Michigan football laying the groundwork for elite recruiting class in 2026
Michigan football might only have three commitments in the 2026 class, but the Wolverines are doing some impressive work on the recruiting trail that should eventually lead to some commitments.
According to Ethan McDowell of The Wolverine.com, Michigan football has 50 recruits coming on visits in the month of April and March.
These are unofficial visits, and they probably aren’t going to lead to a ton of commitments. It’s not clear if McDowell’s count is referring just to 2026 recruits but the majority of them are. There are double-digit recruits ranked in the top 100 according to On3 who will be on campus, as well as some five-star recruits, such as quarterback Ryder Lyons.
Top-100 running back Javian Osborne will also be visiting, along with four-star tight end Matt Ludwig, the Montana tight end who just got a recent expert projection from EJ Holland.
Michigan football already has 21 official visits scheduled in the 2026 class according to On3.com. The idea is likely to get some of these unofficial visitors to come back for official visits. In fact, some of them already have two visits scheduled such as Lyons, Ludwig, and Osborne.
The Wolverines have always been more productive in the summer months. That’s how the 2025 class worked out, but Michigan was behind the 8-ball. Michigan still signed the No. 6 overall class. The flipping of Bryce Underwood was a turning point.
Not only will other recruits want to play with Underwood, but his commitment also showed that Michigan is willing to play the NIL game. That has gotten Michigan into the mix with plenty of other recruits. U-M is back in the mix for some of the recruits it missed out on in the 2023 and 2024 classes.
There should be more tangible progress in terms of commitments in the coming months, but with a number of elite recruits coming for visits, the Wolverines should have a solid group they can prioritize heading into the summer when they historically have locked down most of their recruits.
