Michigan just signed the 12th-ranked class in the 2026 cycle — headlined by five-stars Carter Meadows and Savion Hiter — and now the Wolverines have all focus on the 2027 class behind their new coaching staff. Kyle Whittingham and Co. have been on the road seeing some top prospects.

Jay Hill Describes What Michigan Football’s Defense Will Look Like Under Him

Rivals’ Greg Smith recently ‘called his shot’ by predicting ’27 WR Quentin Burrell to Michigan. Burrell was a player the old staff was very familiar with, and now new WR coach Micah Simon has begun to build a foundation with the Mount Caramel playmaker.

“Other teams have tried to push their way into this two team race between Michigan and Notre Dame. Lately, Arizona State has been rising here as a true threat to the blue blood programs. But right now I still like Michigan to get this one done. He’s very familiar with the program overall but just needs more time to get exposed to coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff.”

Burrell’s scouting report

The 6’3″ playmaker out of Chicago, Illinois, is ranked as the No. 50 prospect in the nation, per the Composite. Burrell is the No. 9 WR and No. 2 player from the state of Illinois. He holds offers from just about every college program in the country with notable offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, and Oregon, among others.

In 2025, during his junior season, Burrell’s squad went 14-0 and won the state title. Burrell was named the News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year and made First-Team All-State. He caught 67 receptions for 1,139 yards and 16 touchdowns.

For Burrell’s career, he has caught 142 passes for 2,396 yards and 34 scores.

The need for elite WRs in Ann Arbor

Michigan’s recruiting of the WR position appears to be trending upwards in the last couple of cycles, but the Wolverines didn’t recruit the position too well towards the end of the Jim Harbaugh era, so Michigan had to utilize the transfer portal to bring in starting-caliber playmakers.

The Wolverines landed a great one in Andrew Marsh, who led the team last season during his true freshman season. Michigan is also high on Jamar Browder and the Wolverines landed four-star Travis Johnson and three-star Jaylen Pile in this past cycle. The Kyle Whittingham connection helped Michigan land five-star athlete Salesi Moa, who was a short-term signee with Utah.

Michigan will have to prove it can pass the ball well enough to entice top-tier playmakers to come to Ann Arbor. But with new OC Jason Beck and QB coach Koy Detmer Jr., the play of Bryce Underwood should continue to improve.

EVANSTON, Ill. — – L.J. Cason scored 13 of his 18 points after halftime, helping No. 2 Michigan rally for an 87-75 victory over Nick Martinelli and Northwestern on Wednesday night.

Yaxel Lendeborg added 15 points and 12 rebounds as the Wolverines (23-1, 13-1 Big Ten) erased a 16-point deficit in the second half of their ninth consecutive victory. Morez Johnson Jr., Aday Mara and Trey McKenney each scored 12 points.

Michigan grabbed control with a 15-2 run. Lendeborg made a tiebreaking layup with 5:51 left, and Mara’s alley-oop jam off a pass from Cason gave the Wolverines a 75-69 lead with 4:43 remaining.

Michigan shot 55% (16 for 29) while outscoring Northwestern 52-31 in the second half of its 19th double-digit win this season.

Jayden Reid scored 20 points for the Wildcats in their fourth consecutive loss. Martinelli finished with 18 on 5-for-22 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds.

Northwestern used an 8-1 run to open a 58-42 lead with 14:22 left. Angelo Ciaravino capped the spurt with a jumper in the paint.

Michigan then got back in the game by scoring 16 of the next 18 points. Johnson’s alley-oop dunk trimmed Northwestern’s advantage to 60-58 with 9:38 to go, delighting a sizeable contingent of Michigan fans at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Lendeborg was 6 for 12 from the field. He has 45 rebounds in his last four games.

Northwestern got off to a fast start, holding Michigan to 35% shooting on its way to a 44-35 lead at the break. Reid scored 12 points in the first half on 5-for-5 shooting.

Up next

Michigan hosts UCLA on Saturday.

Northwestern visits No. 7 Nebraska on Saturday.

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Even with a changing of the guard with Kyle Whittingham taking over the Michigan football program, the Wolverines are somewhat flying under the radar. Despite all of the behind-the-scenes turmoil, the maize and blue managed to go 9-4 last season, which stands to reason: with more cohesion, could Michigan be better in 2026?

The schedule is brutal, but there’s a level of seriousness that Whittingham brings to the table. Considering the upgrade that new offensive coordinator Jason Beck should be, along with many of the transfers who have come in on that side of the ball, there’s a lot to like about the Wolverines’ offense.

ESPN had a roundtable discussion about some of the early storylines across college football, and one panelist, when talking about offensive players, demurred from the Dante Moore-Jeremiah Smith expectations and spoke up about Bryce Underwood and what he might bring to the table in his second year.

Lyles: I agree with all of the above, but I’ll add Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood based on his potential. I am excited to see what new offensive coordinator Jason Beck is going to be able to do with him after seeing the success Beck had with Devon Dampier at both New Mexico and Utah. If he’s able to have similar success with the Wolverines, there’s no question Underwood will be one of the more impactful players this season.