Most recruits in the 2026 class put pen to paper Wednesday during the early signing period. Once known as National Signing Day — when it was actually just one day in February — prospects now have the ability
to sign their letter of intent during a three-day period at the beginning of December.
As it pertains to the Michigan Wolverines, they were able to get most of their verbal commitments to sign on the dotted line on Wednesday, but there were a couple exceptions. But now, all the smoke has cleared and we have the official 2026 class for Michigan Football.
Here is everything you need to know.
Position breakdown (26 total commits)
- QB: 2
- RB: 2
- WR: 3
- TE: 2
- OL: 5
- DL/Edge: 5
- LB: 3
- CB: 2
- S: 1
- K: 1
Rankings (Per 247Sports composite)
- Five-star Carter Meadows: No. 6 overall, No. 2 Edge
- Five-star Savion Hiter: No. 8 overall, No. 1 RB
- Four-star Travis Johnson: No. 107 overall, No. 14 WR
- Four-star Titan Davis: No. 114 overall, No. 13 DL
- Four-star Brady Marchese: No. 134 overall, No. 20 WR
- Four-star Malakai Lee: No. 144 overall, No. 14 OT
- Four-star Jamarion Vincent: No. 168 overall, No. 20 CB
- Four-star Alister Vallejo: No. 205 overall, No. 25 DL
- Four-star Andre Clarke Jr.: No. 213 overall No. 21 CB
- Four-star Marky Walbridge: No. 228 overall, No. 24 OT
- Four-star Matt Ludwig: No. 242 overall, No. 12 TE
- Four-star Brady Smigiel: No. 343 overall, No. 23 QB
- Four-star Jordan Deck: No. 359 overall, No. 30 S
- Four-star McHale Blade: No. 384 overall, No. 42 DL
- Three-star Mason Bonner: No. 496 overall, No. 26 TE
- Three-star Bear McWhorter: No. 514 overall, No. 30 IOL
- Three-star Aden Reeder: No. 601 overall, No. 50 LB
- Three-star Adrian Hamilton: No. 658 overall, No. 55 IOL
- Three-star Markel Dabney: No. 741 overall, No. 48 LB
- Three-star Jonathan Brown: No. 741 overall, No. 45 RB
- Three-star Tariq Boney: No. 770 overall, No. 77 Edge
- Three-star Tommy Fraumann: No. 770 overall, No. 67 OT
- Three-star Tommy Carr: No. 860 overall, No. 44 QB
- Three-star Jaylen Pile: No. 1,219 overall, No. 185 WR
- Three-star Kaden Catchings: No. 1,411 overall, No. 117 LB
- Three-star Micah Drescher: No. 2,810 overall, No. 11 K
Quick takeaways: The Wolverines made it a priority to build in the trenches in this class — and most of their past classes, for that matter — with five offensive linemen and five defensive linemen. Malakai Lee is my favorite offensive lineman in this class for Michigan at 6-foot-6 and 318 pounds, and edge rusher Carter Meadows is the big fish along the defensive line that could make an immediate impact. With the way Michigan has developed players in the trenches, it isn’t far-fetched to expect a majority of these guys to play a significant role in Ann Arbor at some point.
The Wolverines also acquired a pair of highly regarded receivers in Travis Johnson and Brady Marchese — with the latter flipping from Georgia on Thursday afternoon — as well as two tight ends Michigan made a huge priority in Matt Ludwig and Mason Bonner. Those guys, along with running back Savion Hiter, give Bryce Underwood a plethora of talented skill players to throw the ball to moving forward.
Overall, this is a really solid class from top to bottom. Of course, the Wolverines missed out on some top players here and there — mainly on the defensive side of the ball — but all in all, Sherrone Moore and company did a real nice job following up an elite 2025 class.
Breakdown of what states they’re from
- Texas: 4
- Virginia: 4
- Illinois: 3
- Washington DC: 3
- Georgia: 2
- Ohio: 2
- California: 1
- Colorado: 1
- Hawaii: 1
- Massachusetts: 1
- Michigan: 1
- Mississippi: 1
- Missouri: 1
- Montana: 1
Quick takeaways: The Wolverines have really established a footprint in the state of Texas over the last two cycles, with them getting three Texas-born players last year and four this year. It’s also nice to see the state of Virginia and the District of Columbia become prioritized, as that is a low-key great area to find football talent.
Interestingly enough, the state of Michigan hardly received any love this cycle, with three-star quarterback Tommy Carr being the only Michigander to sign with the Wolverines. Had they not flipped Carr from Miami (OH), they would have skipped out on the state of Michigan entirely for potentially the first time ever in the history of the program. That will surely not be a problem in 2027, with two Michiganders — four-star edge rusher Recarder Kitchen and three-star offensive lineman Louis Esposito — already committed.
Who are some of your favorite players in this class for Michigan? Let us know down in the comments section!
