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
