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As the buildup to Michigan’s 2026 football season continues, recruiting in the 2027 class has entered a lull.
Despite a sluggish start to the Kyle Whittingham era, the new head coach and his revamped staff used a strong spring and summer to climb from outside the top 40 in the national 247Sports composite rankings to No. 11.
The Wolverines have landed 17 commitments since May 1 and now have 21 pledges in the class. While there aren’t any uncommitted top targets with scheduled decision dates, Michigan still has a few needs it hopes to address before the cycle ends.
With only four of the nation’s top 300 prospects still uncommitted, Michigan will likely have to flip recruits from other programs to fill those spots. The Name, Image and Likeness era has led to more decommitments than ever before, while senior evaluations can also reshape recruiting boards heading into December’s signing period.
With that in mind, here are three positions Michigan should still address before the cycle concludes — and two areas where it appears set.
Receiver
Michigan’s top-ranked commit this cycle is Chicago Mount Carmel four-star receiver Quentin Burrell (No. 100 overall), but he remains the only pledge at the position. Harper Woods five-star Dakota Guerrant committing to Oregon on June 16 was a major setback, but Michigan will continue pursuing the No. 1 player in the state.
Before committing to the Ducks, Guerrant told MLive he would closely monitor Michigan’s offense this season regardless of where he landed this summer.
“He’s been pretty frank in his camp of ‘Is Michigan going to throw the ball and how effective is it going to be?’” The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich said. “He’s going to be closely watching. I wouldn’t be shocked if he made a trip or two to Michigan to see a game this season and go from there.”
Even if Michigan regains momentum in Guerrant’s recruitment, expect it to expand its board this fall in search of at least one more receiver.
Safety
The Wolverines hold a commitment from three-star Charles Woodson Jr., but several other safety recruitments have not gone their way this summer.
Marcus Jones, a top-300 prospect from The Haverford School in Pennsylvania, chose Tennessee over Michigan on June 26.
“His uncle played football for Tennessee, so I think the strong connections there have helped Tennessee,” Marich said. “But as we know in recruiting, nothing’s really over until it’s over.”
Michigan and new safeties coach Tyler Stockton also are keeping tabs on another four-star prospect from Pennsylvania, Gabe Jenkins. He committed to Colorado in May over other finalists Michigan, Georgia and Penn State, but the Wolverines remain in the mix.
Miami (Fla.) Carol City three-star Alan Blackshere is not highly ranked — No. 702 overall — but he holds more than 35 reported offers. Marich said Michigan is hoping to host him for an official visit this fall. He has been committed to UConn since June 6.
Nose tackle
Michigan is set on the edge with three four-star prospects committed and also has four-star defensive lineman Xavier Muhammad in the class. But a true nose tackle — someone capable of occupying blockers, controlling the middle and disrupting from the interior — remains on the wish list.
Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham were critical pieces of Michigan’s success in 2023 and 2024, but the Wolverines did not have a similarly dominant interior presence in 2025.
Impact nose tackles can be difficult to find on the recruiting trail, but Michigan is exploring unconventional options. The Wolverines recently offered a 6-foot-4, 290-pound prospect who has never played a competitive down of football.
Amanaki “Junior” Henoa played rugby growing up in New Zealand before moving to Oregon last year in hopes of pursuing football.
The Oregon School Activities Association barred him from playing in 2025 because he was on a tourist visa, but he still was able to practice with his high school team. He has since transferred to Layton (Utah) Lake Christian Academy for his senior season, where he is eligible to play.
Henoa is not yet rated by recruiting services, but Marich said other schools are now showing interest after Michigan extended an offer.
“The biggest thing is, this kid is a big ball of clay but he’s going to take a lot of time,” Marich said. “When he moved to the United States, he was just learning on how to put on a helmet, his pads, let alone what to do on the actual field. So he is going to be very raw, work but he’s got all the tools, all the potential, all the traits you’re looking at that position.
“I think that’s been a staple of Kyle Winningham and his staff of unearthing those diamonds in the rough sort of prospects and then developing them.”
Strengths of the class
Although Michigan has only one current top-100 recruit committed in this cycle, it has one of the strongest blue-chip ratios in the country, with 15 pledges rated as four-stars or better. Seven of those prospects are ranked inside the top 200, while 12 are inside the top 300.
Positionally, the Wolverines are strongest at cornerback, where they have four commitments. All four – Cincinnati (Ohio) Princeton’s Monsanna Torbert Jr., Mount Carmel’s Tavares Harrington, Katy (Texas) Tompkins’ Blake Jenkins and Riverside (Calif.) Notre Dame’s Darius Johnson are all ranked inside the top 310.
Torbert is the latest addition, choosing Michigan over Ohio State on July 1.
“Basically landing him and stealing him away from Ohio State, I mean that’s the recruiting win of the cycle for Michigan so far,” Marich said.
The Wolverines also appear set along the offensive line after adding four-star Lincoln Mageo on July 11. Michigan now has two tackles — Jakari Lipsey and Sidney Rouleau — and two interior linemen — Mageo and Louis Esposito — committed. Lipsey is the highest ranked among the group at No. 111 overall, but after a large jump from Esposito in the latest rankings, all four are now inside the top 600.
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