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What Bear McWhorter’s commitment means for Michigan football

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What Bear McWhorter’s commitment means for Michigan football


The strengths of Michigan’s 2025 recruiting class were the quarterback and offensive line positions, highlighted by top-ranked signal-caller Bryce Underwood and two top-50 prospects up front with five-star Andrew Babalola and Ty Haywood.

The Wolverines landed a potential building block along the line in the 2026 class last week with a commitment from White (Ga.) Cass four-star interior lineman Bear McWhorter.

Here’s what his verbal pledge means for the Wolverines:

– This is an instance where a prospect’s offers list could be more indicative of his potential rather than his ranking. McWhorter is low four-star in the 247Sports Composite and is ranked as the No. 390 overall prospect nationally, but he holds 40 reported offers.

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– There is a large disparity between how the four recruiting services view McWhorter heading into his senior season. ESPN and Rivals both rate him as a four-star, while the former ranks him as a top-200 prospect overall and the No. 5 interior lineman in the country. On3 and 247Sports both have him as a three-star, with 247Sports ranking him as the 88th overall interior lineman.

– Michigan went into SEC territory and beat out other finalists Alabama, Florida, South Carlina and Clemson to land McWhorter. Recruiting can be unpredictable, and McWhorter’s decision appeared to surprise many experts. He grew up an Alabama fan and is named after legendary Tide coach Bear Bryant. Many recruiting analysts predicted McWhorter would end up in Tuscaloosa, but he chose the Wolverines in his announcement ceremony at his school, donning a block “M” hat.

He told On3 his decision came down to the wire.

“There were some changes for me since I set my commitment date,” he said. “I kept talking to the coaches, talking with my family and it came down to being a part of that blue-collar mentality at Michigan.

“The players are a lot like me. The vibe is awesome up there and the guys in the program are guys I am ready to war with every day. I love the people, and it is an environment I feel I can thrive in.”

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– The Wolverines are off to a slow start in the 2026 cycle, with McWhorter becoming just their third pledge and first offensive lineman. We’ll see if his commitment can give Sherrone Moore’s program some momentum heading into spring and summer, when several blue-chip recruits are slated to visit Ann Arbor.

– McWhorter’s commitment continues a recent string of success for Michigan against Alabama on and off the field. It beat the Tide in the postseason each of the past two seasons and also flipped Haywood from them last cycle. Haywood, a top-50 prospect, decommitted from Alabama in January and signed with Michigan during the late period in February.

– Moore and offensive line coach Grant Newsome signed four offensive linemen in the 2025 class and could take up to five this cycle. The position will always be a priority for Moore, a former offensive lineman at Oklahoma who guided the Wolverines to two Joe Moore Awards coaching the position. Michigan is aiming high at the position too, with Nixa (Mo.) five-star tackle and No. 1 overall prospect Jackson Cantwell, Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day four-star interior lineman Leo Delaney, Honolulu Kamehameha four-star tackle Malakai Lee and Portage Northern four-star tackle Gregory Patrick and Fort Worth (Texas) North Crowley five-star interior lineman John Turntine among the top targets. All are top-200 recruits nationally.

“Coach Newsome talks to me every day,” McWhorter told On3. “He is a very personable guy. I can go to him about anything and we have gotten really close. I trust him, I like who he is and I believe in him.

“Coach Moore was a huge factor too. He is a great head coach who has had a lot of success coaching offensive linemen. I really like how they develop offensive linemen, the culture is great and I really want to be a part of it.”

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College basketball rankings: Michigan holds off Arizona at No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports poll

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College basketball rankings: Michigan holds off Arizona at No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports poll


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There is no change at the top in the USA TODAY Sports men’s college basketball coaches poll this week, but the margin for the No. 1 team is much closer.

Michigan is still first, receiving 16 of 31 No.-1 votes while keeping its record clean for another week. But No. 2 Arizona has closed within four poll points of the Wolverines with 14 first-place votes after the Wildcats blew away Alabama to rack up yet another ranked win on the road over the weekend. Duke holds at No. 3 overall, claiming the remaining first-place nod, and Iowa State and Connecticut continue to round out the top five.

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TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball poll

In fact, the first 11 positions in the poll are the same. Purdue, Gonzaga, Houston, Michigan State and Brigham Young comprise the lower half of the top 10, with Louisville retaining the 11th spot.

Vanderbilt climbs two spots to No. 12 as Alabama slides four places to 16th. Nebraska makes the week’s biggest jump, a gain of seven positions to No. 15 after the unbeaten Cornhuskers defeated Illinois on the road.

No new teams enter the Top 25, as Iowa hangs on to the final spot after a loss to Iowa State.



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Bodies of missing snowmobilers recovered from icy Michigan lake

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Bodies of missing snowmobilers recovered from icy Michigan lake


MASON COUNTY, MI – The bodies of two missing snowmobilers were found Sunday morning.

Two Grand Haven men were recovered by first responders in six feet of water on Dec. 14 in Round Lake off Sugar Grove Road in Mason County’s Sheridan Township.

The riders, aged 65 and 49, were reported missing at 12:30 a.m. after their family had not heard from them for several hours, according to the Mason County Sheriff’s Office.

At first, through family of the missing, police believed the two may have been snowmobiling on trails in Lake County. 

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The Lake County Sheriff’s Office started searching trails in attempts to locate them.

Around 4:30 a.m., the search expanded to include eastern Mason County.

A searcher located snowmobile tracks leading onto Round Lake off Sugar Grove Road. A further search showed no tracks leaving the lake.

Due to darkness and heavy snowfall, a check of the lake from shore could not be performed.

At first light, police saw what appeared to be a snowmobile helmet several hundred yards offshore on the ice.

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Mason County Sheriff’s Office launched a drone when weather permitted and spotted a hole in the ice.

There was a helmet at the hole.

Rescuers attempted to get to the area, but kept falling through the ice, making rescue efforts impossible, the press release stated.

The Michigan State Police Dive Services Team and Mason County dive team were called to assist and made their way onto the ice.

An airboat from the Manistee County Sheriff’s Office responded to support recovery efforts.

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While the team worked to get to the hole in the ice, an MSP diver fell through the ice, but was properly tethered to another diver and was pulled from the ice unharmed.

Law enforcement recovered the bodies in approximately six feet of water. Two snowmobiles were also found submerged under the ice.

The Ludington Police Department, United States Coast Guard-Manistee, Michigan DNR-Law Enforcement, Branch Township Fire Department, Carr Fire Department, Fountain Area Rescue, Free Soil Fire Department, Hamlin Fire Department, Irons Fire Department, Luther Fire Department, Pleasant Plains Fire Department, Manistee Fire Department and Norman Township Fire Department all assisted at the scene.



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Urban Meyer reacts to Sherrone Moore scandal after coach’s shock Michigan firing

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Urban Meyer reacts to Sherrone Moore scandal after coach’s shock Michigan firing


One of the best college football coaches of all time, Urban Meyer, lent some sympathy to Sherrone Moore — or at least his family — in the wake of the former Michigan head coach’s shocking firing last week. 

“Last night, I said a prayer for that family,’’ Meyer said on “The Triple Option Podcast,” speaking of Moore’s wife and daughters. 

“I mean, you’ve got three little girls,’’ said Meyer, who won a national title at Ohio State a little over a decade ago. “You’ve got a guy that was on top of the road a week ago.”

Urban Meyer reacted to the fallout of Sherrone Moore’s shock firing from Michigan. Getty Images
The former Michigan football coach was fired for cause after the university confirmed he had an inappropriate relationship with a. staffer. AP

That changed in stunning fashion, as Moore, a married father of three, went from leading the Wolverines to out of a job, fired in Ann Arbor for cause after the university confirmed he had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

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The situation only worsened when Moore was later arrested after he allegedly broke into the home of the staff member, and during an argument, grabbed butter knives and threatened to kill himself.

Sherrone Moore was charged on Friday with third-degree home invasion, a felony, as well as a pair of misdemeanors. AP

On Friday, he was charged with third-degree home invasion, a felony, as well as a pair of misdemeanors — stalking and breaking and entering.


Here’s the latest on former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore


Even Meyer, who created some controversy of his own during a brief, ill-fated tenure as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars — when he was seen on video in 2021 that showed him dancing suggestively with a woman who was not his wife and was later fired before finishing his lone season in Jacksonville — was stunned by Moore’s downfall.

“They’re up 6-0 on the Buckeyes at home,” Meyer said of Michigan’s early lead against rival Ohio State on Nov. 29. “And then, also, you wake up, and they’re in this situation. Rivalries aside, this is all human element. Now, this is something that, from what you read, that’s some serious stuff that went on. And just, all of a sudden, you start seeing the impact. Forget football. Who cares about football?’’

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