and his gospel and things that they can do to be more happy in this life."

He lived with Brazilian companions and roommates from Argentina, and came home fluent. Rich asked whether he can talk trash in Portuguese, which Daley noted is not really a missionary skill set. He did pass the only test that mattered in that room, translating go blue on request.

The Utah chapter is where Kyle Whittingham enters, and Daley's read on him is the cleanest thing in the interview.

"I just like that he's old school," Daley said. "A lot of people sometimes don't know the blueprint on how to get things done and he's just like, hey, it's hard work, dedication, and you're going to clock in every single day, and you're going to build confidence in yourself and also in your teammates by how hard you work."

He did not see Whittingham's exit coming. Daley was rehabbing a ruptured Achilles when the rumors started. "To be honest, I had no idea," he said.

Once Whittingham left, and Coach Powell after him, Daley entered the portal with a specific filter. Plenty of programs called. He was not shopping for the biggest promise.

"One of the most important things that you can find, especially in sport and in coaches, is somebody who believes in you, who has high expectations of you and who's going to hold you accountable," Daley said.

The Champions Circle pitch closed it, and the money was the smaller half of the sales job.

"Outside of the whole NIL thing, it's kind of like, this is Michigan," he said. "We have the largest fan base in the entire country. And you're going to have a brotherhood of tens of thousands of people who are extremely successful, who are going to help you out for the rest of your life."

That brotherhood has already produced internships, with an eye toward commercial real estate after football. On the field, he splits his value in two. "I'm a glue guy. I like to bring people together," he said. "As a player I bring grit, I bring toughness and a relentless motor."

Then came the rivalry tutorial. Rich walked him through the etiquette, including the recommendation to refer to Ohio State as simply Ohio, and asked Daley to run his goals back with the edit included.

"When you come out, dominate every game and then beat Ohio," Daley said, "go on and win a Big Ten championship and then a national."

Round of applause, everybody.