Can Michigan land a Class of 2026 headliner? 5 football recruiting storylines to know

June is a month when college football staffs are pulled in many directions.

After wrapping up its first weekend of official visits, Michigan sent a few staff members to the National College Showcase camp Sunday in Detroit, though Sherrone Moore and his fellow head coaches from the Big Ten weren’t in attendance this year. Monday, the Wolverines hosted their own camp, the first of several that will take place over the next few weeks. By the end of the month, Michigan’s coaches will have seen lots of prospects, and lots of prospects will have seen them.

“Boots on the ground,” wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy said, describing Michigan’s approach in June. “We’re working nonstop, every day of the week, and just keep attacking everything.”

Michigan’s 2026 recruiting class, which sits at No. 39 in the 247Sports Composite rankings, has been a bit slow to develop, though that’s not unusual. The finish is what people remember, and no program finished stronger than Michigan in 2025. After signing a top-10 class that included No. 1 overall prospect Bryce Underwood, Michigan will try to keep the momentum going with 2026 prospects who are visiting campus this month.

“A guy of (Underwood’s) caliber, you want to follow him,” Bellamy said. “He has a huge following here in this state. I’m sure it’s going to help on the recruiting trail for us.”

Here are five storylines to follow as prospects make their way to Ann Arbor for official visits.

Who’s the headliner?

Right now it’s Brady Smigiel, the four-star quarterback who committed to Michigan in April. Building around a top-100 quarterback prospect is typically a sound strategy, though Michigan has other needs in this class that may take precedence. There’s not an Underwood-caliber recruit out there who can immediately become the face of the class, but Michigan has a few candidates who could take top billing.

The first player who comes to mind is Mineral, Va., running back Savion Hiter, the No. 17 player in the composite rankings. Hiter is slated to take his final two official visits to Michigan the weekend of June 13 and Tennessee the weekend of June 20. Those two visits could go a long way in determining which school has the inside track with the top running back prospect in the 2026 class. Ohio State and Georgia are also finalists.

Hiter is a priority for Michigan, especially in light of Javian Osborne’s commitment to Notre Dame earlier this spring. After a five-star quarterback and a five-star offense tackle headlined the 2025 class, a five-star running back would be the ideal centerpiece for Michigan in 2026.

The other player on Michigan’s visit list who could command headliner status is offensive tackle Felix Ojo, the No. 7 prospect in the 2026 class. Michigan isn’t the perceived favorite for Ojo — that’s probably home-state Texas, with Ohio State also making a push — but the Wolverines are in the top group. Beyond that, Michigan has visits scheduled with several top-100 players who could vie for the top spot in the class, including edge prospects Carter Meadows and Trenton Henderson, athlete Salesi Moa, cornerback Khary Adams and offensive tackle John Turntine.

How much is Michigan being impacted by the uncertainty of … everything?

Schools are planning to start sharing revenue with athletes on July 1 pursuant to the terms of the House v. NCAA settlement. That settlement has not yet been approved, leaving programs in limbo on issues like roster limits, a proposed clearinghouse for NIL deals and other parts of the post-settlement landscape.

The uncertainty hasn’t kept programs from loading up on commitments for the Class of 2026. USC is No. 1 in the team rankings with 27 commitments, and Notre Dame is No. 2 with 16. But Michigan has additional complications that might be affecting the 2026 recruiting class.

Michigan was scheduled to go before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions this week to make its case in the long-running Connor Stalions/impermissible scouting investigation, paving the way for a ruling later this summer. The program is already under NCAA probation through April 2027 because of the so-called “Burgergate” investigation that involved violations of the COVID-19 dead period. Michigan settled that case with the NCAA and agreed to a series of recruiting penalties, including four weeks of zero recruiting communication that were to be served between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.

It’s unclear what penalties the NCAA may assess in the Stalions case, but Michigan is already planning to be without Moore for two games this season. Factor in the uncertainty around revenue sharing and NIL, and that leaves a lot up in the air during a crucial point in the recruiting calendar.

Can Michigan add playmakers for Underwood?

Wide receiver prospects who watched Michigan’s downfield passing game last season probably didn’t see a lot to be excited about. Still, Michigan has quite a bit to offer wideouts in the 2026 class: the allure of playing with a five-star quarterback, a new offensive coordinator who wants to stretch the field in Chip Lindsey and a depth chart that should be hospitable to incoming freshmen.

Michigan’s first batch of official visitors included Zion Robinson, a four-star wide receiver from Mansfield, Texas. Robinson is 6-4 with a big catch radius, which fits a theme Michigan has emphasized in recent classes. As the son of Khadevis Robinson, the director of track and field at TCU and a former Olympian in the 800 meters, he has speed to burn, too. He’s scheduled to visit Stanford, TCU and Miami ahead of a July commitment.

Michigan has a commitment from three-star wide receiver Jaylen Pile and is expected to get a mid-June visit from Travis Johnson, a top-150 prospect from Chesapeake, Va. Johnson, who’s also visiting Virginia Tech, Penn State and South Carolina, has been one of the wide receiver prospects most closely linked to Michigan in the 2026 cycle.

What’s next for the offensive line?

It will be tough to top last year’s offensive line class, which included five-star tackle Andrew Babalola, top-50 prospect Ty Haywood and top in-state O-line prospect Avery Gach. The 2026 class is wide-open outside of three-star prospect Bear McWhorter, Michigan’s first (and thus far only) offensive line commit.

The Wolverines took their shot with No. 1 prospect Jackson Cantwell before he committed to Miami, and they have Ojo scheduled to visit this weekend. Turntine, the No. 35 player in the composite rankings, is slated to visit the weekend of June 13, and Michigan’s final group of official visitors includes Malakai Lee, a top-150 tackle prospect from Hawaii who is among Michigan’s top targets.

Pulling a player like Ojo or Turntine out of Texas would be a stretch for Michigan, but it’s not unheard of. The Wolverines did something similar last year with Haywood, a Texas prospect who was committed to Alabama for much of the cycle. The stars may not align exactly as they did last year, but it’s important that Michigan continues to add to the developmental pipeline.

Will Michigan sign an in-state player?

In-state players typically make up 10 to 15 percent of Michigan’s recruiting classes. Last year’s in-state crop was average in terms of size and, thanks to Underwood, exceptional in terms of talent. As things stand right now, Michigan is in the slightly unusual position of having no commitments from in-state prospects. While that easily could change before signing day, it’s not clear who might fill the void.

The top prospect in Michigan for the Class of 2026 is CJ Sadler, a wide receiver/defensive back from Detroit’s Cass Tech who is No. 96 in the composite rankings. Sadler took an official visit to Maryland but hasn’t announced any others. Among the top eight prospects in Michigan, he’s the only one who’s still uncommitted.

Notre Dame has commitments from three of the top eight players in Michigan, all offensive linemen: Gregory Patrick from Portage (No. 180), Ben Nichols from Davison (No. 227) and Sullivan Garvin from Allegan (No. 403). Lincoln Keyes, a four-star tight end who plays a few miles from Michigan’s campus in Saline, is committed to Georgia. Unless Michigan makes a push for Sadler or flips a player who’s committed elsewhere, the Wolverines may have to reach a bit to maintain an in-state presence in their 2026 class.

(Photo of Sherrone Moore: Mike Mulholland / Getty Images for ONIT)

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