As official visits commence this upcoming weekend, let’s take a look at the five most important recruits officially visiting Michigan this summer.
Michigan
Susan J. Demas: Has Michigan bounced back? • Michigan Advance
There’s something happening in Michigan right now and it feels kind of like … optimism?
You could see the energy pulsing through the Motor City as the Detroit Lions stole everyone’s hearts in this year’s playoffs (and then broke them, but we don’t talk about that). And since Thursday, there’s been a sea of Honolulu Blue in the streets for the NFL draft, with the city shattering the all-time attendance record.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (who had once aspired to be a sports reporter) appeared to be having the time of her life, talking up Michigan to the media, posting earnest and slightly goofy videos and even donning buffs.
It’s a made-for-TV comeback story for a city that went through the largest municipal bankruptcy a little more than a decade ago. And as we all know, as Detroit goes, so goes Michigan.
But I don’t think it’s just hype — or the fact that everyone loves football (except Donald Trump, as the Biden campaign claims in a snarky ad coinciding with the draft in a key swing state).
When I moved to Michigan 20 years ago in the middle of the decade-long recession (because my timing is impeccable), I got the usual racist warnings not to go to Detroit. There was no sugarcoating that the entire state was hurting — we were bleeding auto industry jobs and beloved institutions like the Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit were shuttered.
In one of my first columns, I compared the dismal state of public transit there to that of my hometown of Chicago — which has its own shortcomings, to be sure. But I recall an editor asking me to cut some of my copy lauding the Windy City because Michiganders would be “jealous.”
Over the years, I’ve also seen a lot of knee-jerk boosterism of Detroit, like a parade of economic development projects and the 2006 Super Bowl that were supposed to save the city … until they didn’t.
It goes without saying that things aren’t perfect today. The Renaissance Center faces an uncertain future with GM set to move out, residents want more attention focused on rebuilding neighborhoods and little progress has been made to link transit in Southeast Michigan. Detroit is still losing population and Michigan is treading water (hence Whitmer appointing a commission last year to tackle the issue).
But the bottom line is that a lot more people want to be in Detroit now. The city has always had world-class museums, like the Detroit Institute of Arts and the best bookstore in America, John K. King Books, where you can easily spend an entire day wandering about (and you definitely should). But there’s a new crop of local businesses, restaurants and venues that draw in people even when the NFL draft isn’t in town.
And it’s not just our largest city. Michigan’s economy is thriving, like the nation’s, having defied all expectations since it was ravaged by sky-high unemployment at the start of the COVID pandemic. The state unemployment rate is below 4% and economists say we’re on track for continued economic growth without a recession.
Gone are the days of big budget deficits, followed by rounds of cuts to schools, state parks and local governments. When Michigan’s surplus hit an unheard-of $9.2 billion last year, I tried to explain to some newer reporters how jaw-dropping that was after covering two partial government shutdowns in 2007 and 2009. (I probably just sounded like their great-grandma spinning a yarn about the Great Depression).
Much has been made about the “vibecession,” where it just “feels” like the economy is doing far worse than it is. And I’m sure that for Republicans, it feels pretty depressing to have Democrats in charge of every branch of state government.
Indeed, under former Chair Kristina Karamo, the Michigan Republican Party website used to greet visitors with this cheery message: “On this current path, Michigan will become the global headquarters for communist influence and power, and drive Michigan into a deeper depression.”
But facts, as they say, don’t care about your feelings. And it sure is interesting that Michigan’s economy is doing better with Whitmer than it did under her predecessor, Republican Rick Snyder, a former CEO who dubbed himself “One Tough Nerd” and was supposed to turn the state around.
But it is an election year and Republicans are itching to take back the Michigan House so they can have some veto power over Whitmer’s agenda (the state Senate and executive offices aren’t on the ballot until 2026). Most of the GOP messaging has just been mirroring Trump’s diatribes on immigration, but a couple weeks ago, leaders did release an economic plan.
So what was in it? Republicans want to bring back Right to Work, roll back regulations and slightly cut the income tax. In other words, it’s just a return to Snyder-era policies which were meh at best.
Look, unless you’re the type of person who convulses with rage every time a leather-jacket-clad Whitmer posts on Tiktok, it’s hard to deny that Michigan feels a little bit brighter and lighter these days. Why would we want to go backward?
As temperatures rise in Michigan each summer, so to do the chances of harmful algal blooms (HABs) developing in our lakes, causing a risk to both ecosystems and public health.
HABs are formed wherever there is rapid growth of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which are naturally found in lakes, rivers and ponds. Some cyanobacteria found in blooms contain toxins that can be harmful to people and animals, and often present as blue-green, yellow or brown streaks, foam, or thick paint-like scums on the water surface, according to the Michigan Departments of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
To help keep track of these harmful algal blooms across the state, EGLE has teamed up with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to update its online reporting form to include harmful algal blooms. Now the public can easily report suspected HABs to the state by filling out the form at Michigan.gov/HABs. Individuals can also make a report by calling EGLE’s Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278.
“This new online form is an easy and efficient way for Michiganders to help monitor and safeguard our water resources,” said Jerrod Sanders, director of Water Resources Division at EGLE, in a news release. “This tool improves efficiency and helps us respond to potential risks more effectively.”
It will also allow EGLE and MDHHS staff to better understand how HABs develop, and creates the potential to send out public notifications about what areas to avoid as a way of keeping people and pets safe when they’re detected.
Breathing in or swallowing water with HAB toxins can cause asthma-like symptoms, difficulty breathing, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, runny eyes and nose, weakness, headaches or dizziness. Skin contact can also cause rashes, blisters or hives.
“If you had contact with or swallowed water with a suspected HAB and feel sick, call your health care provider or seek medical attention as soon as possible,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive.
Locations of HAB reports verified by EGLE and results of cyanotoxin testing will be displayed on the Michigan Harmful Algal Bloom Reports Map for the public to review.
For more information on health effects, causes and reports on the occurrence of HABs in Michigan lakes, visit Michigan.gov/HABs.
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KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Beach season is here, and Lake Michigan is the most popular of the Great Lakes for swimming. However, it can also be the most dangerous.
According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, 81 people drowned in the Great Lakes in 2025. 36 of those drownings, or almost half, happened in Lake Michigan.
“Even an Olympic swimmer is not going to swim against the rip current,” Pat Whelan, Plainwell district supervisor for the Michigan DNR Parks and Recreation Division, said.
What makes a rip current so dangerous is the natural instinct to try and swim back to shore. However, it is not the way to escape.
“It’s a term called ‘flip, float, and follow,’ where you flip on your back so you can breathe,” Whelan said. “Follow that, float on the top of that current and follow it out into the lake until you can feel it release you. Then you’re going to swim parallel to the shore, and then the waves themselves will help push you back into the shore.”
It’s been more than 20 years since Andy Fox, 17, drowned in a rip current at Grand Haven State Park, but the pain is still fresh for his mother, Vicki Cech, who rarely goes to the beach.
“When I have company in, sometimes I’ll walk out on the pier, but as a rule I just don’t go there anymore,” Cech said. “Not that beach, because that one does have a lot of sad memories for me.”
Pictured is Andy Fox, 17, in this undated photo. Fox drowned in a rip current at Grand Haven State Park in 2006. (Cech/WWMT)
Compared to other Lake Michigan beaches, Grand Haven State Park has added safety features as conditions are known to change rapidly.
Grand Haven uses the color warning system, but at other beaches, they have flags.
At Grand Haven State Park, however, there is an electronic lighting system on an orange tower. When the life ring on that tower is pulled, Ottawa County dispatch is alerted right away.
Blue towers on the beach are equipped with cameras, providing a video feed of what is happening where the life ring was pulled.
Electric lights instead of flags are used to alert people of swimming conditions at Grand Haven State Park.
“They can push the bottom and actually talk back and forth with central dispatch,” Whelan said.
Alongside these additions, Cech would like to see lifeguards on Grand Haven’s beaches.
“I know there’s all kinds of different things we have down there. Life rings closer to the water and everything like that,” Cech said. “But I’d say the only thing which I see South Haven has finally gotten lifeguards, the ultimate would be lifeguards.”
Michigan got rid of lifeguards at state parks in the 1990’s. The DNR said it was a combination of cost and liability concerns.
South Haven, however, welcomed lifeguards back to the city’s beaches for the first time in 25 years on Monday.
Those lifeguards do not yet have chairs and towers yet, but they will be posted between each flag section, with green, yellow and red colors marking that day’s swimming conditions.
More information about the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project can be found online.
Five-star CB Joshua Dobson, June 12
247Sports “only” has Dobson ranked 43rd nationally. Meanwhile, their composite says he is the 11th-best player in the entire class. Regardless of what the analysts think of the versatile Dobson, he would be a fantastic get for the Wolverines.
Four-stars Tavares Harrington and Darius Johnson, along with three-star Charles Woodson Jr. and three-star Maxwell Miles form an excellent foundation for the class’s secondary. Dobson would not only be the cherry on top, but the hot fudge, sprinkles and peanuts, too.
Here is what he said about Michigan, according to Rivals’ Keegan Pope ($):
“Man, they’re definitely up there. Not a lot of people talk about them in my recruitment, which I don’t know why, but Michigan is strong.”
Four-star WR Dakota Guerrant, June 19
We all know about Guerrant and the Wolverines’ interest in the Harper Woods, Michigan, product. Landing four-star Quentin Burrell does ease some of the pressure of adding a potentially elite playmaker on the perimeter, especially with Oregon playing a significant role in Guerrant’s recruitment, too.
Those Ducks appear to be a serious obstacle. Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong recently talked about Guerrant’s potential pairing with Oregon on “The Wiltfong Whiparound” and how he loves their offense.
Perhaps that marriage is set in stone and Michigan is simply entertaining him on the visit. Perhaps Whittingham and Ron Bellamy can sway the in-stater to stay home.
Three-star edge rusher Ifeanyi Emedobi, June 19
The Wolverines are trending up for the Fort Wayne, Indiana edge rusher. Emedobi may seem a bit redundant with Recarder Kitchen and Jayce Brewer already preparing to don the maize and blue. However, perhaps there are plans for either of the 6-foot-6 Kitchen or 6-foot-5 Brewer to play a more complete defensive lineman role, rather than pure edge work, which feels more likely for someone of Emedobi’s stature (6-foot-1.5, 215 pounds).
Emedobi also only recently started playing football, so who knows where he ends up at the collegiate level. Considering his final four includes Penn State, Indiana and Minnesota, let’s hope Michigan — not the conference foes — gets to solve that question.
Three-star WR Charles Britton III, June 19
Another in-state wide receiver, Britton III, aka “Tre,” hails from Belleville but is drawing heavy interest from Missouri, according to Rivals.
Here is what he had to say about Michigan, via Rivals’ Allen Trieu ($):
“Really, just like being so close to home,” Britton said. “I get to visit them whenever I want really, so I can just get to see how things are going with them. They could take up with me whenever they want too. They’re in my face more, I’d say, because they’re right down the street, so I get to go to them, they get to go to me as many times as possible. So I’m just putting in new relationships and building them fast. It really is — they’re Michigan.”
The official visit should help determine if this is simply love for the hometown school or a legitimate interest in being a Wolverine.
Four-star IOL Lincoln Mageo, June 5
Mageo, from Oceanside, California, may not be regarded as a blue chip prospect, but this is a program that does not necessarily need the most highly touted trenchmen to develop stars. Mageo recently talked to Maize n Brew and praised offensive line coach Jim Harding.
“I loved watching coach Harding break down technique during indy period so that everyone could understand,” Mageo said. “That is the type of coaching that I’m looking for. A coach who takes time to break down technique and focuses on development.
Four-star Jakari Lipsey, and three-stars Sidney Rouleau and Louis Esposito make up the offensive line group in this cycle so far.
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