Michigan

Early top targets in 2026 class for Michigan Football

Published

1 year ago

December 11, 2024

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

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Michigan

Applications for spring turkey season in Michigan is open through Feb. 1. What to know

Published

9 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Applications for spring turkey season in Michigan is open through Feb. 1. What to know

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources opened applications through Feb. 1 for Michigan’s spring turkey season.

Officials say there are some changes to the 2026 season, such as the number of turkey management units, which are designated areas open to hunters.

“These regulation changes uphold the goals for the spring turkey hunting season: maximizing hunter opportunity while also maintaining satisfactory hunting experiences across the state,” said Adam Bump, DNR upland game bird specialist.

Here’s what to know about licenses for the upcoming turkey season. For more information on other regulations, visit the DNR’s website.

How much do the applications cost?

Turkey season applications cost $5 each and are available online on the DNR’s website, at any license agent or through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app.

A map of license agents is available online.

Who is eligible to apply?

Hunters aged 17 and older during the hunting period are eligible to apply for a license as long as they have a hunter education certificate or an apprentice license.

Anyone between the ages of 10 and 16 can purchase a turkey youth license. Anyone age 9 and under can participate through a mentored hunting program to receive a license. Youth turkey licenses are valid for all three management units and season dates.

Where and when can I hunt?

In 2026, the DNR announced that it had reduced the turkey management unit from 14 to three — Upper Peninsula, northern Lower Peninsula and southern Lower Peninsula. The units also determine the type of license hunters can obtain and when they can hunt.

View a map of the turkey management units below:

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

A Hunt 0110 license is for the Upper Peninsula, with an April 18-May 31 hunting season. Hunt 0134 license is valid for the northern Lower Peninsula and is available from April 18 to May 1. The Hunt 0302 license is available for the southern Lower Peninsula from April 18 to May 1. A Hunt 0303 license is also available for the Southern Lower Peninsula (May 2-31).

These licenses have a limited number available.

Other licenses include Hunt 0234, which is for statewide (April 25-May 31), and Hunt 0301, which is for private land (April 18-May 31). Hunt 0234 is valid on private and public lands in the Upper Peninsula and the northern Lower Peninsula, but private only in the southern Lower Peninsula, as well as Fort Custer military lands, with permission.

How can I get a license?

Hunters who apply for a license are entered into a random drawing system. The drawing results are available on March 2.

The Hunt 0234 license (statewide) and Hunt 0301 license (private land) do not require people to enter a drawing. These licenses can be purchased beginning at 10 a.m. on March 16. Hunters can check their drawing results online or on the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app.

“These changes will give hunters longer seasons and bigger units to hunt in,” said Bump.

Anyone who is not selected in the drawing can purchase a leftover license beginning at 10 a.m. on March 9. Anyone who did not enter the drawing can purchase a leftover license on March 16.

How many licenses are available?

There is a 6,000-license quota for Hunt 0110 (Upper Peninsula), an 18,000-license quota for Hunt 0134 (northern Lower Peninsula), a 6,000-license quota for Hunt 0302 (southern Lower Peninsula April season) and an 8,000-license quota for Hunt 0303 (southern Lower Peninsula May season).

Hunt 0234 (statewide) and Hunt 0301 (private land) licenses are unlimited.

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Michigan

Michigan football signs former No. 1-ranked running back

Published

22 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Michigan football signs former No. 1-ranked running back

Michigan football moved quickly to help fill its running back room on Thursday, adding the No. 1-ranked rusher in the 2024 recruiting class to the roster.

Taylor Tatum, who spent the last two seasons at Oklahoma, signed with the Wolverines for the 2026 season, The Ann Arbor News/MLive confirmed.

Tatum, listed at 5-foot-10 and 212 pounds, has three seasons of college eligibility remaining.

He appeared in 12 games for the Sooners, most of it during his true-freshman season in 2024. That first season, Tatum rushed for 278 yards and three touchdowns, highlighted by a five-carry, 69-yard game in Oklahoma’s season opener against Temple.

Tatum was hampered by injuries in 2025, appearing in just one game against South Carolina, where he rushed once for negative-1 yard.

A former four-star recruit, Tatum was considered the nation’s No. 1 running back in 2024 out of Longview High School in Texas, where he set the school record for career rushing touchdowns (53). He picked Oklahoma over Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, USC, among others.

Tatum was also a member of the Oklahoma baseball team, though he didn’t appear in a game in 2025.

The signing comes just a day after Michigan’s leading rusher in 2025, Jordan Marshall, announced his return to the Wolverines. Since the transfer portal opened last Friday, reserve running backs Bryson Kuzdzal and Jasper Parker have entered. Parker has since signed to play at Arkansas next season.

Meanwhile, Michigan awaits a decision from its other star back, Justice Haynes, who’s left the door open to a return to college. A pair of freshmen backs, Savion Hiter and Jonathan Brown, also joined the team this week.

Tony Alford, Michigan’s running backs coach, was one of three assistants retained by new head coach Kyle Whittingham.

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Michigan

Kyle Whittingham knows what Michigan football needs

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Kyle Whittingham knows what Michigan football needs

Michigan football is primed to win now, new coach Kyle Whittingham said this week on “The Dan Patrick Show.”

The Wolverines have made far too many headlines off the field, which is why Whittingham told Patrick the organization needs to simply get back to focusing on the reason they’re all together as a team − football.

“The place doesn’t need a rebuild, it needs a reboot of trust and getting rid of the drama and just get back to playing Michigan football without all the distractions,” Whittingham said. “It didn’t come from the players. The players were not involved. It was not some player issue – it was just the peripheral.

“Guys here have a great attitude, I met with everyone of them last week at the bowl site. Quality young men, care about academics, excited to be at Michigan, but they’ve dealt with a lot over the last few years.”

Whittingham, 66, takes over as the 22nd head coach in program history after a pair of scandals rocked the previous two men who held his job.

Jim Harbaugh led the Wolverines from 2015-23 − and left on top by winning a national championship − but also was found to have a lack of institutional control in his program by NCAA investigators after two separate NCAA violations occurred under his watch: impermissible recruiting and illegal sign-stealing.

More recently, Sherrone Moore was fired in scandal after he was found to have had a relationship with a subordinate and was subsequently arrested after he allegedly went to her house and threatened his own life − he was jailed for two nights and charged with felony home invasion, misdemeanor stalking and misdemeanor breaking and entering.

Patrick asked if there was any selling point Whittingham needed to hear specifically from Michigan. Whittingham said when he stepped away from Utah in mid-December there were only a handful of program’s he would have even entertained. He called Michigan “a special place.”

“Needed to hear that Michigan was what I thought it was,” he said. “Hey’re committed to winning here, we do have some challenges with entrance requirements, there is a little bit of a hurdle there, but talk about athletes, resources, tradition − it’s all here at Michigan.”

Whittingham also quipped about the irony of previously being a team that wore red (Utah) whose primary rival wore blue (BYU) to flipping that. It’s also not lost on him that his mentor, Urban Meyer, went 7-0 against Michigan in his tenure in Columbus − Whittingham joked at his opening press conference that Meyer’s name alone might be considered a “four-letter word” in Ann Arbor.

“Blue was our rival at Utah for years,” he said. “Now I’ve got to get used to saying, ‘Go Blue.’”

Whittingham is in the throes of one of the busiest times on the college football calendar. The transfer portal opened for a 15-day window Jan. 2-16, setting off a scramble to both retain players, scout the database and find appropriate fits for the team.

Whittingham has only known his roster and coaches for approximately 10 days – he said while down in Florida he was going to “lock himself” in a room at Schembechler Hall in Ann Arbor to watch film on the players on his roster. He has been able to keep Bryce Underwood, Andrew Marsh, Andrew Babalola, Blake Frazier, Evan Link, Jake Guarnera and Zeke Berry − the last two of whom had put their names in the transfer portal before indicating their return to U-M for 2026.

With money flowing, back-channeling frequent and poaching at an all-time high, Whittingham doesn’t see college football’s current model as something that will last as currently constructed for more than a handful of years.

“It is not sustainable, there’s no question about that,” Whittingham said. “Something’s gotta give. Within a 2- to 4-, 5-year window, you’re going to see a major overhaul of Division I football. I think it’s going to become more of a minor league NFL model. I think you’re gonna see a salary cap, collective bargaining, players as employees.

“I think all that’s coming because we cannot maintain this pace.”

Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

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