Michigan
Recruiting Roundup: Five-star RB says Michigan is his top school at the moment
2025 is officially here, and with this most of this recruiting cycle signed and bowl practices now over, the majority of recruiting energy for the Michigan Wolverines shifts towards the 2026 class.
To kick off the first edition of the Recruiting Roundup this year, we discuss one of the top ball carriers in the 2026 class showing interest in Michigan.
Five-star RB has Michigan at the top of his list
Five-star Savion Hiter, the top running back in the 2026 class who is ranked 14th overall in his class, told On3’s Steve Wiltfong Michigan is his top school at the moment, with Georgia, Ohio State and Tennessee also being top contenders.
“Michigan, I’ve built a good relationship with coach (Tony) Alford and the entire staff really,” Hiter said in August when he put Michigan in his top five. “He first recruited me back when he was at Ohio State and he’s been solid ever since. He’s already been showing me how he could use me in their offense, develop me for the next level and gave me tools to work on and get better.”
Michigan has been a top destination for running backs, with Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum headlining what has been one of Michigan’s most talented position groups. When you combine that with the connection Hiter has made with Alford, things are certainly trending in the right direction.
Per Brian Dohn at 247 ($), Hiter plans to make official visits to all the schools listed above before making a decision. With official visit season several months away, be on the lookout for more news when those visits get scheduled.
Michigan competing with Texas for four-star RB
Hiter isn’t the only 2026 running back the Wolverines are pursuing, as Michigan is also going after four-star Javian Osborne.
Osborne was in Ann Arbor for the Texas loss in September, and while he’s got a 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction to commit to the Longhorns, he told On3’s EJ Holland last month he’s still high on the Wolverines.
He expanded on his Michigan interest earlier this week with On3’s Steve Wiltfong ($).
“No. 1, I love that they run the ball,” Osborne said. “They utilize their running backs. They use different schemes, zone, power whatever it is. I feel I can fit in. Since coach TA (Tony Alford) came in the building, he’s been on since the first day he came into the office.”
It appears Notre Dame, Alabama and Florida State are in the mix for the Texas native as well. After attending that game in September, the sheer size of the crowd at the Big House impressed Osborne. Another visit in that environment this fall for Osborne is — I would imagine — on Michigan’s to-do list.
“Definitely playing in front of 110,000 every game,” he said of what stands out about Michigan. “You know, that’s big time.”
Wiltfong wrote that Michigan “hold(s) the slightest of edges in a fluid process to date,” so it doesn’t sound like getting both Hiter and Osborne is out of the question.
Michigan among trio of visits for top uncommitted 2025 prospect
Four-star edge Zahir Mathis, the top-ranked uncommitted player in the 2025 class, has been a Michigan target since he de-committed from Ohio State in November.
He did not sign in December, so he is now set to take some visits before signing at his future school in February. Mathis told Dohn ($) Michigan is one of the three official visits he’ll be taking this month, with Michigan being his final destination from Jan 27-29. He will visit UCLA and Florida State prior to Ann Arbor.
“I have a real good connection with them,” Mathis said. “I’ve been having good conversations with them since the decommitment so everything has been going smooth.”
Holland ($) said head coach Sherrone Moore and defensive line coach Lou Esposito are leading the recruitment for the Wolverines. Mathis noted the production Michigan has gotten with that position is enticing for the Philadelphia native.
“With the edges they have there and the edges they had there, they all develop well,” Mathis said. “Each guy has high explosion, quick hands and fast feet like myself.
“I want to see a good bond between the players. I want to see how I can be evaluated with those players and break it down and make sure I’m getting playing time and make sure I’m doing the right things to get on the field.”
Michigan
College basketball roundup: No. 6 Michigan hits 90 for sixth time, routs Oakand
Ann Arbor – Olivia Olson had 23 points and No. 6 Michigan rolled past Oakland 97-54 on Sunday.
Syla Swords had 18 points and Brooke Quarles Daniels scored 11. Te’Yala Delfosse and Ashley Sofilkanich had 10 points apiece. Mila Holloway had seven assists to surpass 200 for her career. The Wolverines (10-1) reached the 90-point mark for the sixth time this season.
Michigan scored 29 points off 27 Golden Grizzlies turnovers. Wolverines opponents are averaging 25.8 turnovers per game. The Wolverines also converted 21 offensive rebounds into 31 points and their reserves outscored Oakland’s bench 26-0.
Lianna Baxter led the Golden Grizzlies (3-9), who have lost five straight, with 14 points. Angie Smith had 13 points and eight rebounds and Makenzie Luehring also scored 13.
Olson and Swords combined for 25 first-half points as Michigan built a 54-27 halftime lead.
The Golden Grizzlies committed turnovers on their first three possessions. The Wolverines forced 15 turnovers before the break, converting them into 17 points. They also scored 18 points off 11 offensive rebounds.
Michigan has won nine straight against Oakland.
Michigan
Epstein files reveal ties to Michigan
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Justice Department released thousands of pages on the Epstein files including letters, transcripts and images.
Court documents show that a 13-year-old girl was Epstein’s first known victim. The allegations against him trace back to a summer camp at Interlochen in 1994.
A lawsuit filed in New York in May 2020 accuses Epstein and convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell of years of abuse.
The victim, Jane Doe, claims she met the two at Interlochen Arts Camp in 1994, an area about 20 minutes southwest of Traverse City.
The lawsuit outlines Epstein and Maxwell would take her to movies and shopping and eventually started making sexual references.
When she was 14, she visited Mar-a-Lago, where she was introduced to Donald Trump. Records allege Epstein elbowed Trump and asked him in reference to the girl “This is a good one, right?”
Abuse continued to escalate over the next few years. The girl eventually moved to New York. When she was 17, she alleged Epstein raped her and on multiple occasions after that.
Epstein’s ties to Interlochen was highlighted in testimony from the group’s vice president of finance.
A letter from the group to Epstein thanked him for his $200,000 donation. It was money that went towards building a two-bedroom home known as the Green Lake Lodge, formerly known as the Epstein Scholarship Lodge.
An Interlochen spokesperson sent News 8 a statement Saturday.
“Interlochen is committed to ensuring a safe, nurturing environment in which our students can excel. We currently have a wide range of measures in place to ensure a safe, supportive environment for all students,” part of the statement read.
“To learn more about our comprehensive safety protocols, please visit our dedicated webpage, where you’ll find detailed information about our practices and approach. The well-being of our students will always be our highest priority.
“As has been previously publicized, Jeffrey Epstein attended Interlochen in the summer of 1967, and he was a donor to Interlochen Center for the Arts from 1990 to 2003.
“When Interlochen administrators learned of Epstein’s conviction in 2008, Interlochen conducted an internal review and found no record of complaint or concern about Epstein. All donor recognition in his name was removed from campus at that time. Subsequent to Epstein’s second arrest in July 2019, we again reviewed our records and found no report or complaint involving Epstein within our records.
“In keeping with our commitment to child welfare and to candor with our community, we have issued prior public statements about Epstein’s connection to Interlochen and cooperated with prosecutors and several inquiries by the media. And we encourage anyone who may have been impacted by sexual abuse, by Epstein, or any member of the Interlochen community, to report their experience and seek assistance.”
Michigan
Big Ten program to hire Alabama QB coach Nick Sheridan as OC
Michigan State is expected to hire Alabama QBs coach Nick Sheridan as its next offensive coordinator, On3’s Pete Nakos reported. Sheridan also serves as the Crimson Tide’s co-offensive coordinator.
Sheridan arrived at Alabama in 2024 as offensive coordinator and took on co-offensive coordinator duties this season as Ryan Grubb arrived in Tuscaloosa. He previously worked with Kalen DeBoer at Washington as tight ends coach after spending time on the staff at Indiana from 2017-21.
A Michigan alumnus, Sheridan started his coaching career at nearby Saline (Mich.) in 2010. His hire is notable for Pat Fitzgerald as he takes over at Michigan State.
After his season as the quarterbacks coach at Saline, Sheridan broke into college football as a graduate assistant at Western Kentucky in 2011. He then became the pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at USF in 2013 before three seasons as a graduate assistant at Tennessee from 2014-16.
In 2017, Sheridan became Indiana’s quarterbacks coach and moved to tight ends coach in 2019, which is when DeBoer joined the staff. He then took over as offensive coordinator from 2020-21 after DeBoer’s departure for Fresno State and joined him at Washington in 2022.
Nick Sheridan would be the latest high-profile hire for Fitzgerald, who’s preparing for his first year at Michigan State. The Spartans are also adding Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods, Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed. Woods is expected to stay with Iowa through the bowl game before becoming MSU’s special teams coordinator and assistant head coach.
“I know it was a tough decision for him, and it was a really good opportunity for him to consider,” Ferentz told reporters this week. “We’ve had several coaches have that opportunity, as well. Just first and foremost, just want to congratulate him on that and just share a couple words about LeVar.
“He was on the team when I got here in December of ’98 and was a veteran player, one of the good veteran players that we had, and was a really big part of helping try to build this thing when we got started. Obviously a good player but more importantly a real leader and a guy who had helped set tempo and was really responsive to the way we were doing things.”
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