Michigan
Early top targets in 2026 class for Michigan Football
The 2025 recruiting cycle — for the most part, with a few exceptions — is done for the Michigan Wolverines. Of course, there are a few players that have elected to take their recruitments into the February signing day, but that isn’t our main concern for today.
As we wait for them to make up their minds and potentially sign with Michigan, let’s get a jumpstart on the 2026 class. Sherrone Moore and company are shooting for the (five) stars in this class, as the program will go toe-to-toe with some of the best college football programs in the country for top ranked recruits.
Here are some of the early top targets for the Wolverines in 2026. Just as a note — this is in order of position, and is not reflective of every single player they’re recruiting.
Five-star RB Savion Hiter
A top-15 overall player in the class, Hiter is one of Michigan’s top overall targets in the class regardless of position. Tony Alford has already laid the groundwork here and has Michigan in Hiter’s top-five list, along with Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State and Tennessee.
Four-star RB Javion Osborne
If Hiter is 1A at the running back position for Michigan, Osborne is 1B. A top-100 player in his own right, Osborne is from Forney, Texas, and is a dynamic player at 5-foot-10, 195 pounds. He has been VERY pro-Michigan as of late, so it wouldn’t stun me in the slightest if the Wolverines led for him and eventually pulled him out of the Longhorn State.
Four-star WR Mason James
A Norman, Oklahoma native, James is no lock to commit to the hometown Sooners by any stretch. He has a ton of other good programs (Michigan, Alabama, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, etc.) on his coattails. He visited Ann Arbor for the MSU game in October, where he called Michigan “one of my top schools.”
Four-star TE Brock Harris
A borderline five-star, the Saint George, Utah native is among the best at his position in the class. He recently visited Ann Arbor for the Oregon game, and made other trips this fall to Utah, BYU and Georgia. He also put Michigan in his top-six list earlier this week, along with Oregon, Miami, Georgia, Utah and BYU.
Four-star TE Matt Ludwig
Despite Harris being ranked much higher, Ludwig may actually be higher on Michigan’s board at the tight end position. The Billings, Montana native visited Michigan for the MSU game in October. He holds other offers from Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, Wisconsin and more.
Five-star OL Immanuel Iheanacho
Everyone is going to shoot their shot for the No. 2 overall player in the country in Iheanacho. The towering 6-foot-6.5, 345-pounder from Rockville, Maryland is relatively new to football, but has sky high potential.
Four-star OL Leo Delaney
A former high school teammate of current Wolverines Jadyn Davis and Channing Goodwin, Delaney could be the next Providence Day kid to take his talents to Michigan. At 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds, Delaney has position flexibility and could play pretty much anywhere along the line. The top-100 overall prospect visited for the MSU game and holds other offers from Clemson, USC, Tennessee, Ole Miss and more.
Four-star OL Gregory Patrick
Finally, an in-state prospect! Patrick hails from Portage, Michigan and is a top-150 overall recruit. Michigan is recruiting him hard, but so are the Michigan State Spartans. At 6-foot-4.5 and 275 pounds, Patrick projects to the interior at the college level. He’s got other offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Washington, Wisconsin and more.
Four-star OL Malakai Lee
Michigan already holds a Crystal Ball to eventually land Lee, who may be one of the Wolverines’ top targets at the position. At 6-foot-6 and 318 pounds, the top-150 overall player is an absolute monster and can play pretty much anywhere along the line. Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, USC, Texas and more college football powerhouses are also after Lee.
Four-star edge Anthony Jones
Not much has been said about Jones, but he did include Michigan in his top-five list along with Tennessee, UCLA, Washington and Arizona State. He told 247Sports earlier this year that the Volunteers are his top team, but the Wolverines will still shoot their shot with Irvine, California native.
Four-star edge Luke Wafle
The younger brother of current Michigan defensive lineman Owen Wafle, Luke is a highly regarded prospect in his own right at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds. Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and others have also offered him.
Four-star LB Cam Thomas
Despite wearing an Ohio State jacket in his recruiting profile, Thomas actually left the Buckeyes off his top-six list and, instead, included Michigan, Oregon, Indiana, West Virginia, Illinois and Kentucky. The West Chester, Ohio native is a top-300 overall player and appears to be one of Brian Jean-Mary’s top guys early on in this cycle.
Five-star CB Elbert Hill
Hill is the No. 1 ranked cornerback in the class and visited Michigan earlier this year for the Northwestern game. The only unfortunate thing about this recruitment is Hill is from Akron, Ohio and is a huge OSU lean at the moment. Michigan will give it all its got, but I don’t see this one ending well.
Four-star CB Victor Singleton
Another Ohio cornerback at the top of Michigan’s board, Singleton hails from the friendly Buckeye State city of Toledo. He visited Ann Arbor multiple times this season and has a strong relationship with LaMar Morgan. If any school is going to pull him away from OSU, it’s probably Michigan.
Four-star ATH CJ Sadler
Another highly regarded in-state prospect, Sadler is a versatile two-way player who excels at defensive back and wide receiver. The Cass Tech high schooler also holds offers from Alabama, Florida, Penn State, Oregon, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Miami, LSU and more.
Other names to know
Michigan
Legal experts question University of Michigan’s role after charges against former HC Sherrone Moore
WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – Former Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore appeared in court Friday on charges of stalking, home invasion, and breaking and entering, just days after being fired from his position.
The 39-year-old coach, who has no prior criminal history, was terminated by the university on Wednesday following an investigation that uncovered evidence of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
According to prosecutors, the charges stem from an incident that occurred after the victim, a University of Michigan staff member, ended her relationship with Moore on Monday (Dec. 8).
Following the breakup, Moore allegedly made numerous unwanted calls and texts to the victim.
The situation escalated on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2025, when Moore allegedly forced his way into the victim’s Pittsfield Township apartment.
Prosecutors say he grabbed kitchen utensils and threatened to take his own life, allegedly telling the victim, “My blood is on your hands.”
“The totality of the behavior is highly threatening and highly intimidating. She was terrorized, your honor,” a prosecutor told the court during Friday’s arraignment.
Defense attorney Joseph Simon pushed back on prosecutors’ claims that Moore could be a threat to public safety.
“My client’s 39 years old, with zero prior criminal history, zero prior contact with the criminal justice system in any fashion,” Simon stated.
Attorney Todd Flood, who practices both criminal defense and civil litigation, said the fallout within the university could continue depending on when the organization was first alerted about the relationship and how university athletic officials first responded.
“What did they know, when did they know it, and what did they do about it when they found out? Those are going to be the three major questions,” Flood said.
“The university could possibly have some culpability there, that they didn’t put a stop to this,” noted Flood, adding that the victim may have grounds to pursue action against both the university and Moore.
Flood said the stalking charge against Moore likely stems from a documented pattern of harassment.
“When there is a position where he is harassing, either via text messages, harassing via telephone calls, social media content, or showing up at a place where he doesn’t belong,” Flood said. “Those stalking charges are ones where you can show that pattern of conduct.”
“He’s ultimately going to probably plead this case out, under some sort of either misdemeanor, or something that gives probation,” Flood said.
Moore posted his $25,000 bond Friday.
As part of his bond conditions, he must wear a GPS tether, undergo mental health treatment, and have no contact with the victim.
He is scheduled to appear in court in person on Jan. 22.
–> Jim Harbaugh talks Sherrone Moore’s firing, arrest after former Michigan football understudy posts bond
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Michigan
What we’re hearing in Michigan football coach search: News, rumors
Sherrone Moore fired: Who could replace him at Michigan football?
Michigan beat writer Tony Garcia on who the Wolverines could target after firing Sherrone Moore on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
With the firing of Sherrone Moore on Wednesday, Dec. 10, Michigan football is on the hunt for a new head coach.
It’s extremely late in the hiring cycle, with nearly every Power Four squad with an opening already having made a hire. But the Wolverines’ maize-and-blue brand could be strong enough to restart the coaching carousel, with several established coaches considered potential candidates for the U-M job.
It’ll be athletic director Warde Manuel’s call on the hire (with the usual inputs from donors and regents), despite rumors swirling on social media of his firing.
Here’s the latest on the Michigan football coaching search:
A former Notre Dame QB as Michigan football’s next head coach?
It’s possible.
Michigan football is reportedly interested in talking to Rees, according to Cleveland.com, who starred as a quarterback at Notre Dame. He moved up the coaching ranks fast, getting his big break as offensive coordinator with Notre Dame in 2020, where he served in the role for three years before moving to Alabama to be the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide in Nick Saban’s last year. He has spent the last two years with the Browns, first as a passing game specialist and then as offensive coordinator this year.
Rees also reportedly talked to Penn State before the Nittany Lions landed on Iowa State coach Matt Campbell.
It’s an interesting proposition, as Rees is seen as an up-and-coming young coach, but it can be wonky trying to hire NFL coaches into the college game due to the schedule. But in this circumstance, it just might work. The Browns are out of playoff contention so their season should drag out, and Michigan is in a position to wait longer than normal because early signing day for recruits is over and the transfer portal won’t open until January.
It’s early.
Michigan still has time to make a case.
But according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, there’s “no indication” that Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, one of the hottest names in connection to the Wolverines, has an interest in taking the job in Ann Arbor.
DeBoer, who has Alabama in the 12-team College Football Playoff, was also briefly connected to Penn State earlier this offseason and quickly shot that down.
But never say never in college football in 2025.
If Michigan is looking to swing big for its third head coach in four seasons (or seventh, if you count the interims who served during Moore’s and Jim Harbaugh’s suspensions), the Free Press’ Tony Garcia broke down four big names, including a couple with established ties to Ann Arbor, one who couldn’t quite beat the Wolverines and another who’s the darling of the college football world.
Check out that list of candidates here.
Michigan
Bullough’s back: Ex-linebacker to be Michigan State co-defensive coordinator
A fan-favorite Spartan is coming back as an assistant coach.Max Bullough, a former MSU linebacker who has spent the past two seasons coaching linebackers at Notre Dame, is coming back to East Lansing to be a co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Bullough confirmed in a biography change on X (formerly Twitter).
The move is a promotion for Bullough, who was a linebackers coach at Notre Dame the past two seasons. Bullough will serve alongside incumbent MSU defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, who The Detroit News confirmed last week is staying on Pat Fitzgerald’s first staff in East Lansing. Fitzgerald replaced Jonathan Smith, who went 5-19, 4-14 Big Ten in two seasons.Bullough, 33, played for Michigan State from 2010 to 2013, under head coach Mark Dantonio and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. He played immediately as a freshman and appeared in 53 college games, logging 284 tackles, eight sacks and three interceptions.
He missed his final game — the 100th Rose Bowl against Stanford in 2013 — because of an unspecified violation of team rules. He never spoke publicly on the issue, though he was asked at the NFL Combine.Michigan State went 42-12 in Bullough’s four seasons with the Spartans, and 25-7 in Big Ten play, including the conference title in 2010 and 2013.After a brief NFL career with the Houston Texans and, in 2018, a stint on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad, Bullough got into coaching. He served as grad assistant for Cincinnati in 2019 under Luke Fickell, Alabama from 2020 to 2022 under Nick Saban (winning the College Football Playoff in his first year) and Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman in 2023. Freeman kept Bullough on as his linebackers coach last year, a season in which the Irish made it to the national championship game before losing to Ohio State.
Earlier this season, Bullough went viral in August for a video of him describing his detail-oriented approach during fall camp, citing knee bend and square tackling “when the s—‘s hard.”
Notre Dame finished the season 10-2, on a 10-game win streak, when it was left just outside the College Football Playoff bracket. Freeman and his team opted out of a bowl game, after terse words on the snub from AD Pete Bevacqua.Bullough coached a number of NFL draft picks in his career, including Dallas Turner (Minnesota Vikings), Christian Harris (Houston Texans), Henry To’oTo’o (Houston), Drew Sanders (Denver Broncos) and Jack Kiser (Jacksonville Jaguars).
Bullough won’t be the first in his family to coach at Michigan State. His grandfather, Hank, was an MSU guard and linebacker who won a national championship in 1952. Hank was also a well-regarded assistant coach on Duffy Daugherty’s staff from 1959 to 1969, including the national title teams in 1965 and 1966. He then went onto a pro coaching career that included stops with seven teams, including a head coaching tenure with the Buffalo Bills from 1985 to 1986.
After a year as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator in 1993, he finished his coaching career with a homecoming to Michigan State, where he was an assistant on George Perles’ final team. He died in 2019.
cearegood@detroitnews.com
@ConnorEaregood
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